Posted by Rick Denney on December 04, 2002 at 15:18:53:
In Reply to: Pre-game meals posted by Keith C. on December 03, 2002 at 09:31:39:
The best strategy is to think of food as a drug, and choose foods that have the right chemical effect. Carbohydrates (basically, most of anything that is not meat, unless you are into tofu or bean curd) will break down into sugar. Sugar not used in digestion will be dissolved into your blood, which will be noted by your endocrine system, which will, in turn, inject insulin into your blood to control the high sugar content. The insulin slows everything down to balance the effects of the sugar. When the sugar is burned off (2-3 hours after eating, or even sooner), the insulin will still be with you and it will be nap time. This is not good on mid-concert concentration because the rising tide of sleepiness causes fear, which induces an injection of adrenalin, which causes tension. The result for me is a missed solo in an American in Paris, heh, heh.
Sugar is used to metabolize protein, so if you consume enough protein to give the carbohydrates enough work to do, it won't have the big effect on the sugar content of your blood. And some carbohydrates convert to simple sugars much more quickly than others. Corn syrup in sodas and other sweeteners get to your blood in a few minutes, while complex carbohydrates like whole grains and low-sugar raw fruits take much longer. Fat acts as a buffer on sugar absorption, so a moderate amount of fat will help keep the blood chemistry from swinging wildly.
Different people have a different tolerance for carbohydrates. My tolerance is fairly low, so the perfect meal for me is a balance between protein, carbohydrate, and fat. The body can only digest a meal of about 400 calories without having to divert energy from elsewhere. Therefore, the perfect pre-performance meal will consist of about 160 calories of carbohydrate, 120 calories of protein, and 120 calories of fat. This is about 40 grams of carbohydrate, 30 grams of protein, and 13 grams of fat. A grilled chicken sandwich (hold the mayo) and a diet soda sounds about right, especially if it uses whole-grain bread. That will hold you for about four hours, but it's a meal you should be able to eat only a half hour before concert time without any ill effects.
Caffeinated sodas have only about a quarter the caffeine of a cup of coffee, so it shouldn't be a problem unless it's your only caffeine source. Too much caffeine causes nervousness and tension, which is a bad thing for tuba players. But caffeine is a diuretic, so you should drink the soda at least 90 minutes before the concert. Those who say they drink right up to the concert must have cast-iron bladders.
As I said, some people (who tend to be thin) have a high tolerance for the effects of carbohydrates, and these people can eat almost anything without having to worry about it. But their advice doesn't translate well to those of us who don't respond well to carbohydrates. Unfortunately, these are the folks who are naturally athletic, and they are therefore the ones most likely to think about nutrition and therefore much nutritional advice is skewed by their disproportionate involvement. You can tell those of us who are more sensitive to excess carbohydrates by our tendency to be thick.
Note that this is a balanced approach, neither high protein nor high carbohydrate, both of which have their advocates for different reasons, and both of which love to argue with the other. When I stray from this approach, however, I feel the effects strongly. I stray often, because I love some foods too much, but (repeat after me) Do Not Break The Rules Before Learning Them.
Rick "who has to train for ultra-endurance sports to stay within 20 pounds of 'ideal' weight" Denney