What to avoid eating before a game? The essential guide to peak performance nutrition

October 18, 2025 •

4 min read

Athletic performance can suffer if your body is busy digesting the wrong foods when it should be fueling muscles. Understanding what to avoid eating before a game is critical, as heavy or difficult-to-digest items can cause cramping, sluggishness, and energy crashes at the worst possible time.

Quick Summary

This guide covers the types of foods and drinks that can negatively impact athletic performance, including high-fat, high-fiber, and sugary items. It outlines why these food choices lead to problems like slow digestion, cramping, and energy crashes, offering crucial advice for proper pre-game fueling.

Key Points

Avoid high-fat foods: Fatty and fried foods slow down digestion, leaving you feeling sluggish and diverting energy away from your muscles.
Limit high-fiber foods: While healthy, high-fiber foods like raw vegetables and beans can cause gas, bloating, and stomach cramps before a game.
Steer clear of simple sugars: Sugary drinks and candy cause a sharp spike and crash in blood sugar, leading to fatigue and decreased performance.
Be cautious with dairy: Many people find dairy difficult to digest, and its fat content can cause stomach upset and nausea during exercise.
Don't experiment on game day: Stick to familiar, well-tolerated foods to avoid unexpected digestive problems from new or unfamiliar items.
Follow the 4-2-1 rule: A larger meal 4 hours before, a light snack 2 hours before, and focusing on hydration in the final hour is a smart strategy.

The Trouble with High-Fat and Fried Foods

When preparing for a game, your body needs energy that is readily accessible. High-fat and fried foods, however, slow down the digestive process significantly. This means your body is diverting valuable blood and energy to the stomach to break down the food instead of sending it to your muscles. The result is a heavy, sluggish feeling that can undermine your speed, agility, and endurance.

Fried Foods and Fast Food: These items, such as french fries, chicken wings, and onion rings, are loaded with saturated and trans fats that are notoriously difficult to digest. They can cause indigestion, nausea, and general discomfort during exercise.
High-Fat Meats and Cheesy Dishes: Large portions of fatty meats like burgers, steak, and sausages, as well as cheesy entrees like pizza and creamy sauces, should be avoided. These can sit in your stomach for hours, leaving you feeling full and lethargic when you need to be focused.

Why fat is a poor pre-game choice

The purpose of pre-game nutrition is to top off glycogen stores (stored carbohydrates) in the muscles and liver to provide fuel. Fats, while an important part of a healthy diet, are not a primary fuel source during high-intensity exercise and can interfere with the body's ability to utilize carbohydrates efficiently.

Why High-Fiber Can Be a Problem

While a high-fiber diet is generally excellent for your health, consuming too much fiber close to an event can lead to digestive discomfort. For an athlete, pre-game nerves combined with high fiber can be a recipe for disaster, causing gas, bloating, and diarrhea.

High-Fiber Vegetables and Legumes: Raw broccoli, beans, and lentils are excellent sources of fiber but can be difficult to digest right before exercise. For the day of the game, opt for more easily digestible, low-fiber options.
High-Fiber Cereals and Grains: Many whole-grain cereals and products are high in fiber. While great for general health, they can contribute to digestive issues if consumed too close to competition.

The Crash and Burn of Simple Sugars

Consuming sugary foods and drinks before a game can lead to a rapid spike and subsequent crash in blood sugar levels. This roller-coaster effect leaves you feeling tired, irritable, and with significantly decreased stamina when you need it most.

Soda and Sugary Drinks: Carbonated soft drinks and fruit juices are packed with simple sugars that cause a rapid insulin response. The resulting energy crash will undermine your performance.
Candy and Processed Snacks: Candy bars, cookies, and other highly processed snacks offer a quick burst of energy that disappears just as quickly. They provide little nutritional value and can leave you feeling fatigued.

Digestive Distress from Dairy

Dairy products can be problematic for many athletes, not just those with full-blown lactose intolerance. The lactose (sugar) and fat content in dairy can be difficult to digest, leading to stomach upset, nausea, or cramping during play.

Milk and Cheese: Whole milk and high-fat cheese, in particular, should be limited or avoided on game day. The fat content slows digestion, and the lactose can cause discomfort.
Cream-Based Sauces: Dishes with creamy, heavy sauces can also cause issues due to their high fat content.

The Risk of Spicy, Acidic, and Unfamiliar Foods

Pre-game nerves can already make your stomach sensitive. Adding spicy or acidic foods to the mix can exacerbate the problem, causing heartburn, indigestion, and general stomach distress. This is why sticking to familiar, bland foods is always a safe bet.

Spicy Sauces and Peppers: Hot sauce, chili powder, and other spicy elements should be avoided to prevent an upset stomach.
Acidic Foods: Acidic items can cause reflux or indigestion..
New Foods and Restaurants: Never experiment with a new meal or restaurant on game day. You don't know how your body will react, and the last thing you need is a surprise digestive issue before a competition.

A Quick Comparison of Pre-Game Food Choices


Food Type	Reason to Avoid	Effect on Performance
High-Fat/Fried Foods	Slow digestion, high fat content	Sluggishness, fatigue, indigestion
High-Fiber Foods	Slow digestion, gas, bloating	Cramping, digestive distress
Simple Sugars/Sodas	Rapid insulin spike and crash	Energy depletion, fatigue, irritability
Heavy Dairy	Slow digestion, lactose intolerance risk	Nausea, cramping, stomach upset
Spicy/Acidic Foods	Can cause heartburn and indigestion	Stomach discomfort, distraction
New/Unfamiliar Foods	Risk of unforeseen digestive issues	Surprise nausea, upset stomach

The Smart Pre-Game Playbook: What to Eat Instead

Instead of the foods mentioned above, focus on clean, easily digestible carbohydrates with a little bit of lean protein, following a timeline like the 4-2-1 rule.

4 Hours Before: A balanced meal with complex carbs and lean protein, such as grilled chicken with a baked sweet potato or pasta with a tomato-based sauce. 2 Hours Before: A light, high-carb snack, like a banana, a low-fiber granola bar, or a small bowl of cereal with low-fat milk. 1 Hour Before: Focus on hydration with water or a sports drink, if necessary for longer events.

Examples of easily digestible snacks:

A banana or apple slices
Low-fiber cereal or oatmeal
Toast or a bagel with a small amount of peanut butter
Plain crackers
A fruit smoothie with low-fat yogurt

Conclusion: Fueling Your Body for Victory

Making conscious decisions about your pre-game nutrition can be the difference between a good performance and a great one. By avoiding heavy, high-fat meals, excessive fiber, and simple sugars, you prevent common pitfalls like energy crashes and digestive issues. Focus on easily digestible carbohydrates and maintain proper hydration to ensure your body and mind are primed for peak performance. Think of your body as a high-performance machine; you wouldn't put low-quality fuel into it, so why do the same with your diet? By following these guidelines, you can step onto the field feeling light, energized, and ready to compete.

Learn more about fueling your body for performance at Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Fried foods are high in fat, which takes a long time for your body to digest. This slow digestion process can make you feel sluggish, divert blood flow from your muscles, and may cause stomach discomfort during exercise.

It's best to limit or reduce your intake of high-fiber foods right before a game. While fiber is crucial for health, excess fiber can cause bloating, gas, and cramping during physical activity.

Sugary drinks cause a rapid spike in blood sugar, prompting a large release of insulin. This insulin overcompensates, leading to a quick drop in blood sugar, which results in a sugar crash and fatigue during your game.

Many protein bars are also high in fat or fiber, which can slow digestion. A better option would be a light, carb-focused snack 1-2 hours before the game, as carbohydrates are your body's primary fuel source for exercise.

Eating new or unfamiliar foods before a competition is risky because you don't know how your body will react. Sticking to trusted foods that you know your body tolerates well helps prevent unexpected stomach issues on game day.

Not necessarily, but many athletes find dairy hard to digest, which can cause stomach upset, nausea, or cramping. If you are sensitive to lactose or the fat in dairy, it is best to avoid it on game day.

Easily digestible carbohydrates, such as toast, a banana, or pasta with a light sauce, are recommended for pre-game meals. These are quickly converted into glucose to fuel your muscles without causing digestive distress.