Football Food & Game Day Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What to eat on game day football? ›

“Starch-based meals should be the focus, says Turner. “Foods like lower fiber rice, pasta, and breads are good options.” But don't pig out—you want enough food to give you energy, but not so much that you feel that burrito bowl sloshing around in your guts during the first quarter of the game.

Chicken wings are the most popular game day food in NFL cities during the season — with a 25% increase in average order volume on Sundays in the season compared to Sundays out of the season.

Starchy foods like rice, potatoes and pasta will provide a good carbohydrate-rich meal that will give you the right fuel for the next day's match. Chicken or lean fish, some green veg, especially spinach packed with antioxidants and vitamins, and a jacket potato, sweet potato, rice or pasta is a good bet.

Burgers, Hot Dogs, and Bratwurst. We know that most people associate these three foods with baseball, but they are also a perfect football food. We think that as long as you can fire up the grill, you should fire up the grill as far into football season as you can.

"But what are people ordering for their Super Bowl watch parties?" is a question you may ask yourself because you're looking to create a game day menu. The three most popular Super Bowl dishes people order are pizza, chicken wings, and chips with dips.

Choosing a variety of whole grain breads, pasta, rice, potatoes, fruits and vegetables ensures players are getting not only the carbs necessary to perform but also essential vitamins, minerals and fiber, which have a slew of important functions. In particular, these help to decrease inflammation and support recovery.

Ideally, you can eat a banana 30 minutes to an hour before a football game to benefit from its easily digestible carbohydrates and electrolyte-balancing properties. The natural sugars in bananas provide a rapid energy boost, while the potassium content supports proper muscle function and hydration.

Football players need carbohydrates to fuel hard-working muscles. Bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, fruits and vegetables should be the bulk of a football player's diet filling up 2/3 of the plate at every meal.

Make a vegetable platter.

Raw carrots, cucumbers, celery, red bell peppers and cauliflower.

What do football players eat day before game? ›

This requires a diet that includes high-quality sources of protein spread throughout the day among properly timed meals and snacks. "Large amounts of protein at one meal or a specific time may not be as well utilized," says Machowsky. Chicken or turkey, lean red meats, beans, dairy, eggs and fish are all good options.

NFL star Tom Brady shared the meal plan he uses for his game-days. It's low on carbs, high in protein. His meal plan involves an 80% emphasis on vegetables for pre-game and post-game dinners. He starts his day with a fruit smoothie and has some celebratory chocolate after a game.

Anything too fatty, like junk food or milk, is digested slowly and will make athletes feel slow and sluggish. Athletes should also avoid eating too many high-fiber foods, like beans, fruits and vegetables, which are also difficult to digest and cause stomach problems on the field.