Posted by DS on December 03, 2002 at 10:06:48:
In Reply to: Pre-game meals posted by Keith C. on December 03, 2002 at 09:31:39:
I suspect this varies greatly between players and some of it will have to do with metabolism, some with body shape. If you have a very lean build, eating before a performance may not affect you as much as someone who is more...'er...pear-shaped (of course, most lean people tend to have a higher rate of metabolism). Since your body requires a fairly significant amount of energy to digest food, it probably goes without saying that it is best not to eat a LARGE meal just before a performance, and preferably something that your body can digest easily - a salad or some fruit.
I personally do not eat anything within 2 hours of a performance for exactly the reason you stated - I find it very uncomfortable to play on a full stomach, especially high fat foods like burgers, fries, etc. which my body digests slowly. Big pre-concert meals also affect my breathing adversely.
On a humorous note, our family went to my mom's house for dinner just before a recent rehearsal. She made a wonderful, healthy-looking, -smelling, and -tasting Mexican bean soup. However, the after-effects of that meal were a detriment to the harmony of our tuba section. I could have doubled on bass trombone (without touching an instrument!)