My wife is a RD and offers some help:
Typically, leg cramps are an electrolyte imbalance. The major electrolytes that are usually out of balance are potassium or calcium. Also if someone is dehydrated it is very easy to disturb this balance as well. As an athlete, you require larger amounts of fluids of these electrolytes than just a normal person. Be sure to load up on milk and yougurt before the game for breakfast that day. Also before the game, try to eat some potassium rich foods like banannas, oranges / orange juice, avocados (HUGE potassium), Tomato sauce, melons and mangoes / papayas. (Most tropical fruits).
Huge amounts of water / hydration seem key. Hydrate the night before and an hour before you start. You also need to sip throughout the game. Gatorade or any 6% glucose solution is great for this. (Half orange juice and half water will do great as well)
Let me know if this helps or you need to know more.
__________________
All truth passes through three stages:
First it is ridiculed
Second, it is violently opposed and
Third, it is accepted as self-evident.
ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER (1788-1860)
Last edited by Mondak; 04-26-2003 at 09:58 AM..
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