Best Basketball Snack Ideas: Energy for the Court

It can be helpful to have a variety of basketball snack ideas that will provide athletes with the energy needed to perform at their best on the court.

Let’s explore the best basketball snacks for athletes before, during, and after a game.

What to Eat Before a Basketball Game: Best Pre-Game Snacks

Carbohydrates should be at the foundation of the pre-game snack for basketball players. Carbohydrates provide athletes with the energy needed to perform at their best.

When determining what additional items to include in the pre-game snack, the amount of time before the start of the game must be considered. In general, the more time that basketball players have prior to their game, the larger the pre-game snack can be.

Basketball Snack Idea: 2-3 Hours Prior to a Game

When basketball players have a couple of hours prior to the start of their game, they can enjoy a balanced snack or mini-meal.

Choosing a snack that is high in carbohydrates and that contains a moderate amount of lean protein can help ensure that athletes are well-fueled for the upcoming game.

Mini-meal pre-game snack ideas include:

• Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
• Breakfast bars, banana
• Greek yogurt with berries and granola
• Turkey and low-fat cheese wrap, apple slices
• Bagel with nut butter, fresh fruit cup
• Fruit Smoothie

Basketball Snack Ideas: 1 Hour or Less Prior to a Game

In the hour before a game, basketball players should stick with high-carb snacks that are easy to digest. The carbohydrates will provide the athletes with a source of quick energy to fuel their bodies on the court.

When basketball players have limited time prior to the start of the game, they should avoid eating food that is high in fiber, protein, or fat. These foods may lead to athletes experiencing an upset stomach during the game (1). 

Example snacks that basketball players can enjoy in the hour leading up to the game include:

• Applesauce squeeze pouch
• Banana, grapes, orange wedges
• Fresh sliced melon
• Dried fruit, fruit leather, fruit chews
• Low-fat granola bars, fig bars
• Pretzels, pita chips, dry breakfast cereal
• Mini bagels, animal crackers, graham crackers
• Sports drink, chews, or gels

Basketball Snack Ideas: Halftime

Basketball players should use the halftime break as an opportunity to rehydrate and refuel for the second-half of the game.

Athletes who played substantial minutes during the first-half should place particular focus on halftime nutrition. The added carbohydrates, fluid, and electrolytes from halftime snacks can help keep athletes going strong though the final buzzer.

Ideas for rehydrating and refueling at halftime include:

• Hydrate: Water, sports drinks
• Sport gels or chews
• Applesauce squeeze pouch
• Banana, grapes, orange wedges
• Dried fruit, fruit chews, fruit bars
• Pretzels, snacks crackers
• Carbohydrate-based sports bar, low-fat granola bar

Salty, carbohydrate-rich snacks, such as pretzels or snack crackers, can be a good halftime choice. The carbohydrates provide energy and the salt helps replace the sodium lost in sweat. Salt also helps stimulate thirst (2), thus encouraging athletes to hydrate during halftime.

Pro Tip: Athletes do not have to eat the full piece of fruit or granola bar. Even eating a couple of bites can provide athletes additional energy for the second half of the game.

Snack Ideas for After a Basketball Game

Following a basketball game, athletes should consume snacks that can help them with meeting their recovery nutrition needs.

Recovery nutrition is particularly important for basketball players when they have limited time (< 24 hours) between practices or games (3).

Since basketball players frequently compete in back-to-back games, having a plan for recovery nutrition is important.

The three key areas of recovery nutrition include:

• Rehydrate: Consume fluid and electrolytes to replace sweat losses
• Refuel: Consume carbohydrates to refill energy stores
• Build and Repair: Consume protein to build and repair muscles

Basketball Post-Game Snack Ideas

Easy post-game snack ideas for basketball players include:

• Granola bars, low-fat chocolate milk
• Beef jerky, pretzels, banana, sports drink
• String cheese, sliced deli meat, crackers, grapes, 100% fruit juice
• Peanut butter and jelly sandwich, grapes, high-protein milk
• Trail mix with pretzels, dried fruit, nuts, and dry cereal, 100% fruit juice
• Post-workout smoothie
• Sports bar with sports drink

Basketball players should then follow-up their snack with a well-balanced post-game meal within in the next couple of hours.

Why is Chocolate Milk Recommended for Athletes Post-Game?

Following a game, drinking low-fat chocolate milk can help provide athletes with the nutrients needed to promote recovery. 

A 1-cup serving of chocolate milk provides 26 grams of carbohydrates along with 8 grams of complete protein (4). In addition, chocolate milk is 90% water, helping athletes with rehydrating following a game.

Thus, chocolate milk can support athletes with meeting their fluid, protein, and carbohydrate needs following a game

I suggest athletes consider eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or granola bars along with their chocolate milk to further support their recovery nutrition needs.

Plan Basketball Snacks in Advance

It is important for basketball players to take time and plan snacks, in advance, that will support their sports nutrition needs on game day.

This is especially important for athletes participating in afterschool sports who are heading straight from school to a game.

Packing a variety of snacks for the bus, can help ensure the athletes arrive at the basketball game well-fueled and ready to perform.

Best Basketball Snack Ideas: Energy for the Court

You are now set with a variety of basketball snack ideas to provide athletes with the energy needed to perform at their best.

For additional sports nutrition tips for basketball players, check out my blog with ideas on what to eat before a morning practice.

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About the Author

Mandy Tyler is a Sports Dietitian Nutritionist in the San Antonio, TX area. She is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian, a Board-Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics, a Licensed Athletic Trainer, and is a Certified Exercise Physiologist through the American College of Sports Medicine.  Mandy has experience working with athletes at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. She believes the key to reaching one’s full potential, both in everyday life and in sports performance, relies on a healthy nutritional foundation. 

If you are looking to take your performance to the next level, make sure to check out my new Sports Nutrition Game Day Guide. This downloadable guide is written to help athletes develop an individualized plan to achieve peak performance on game day.