Competition Nutrition

Hi everyone!
I recently returned from the Women's PanAm Boxing Championships held in Guayaquil, Ecuador in early October.
Kelly thought a blog post would be a great idea so I thought I would write about nutrition tips during competitions - especially those on a different continent - because being unprepared can be very costly (I speak from experience here :) )
I realize that some of this info is a no-brainer for seasoned competitors but I thought would post some important nutrition reminders especially for those new to competition - particularly international.

Top 5 rules for competition nutrition

5. Nothing greasy, heavy or oily during day of competition - ie heavy cheeses, fried foods, creamy sauces
4. Lots of quality fluids and electrolytes during the day.
3. Don't try anything new or exotic until after competition is over - routine is key- it may not affect you after the first day or two but as time progresses you will feel it - keep to your usual schedule of eating - quantities and ingredients
2. Bring your own pre-event and post-event snacks and/or meal replacements from home - energy and recovery is your key focus - your body is expecting the familiar so don't disappoint it!
1. Small meals and snacks spaced out during the day - keep your body humming along - each should contain a balance of high quality protein, carbs and EFAs

List of great travel foods
I always bring these in case the athlete buffets contain a lot of meat, "mystery" dishes or a lot of oils and buttery sauces on the veggies (or none at all)- At my last tournament all of the lunch and dinner options were white rice and meat and sometimes some 'mystery' soup - almost zero raw veggies or fruit - the breakfast was something resembling orange scrambled eggs with chunks of ham. Enough said.

1. Vega vibrance bars and/or whole food bars
2. single packets of Vega whole food optimizer - vanilla chai is my fave!!! - and smoothie infusions
3. heat and ready to serve tetra paks - lentils and spinach, rice and beans - precooked so you can always eat them cold or in a wrap if you are desperate
4. homemade squares/bars (ie dates, figs and oats, dried fruit, seeds, nuts etc)
5. custom trail mixes - ie. almonds, pumpkin seeds, organic dried berries, raisins, millet puffs, etc.
6. organic fuji apples, baby carrots - they always survive the flight when i stash them in my clothes
7. almond or cashew butter, seed butters - in sealed containers - in ziploc bags
8. organic corn and rice cakes/crackers or ryvita/finn crisp thins and tortilla shells (corn or multigrain)
9. muesli and quick rolled oats in individual serve baggies - add trail mix and hot water or yogurt and you have a great breakfast
10. Vega Sport is awesome for training and pre-comp energy - I just toss the canister in my duffel and mix in my water bottle

I realize many of you reading this are 100% raw vegans so let me just say that I am a vegetarian with a predominantly raw diet - however having to endure Canadian winters, traveling to many competitions and my intense training regimen have lead me to incorporate some things into my diet in moderation that most of you would not. Take these as my own contribution and what works for me - everyone is different so you will definitely need to adjust things to your own situation.

In any case, despite the time and effort in preparation it is truly worth it - I never have to worry about my nutrition when I'm away at tournaments and that's more focus and energy that i can give to competing!!!