Dietary Guidelines

Between each session, a balanced diet is necessary, both to recover and prepare for the next one.

To respond to the intensity of the effort, it is important to:

• Prioritize protein intake (poultry, lean meat, 3 dairy products/day); to repair and strengthen muscles damaged by movement, contact and shock.
• Increase carbohydrate intake because energy comes mainly from glycogen.
• Limit the intake of "bad" fats, favoring the "good" ones with vegetable oils (olive, rapeseed, soy) in moderate quantities.
• Avoid fatty foods such as fried foods and cooked fats.

• It is essential to respect a period of 3 hours between the end of the last meal and the start of the effort.
• Do not hesitate to take a balanced meal, easy to digest: raw vegetables – starchy foods (rice, pasta, potatoes) – ham, fish – dairy products.
• If time is short, have a snack at least 2 hours before exercise or competition. It will consist of dairy products, cereals or energy bars and fresh fruit.
• Before a competition plan a fructose drink to avoid reduced vigilance.

• During activity, rehydrate and eat sugar. Allow 500 ml of energy drink to drink per hour.
• Tip: place your bottle near the sidelines so that you can drink at each break.
• Since rugby matches are long, it is in your best interest to plan an energy drink for half-time.

Drink and recover:

• You should drink carbonated water (bicarbonate) or water with added bicarbonate supplements. You can also consume, alternately, an energy drink or a sugary drink.
• Ingest energy bars, diet biscuits, a dairy product and a supper made up of green vegetables, starches (bananas) to facilitate recovery.
• The evening meal should include food groups that are not present at other meals. Starches are essential in the practice of a collective sport and must constitute the basis of one of the two main meals.
• The other includes green vegetables but also: Crudités, soup or salad, with a tablespoon of vegetable oil.
• Protein: lean meat, fish, poultry or liver.
• Dairy products.
• Possibly sweet products: compote or tart or sorbet.