Discuss the importance of pre-event, during-event and post-event meals for athletes.

1. 1 · Open in two lines. What an athlete eats around competition decides how much fuel and fluid is available and how fast the body recovers.
2. 2 · Draw a timeline. [Timeline: night before → 3-4 h meal → 1-2 h snack → during → 0-60 min recovery snack → meal within 2 h]
3. 3 · Pre-event meal.
   • Tops up liver glycogen; prevents hunger.
   • 1-4 g/kg carbohydrate, 1-4 h before; low fat and fibre.
   • 5-10 mL/kg fluid; familiar foods; avoid fried and gas-forming foods.
4. 4 · During the event.
   • Over about an hour: 30-60 g carbohydrate per hour.
   • Over 2.5 h: up to 90 g/h; fluid to a plan; use breaks.
5. 5 · Post-event meal: the 3 Rs.
   • Refuel: 1.0-1.2 g/kg/h carbohydrate for 4 h.
   • Repair: about 0.3 g/kg protein.
   • Rehydrate: 1.25-1.5 L per kg lost, with sodium.
6. 6 · Timing of meals and snacks. Main meal 3-4 h before, snack 1-2 h before, recovery snack within an hour, full meal within 2 h, milk at bedtime.
7. 7 · Nutrition link. Indian options: idli, poha, curd rice, banana milkshake, salted buttermilk; tournament snack packs.
8. 8 · Close in one line. Fuel before, top up during, and recover fast after: the right food at the right time wins the next match too.

Scoring tip: Organise the answer by time (before, during, after) and give one Indian food for each; examiners reward the timeline.