Tennis is a sport that requires lots and lots of energy. Almost 80% of our body muscles are strenuously working while playing tennis. It’s a sport that burns calories quickly.
According to the latest research, an average person burns around 575-775 calories per hour while playing single games of tennis. This is the reason tennis player gets hungry frequently.
Sometimes the hunger calls during the tennis tournament and sometimes after or before the match. The most challenging scenario is to keep the hunger hormone relax during the tournament as it affects your performance.
To get rid of such a situation it is often recommended to keep some snacks in your bag so that you can satiate your hunger and can get an enormous amount of energy.
Here you will discover some quick and healthy snack ideas that you can have after every 40-50 minutes of intense physical activity.
Let’s find out!
Ideal Snack For Tennis Player:
There is a misconception trending nowadays, that is, to consume only protein-based food and completely avoid carbs in your diet.
Though it’s a great strategy only when you are building muscles and losing weight. But it’s not a workable concept when you are playing tennis.
See, you need to have lots of energy to burn fire on the tennis court, so choose the best tennis racquet of your choice.
So ideally, the best snack for a tennis player should be one that has a high amount of simple carbohydrates.
Besides this, it should have a small amount of protein with low or no amounts of fats. Minerals and vitamins should have to be there in your snacks. Make sure that there should be low fiber content as it will make you feel fuller.
Such snacks will give a high boost of energy to the player and they won’t get digested easily. So this means, Ghrelin-the hunger hormone won’t get activated quickly.
Here are 8 Best Quick Snacks For Tennis Players:
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Keeping in mind the above features of an ideal tennis snack, you can find many different and delicious options for your mid-match hunger. But for your ease, we have mentioned below some nutritious and healthy snack ideas.
1. Fruits And Vegetables:
There are many fruits and vegetables that are a source of simple carbohydrates and provides a quick boost of energy. Some of the options are:
Banana, apple, dates, strawberries, oranges, apricots, pears, avocado slices, watermelon slices. Olives.
The best idea is to make a fruit salad of all the seasonal fruits and keep it in an air-tight container and put it in your sports bag.
Similarly, the options are unlimited with vegetables such as celery sticks, carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh cabbage, broccoli, boiled or baked potato, and many others.
For more flavorful option, you can use peanut butter, cream cheese, and hummus as a dip
2. Dairy Products:
When it comes to dairy products, Greek yogurt is the healthiest option. Also, it is full of protein and is available in different flavors. Besides this, cheese cubes can also be enjoyed. Cheese cubes are really very simple and easy to carry. You can pair them up with crackers or any biscuits.
3. Energy Bars:
This is something totally incredible. It will give you genuinely a big boost of energy. But you have to be careful while choosing it. Always choose the right energy bar manufactured by any high-end brand and don’t forget to read the ingredients. Make sure it does not contain extra sugar.
4. Hard Boiled Eggs:
A hardboiled egg is a good option but consuming too much of them in hot summer may cause a certain problem. So it’s better to use it in winter only. Eggs are a rich source of proteins, minerals, and vitamins.
5. Smoothies:
Combining seasonal fruits and dry fruits with honey, yogurt and milk form a great smoothie that is not only healthy but delicious too. It will give you the power and energy that you need while playing tennis. Besides this, it will keep your body cool.
6. Sandwich:
A handy and healthy option for a tennis player. Make a chicken cheese sandwich with shredded chicken and cheese slices and put it in your bag. It will stay fresh all day and will keep your tummy full.
7. Trail Mix:
Well, no one can deny the fact that trail-mix is the best mid-match snack. Trail-mix is a combination of granola, dried fruits, nuts, and sometimes candies. They are best to satiate your hunger for a shorter span of time. But be careful while choosing trail-mix.
Make sure to buy one which has no candies and chocolates in it, as it will give you blank calories only with no energy.
8. Rice Cakes
Another healthier alternative is rice cake. Rice cake is a great snack that not only gives you energy but also gives a delicious taste to your taste buds.
Final Remarks:
Choosing the right and healthy snack will keep you energetic throughout the match. You can focus on your match and defeat the opponent if your Ghrelin (hunger hormone) is relaxed also learn about the Top 14 Benefits of Playing Tennis [Physical, Social & Mental].
Always remember to choose such a snack that has high carbohydrate content with low sugar content. Sugar gives only black calories that won’t contribute to your energy supply.
About The Author:
Dimple D is the Writer of GoTennisRacquets. Blogger with years of experience who won’t give up until the job is done right. As a racquet sports expert, she has been providing high-quality content to sports fans for quite some time now.