What to eat before diving

Text: : Ana Guerra
Photos: Jupiter

The good weather is back and there is nothing better than a good dive. But a good dive day can become a nightmare if you eat too much in the previous meal. To prevent this fom happening it’s very important to plan in advance the meals before diving.

This plan should be applied, in the case it’s necessary to make a plane trip to the dive site. Some people like to have alcoholic drinks during the trip, but you should avoid them as much as possible. This type of drink acts as diuretic, causing direct dehydration, taking about three days for the diver to recover.

The three days before diving are very important because it’s when you have to make sure you’re well hydrated and nourished. When it comes to hydration, daily water consumption should be 1.5 L to 2.0 L, depending essentially on the local temperature.

Avoid the consumption of gasified and sugar filled drinks, which increase the episodes of fullness and won’t "kill" your thirst. Meals must have a pause of 2 to 3 hours between each, and there should be a "reinforcement" of complex carbohydrates (bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, cereals), but without exaggeration! The ideal is to respect the equivalent doses according to the New Food Wheel (1 mix pellet is equivalent to 2 medium potatoes or 4 soup spoons of rice or pasta or 5 soup spoons of whole wheat cereals). The dose of these foods will depend on the intensity of the dive meaning, if you have several dives in the same week, the doses must be slightly increased. Fruit must never be forgotten because, in addition to providing carbohydrates and fiber, also has antioxidant vitamins (vitamins C and E) and minerals that strengthen your immune system and help in the muscle recovery.

On the day before diving it’s important to rest as much as possible and keep the meals plan spaced (about 6 to 8 meals, maintaining the normal consumption of water. If the dive is in the morning, the per day). If you have only 1 or 2 dives on the next few days, you can reduce the daily consumption of carbohydrates previous dinner should be balanced and healthy, perhaps adopting the following plan: a vegetable soup, a portion of 100g of meat or fish (as long it’s not fried or sauce-filled), 3 to 4 soup spoons of rice or pasta (no sauce), salad or cooked vegetables at description, 1 piece of seasonal fruit or 1 jelly. After a meal of this type, go for a light walk to ease the digestion and end the day with a good night sleep.

On the diving day you should start by making a nice breakfast, but make sure you eat about 2 hours before diving. Avoid eating "croissant's", donuts and other caloric, sugar and fat-filled cakes and privilege whole wheat or wheat and corn mixed bread with a little butter, ham or nonfat cheese. If you often suffer from heartburn or gastro-esophageal reflux (abnormal return of stomach contents into the esophagus) avoid drinking milk at breakfast and replace it with tea. Finish this meal with a piece of fresh fruit. Make sure you drink water 15 to 30 minutes before diving and whenever you feel thirsty.

If you have to travel a considerable distance between the place where you took breakfast and the dive site, take one piece of fruit or a cereal bar to prevent you from felling hungry or weak during the dive. Energy drinks (known as sports drinks) may be an option.

If you have more than one dive per day (for example, in the morning and in the afternoon) you must have special attention to the next meal, which can be very similar to the previously mentioned dinner meal. This meal has the objective to rebalance the body and provide the nutrients required for a good recuperation. After diving you must avoid alcohol for a while because it will dehydrate you and slow the recuperation of the liver and muscles. Always remember to drink water to rehydrate your body.

By following these tips you probably won’t use less air from the bottle or dive to a greater depth, but it will make a difference in your welfare during and after the dive.

With the collaboration of
KARMA CLINIC
www.karmaclinic.pt

Article published in the PORTUGAL DIVE magazine from May – August 2009

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