Snacking victory from the jaws ...

So, the morning game was over and the girls soccer team had a three-hour wait in an unfamiliar city before the next match. Players encircled the coaches awaiting instructions, their parents orbiting on the fringe.

The first question was not, "Which team do we play?" Rather: "Where do we eat?"

One helpful mom suggested a Jamba Juice down the road, and the players squealed in delight as only 10-year-olds can. A round of smoothies for all, then?

Not so fast. One of the team's coaches turned out to be Dianne Hyson, a registered dietitian and assistant professor of nutrition at California State University, Sacramento. Her face fell at the suggestion. The sugar in the smoothies, it turns out, would quickly help replenish glycogen in the players' muscles, but their blood sugar would plunge shortly thereafter.

In other words, they'd crash and burn on the field.

All of which begs the question: What should you eat – and when – before athletic events or, to a lesser extent, lengthy workouts? It's a dilemma faced not only by youths in organized sports, but weekend athletes gearing up for running or cycling races or even pickup basketball.

Sports nutritionists and dietitians generally agree with guidelines published by the American College of Sports Medicine: "Meals should consist primarily of carbohydrates and fluids ... consumed two to three hours prior to an event, allowing enough time for digestion and absorption."

Where the experts differ concerns what specifically to eat and how much protein to mix with the carbs.

"Too much fat and protein slow down digestion and the emptying of the stomach," says Marlia Braun, nutritionist for the UC Davis Sports Medicine Program and adjunct professor at Sacramento State. "I'd suggest a 4-to-1 (carb-to-protein) ratio. You want something easily digestible an hour or two before the event to keep you going."

Such as?

"Peanut butter and jelly on a bagel and a piece of fruit, but moderate on peanut butter," Braun says. "When I work with adults, some people choose a SlimFast drink, which has a lot of carbs, and fruit."

Massachusetts dietitian Nancy Clark, author of "The Sports Nutrition Guidebook," says a cup of cereal or trail mix work well and even half a turkey sandwich – light on the turkey.

"Everyone's different," Clark says. Some people have cast-iron stomachs, some are sensitive."

A safe bet, according to Sacramento State registered dietitian Shauna Schultz, is an energy bar. A distance runner herself, Schultz says she'll down a Clif Bar and a banana well before heading out the door.

"It's high in carbs, moderate in protein, low in fat and not too high in fiber," she says.

But Susan Kleiner, who runs a sports nutrition center near Seattle and is the author of "Power Eating," is not a fan of energy bars.

"I hate them all, especially when it comes to kids," she says. "When it comes to kids, the only ones they'll eat really are candy bars wrapped in a vitamin pill."

Kleiner says protein as a sports nutrition replenisher is making a comeback. She's a big proponent of dairy products. Her drink of choice?

Chocolate milk.

"Three recent studies have shown it's a great recovery food in research going against high-end (carbohydrate) beverages," she says. "The whey and casein proteins have an ideal array of amino acids to allow recovery, repair and growth (of muscles)."

Kleiner, who recently spoke to a youth soccer summit in Tacoma, Wash., says many are surprised to hear it.

"People think Gatorade is better, but in the last few years, research shows you need protein as well as carbs," she says. "Hey, you can get cases of organic, vacuum-packed, low-fat chocolate milk that doesn't need to be refrigerated at Costco. That's what I give out at my kid's crew meets."

But, to be on the safe side, Clark says, you need to "practice eating before a workout so you can know what works for you and what doesn't."

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