So I was wondering what people eat at the track. I’m sure eating the right stuff will help with driving to some extent, but I’m not sure what everyone does.
For me, I’ll have two doughnuts and a Coffee before the race, and a water/powerade bottle between every session. I don’t eat much except for maybe a burger before the final, so I was wondering what other people do for food at the track
We typically have Subway bring platters to the track for our guys as it strikes a balance between cost/availability/relatively nutritious. We should probably mix it up soon though considering our joke now is “did you even really go to a kart track if you didn’t have Subway?” 
I try to eat a banana for some potassium at some point. Otherwise trail mix is a nice snack.
I drink G2 instead of Gatorade because there’s just too much damn sugar in Gatorade.
I recently started going to the deli counter at Safeway, get a Pasta salad or something. I bring a small cooler with granola bars and that to the track now. Banana’s are great if you’re feeling mentally out of it.
)If you want a good episode that talks about what to eat at the track, Trey and I talk about it during Episode 10.
When I was young, I was a competitive tennis player at a pretty high level. I learned my Gatorade lesson during a hotly contested semi-final in Florida heat. Split sets, tie breaker on each set. I had to withdraw in the final set tiebreaker because my legs locked up from cramping due to Gatorade. This particular tournament was sponsored by gatorade so there were bowls of it courtside for free. Normally I did not drink Gatorade. This was the only time in my years of competitive play that I had to withdraw due to cramping.
TLDR: Gatorade is not a sports drink, water is.
Water, water, water.
I’ve been drinking Soylent for breakfast for the past several months and I’ve found that usually gives me a good base during a race day as well.
Espresso and water but not mixed together.
In England I always had copious amounts of bacon butties/sarnies/baps (sandwiches). But this side of the Atlantic can’t get bacon right.
But generally speaking i don’t eat much, I’ll nibble at some pasta or fruit. Nothing too heavy because I don’t want to fall asleep (getting old you know). And I won’t eat too close to race.
This is an excerpt from a soccer nutrition advisory:
“It is recommended that players eat 2-3 hours prior to games and
exercising. Studies have shown that when there is food in the stomach, the heart
pumps large volumes of blood to the stomach to aid in digestion. When an
athlete goes into a game or practice with food in their stomach, the heart will
shunt the blood to the working muscles thereby stopping the digestive process.
This can cause stomach gas and cramping. Ouch! You don’t want this to
happen, so stick to your diet and follow these rules!”
For on the day they recommend:
BREAKFAST
LUNCH (DURING COMPETITION)
POST GAME
References:
Other Nutritional Resources:
I generally find that karters (me included) don’t eat correctly, even in big teams. The Italians are more on top of this then we are having catering companies bringing very specific dishes.
I always recommend keeping it simple. PB&J sandwiches are money at the track. This is one of the few times it’s good to use white bread. The simple carbohydrates process quickly and your body uses that sugar more efficiently when you’re active like most of us are on race day. Bananas, cucumbers, nuts, trail mix are all great snack options. In terms of hydration, stick with water. No more than one sport drink throughout the day. I actually like to grab a FitAid at some point mid-day. It has a little bit of caffeine, which helps me, and a healthy serving of amino acids.
@DavinRS, I’m planning on doing a “workshop” with a nutritionist at my gym sometime this month or next. Look for a race day nutrition article to follow up my rib protection piece that is coming soon.