Muscles get most of their energy from glycogen, which is stored in the muscle and liver. Glycogen comes from carbohydrates that are eaten and broken down by the body. It is important that you have enough glycogen levels in your muscles and liver, otherwise you will feel fatigue, have poor concentration and not recover well.

It is suggested (The Young Athlete, Jenkins and Readburn) that in order to meet carbohydrate needs, frequent small meals containing carbohydrates are eaten during the day. There are many types of carbohydrate and each type has a different rate at which the body can break it down to form glycogen.

Carbohydrates have what is called a glycaemic index (GI) and this GI rating refers to the speed at which carbohydrates are released into the bloodstream after eating. A high GI indicates that the carbohydrate is released quickly, while a low rating indicates a slower release.

So, what type of carbohydrate you eat, and when you eat it, has a direct impact on how it relates to your energy requirements. If you are playing an early morning match, then your breakfast should contain foods with a high GI rating. Your meal the night before, however, should contain foods with a low GI rating.

Examples of foods and their GI ratings are:

high over70	medium 55-70	low under 55
Weet-bix - 75	Vita Brits - 61	All Bran - 30
Cornflakes - 77	Nutrigrain - 66	Porridge - 42
Cornflakes - 77	Sustain - 68	Sultana Bran - 52
Rice Bubbles - 89	White Bread - 70	Mixed grain bread - 45
Brown Rice - 76	Sweet corn - 55	Baked beans - 48
Wholemeal Bread - 77	New potato - 62	Cherries - 22
Rice Cakes - 77	Sultanas - 56	Grapefruit - 25
Watermelon - 72	Rock melon - 66	Apple or pear - 36
Jelly Beans - 80	Milo in water - 55	Banana - 53 (ripe ones have a higher GI
Gatorade - 78	Powerbar Chocolate - 58	Orange (South African) - 33 (ripe ones have a higher GI

and for a GI search engine, that lets you know the GI rating of most foods, check out the University of Sydney GI Website