Why Do Athletes Eat Orange Slices During Halftime? (2024)

FAQs

Why Do Athletes Eat Orange Slices During Halftime? ›

Potassium Power

This is thanks to the fact that oranges are packed with natural sugars like fructose and glucose which provide a quick energy boost to players who may feel drained from the first half of the game. Eating an orange helps replenish glycogen stores in the muscles and provides the necessary fuel to finish the game strong.

Best as Kleiner can remember, orange slices were always part of the halftime ritual, a word she uses intentionally. The job of a sports dietitian is “art as well as science,” she explains. Most players grow up eating orange slices, not only when they first start out, but often in high school and college as well.

It seems that orange-eating at soccer games actually got its start in England. There, the tradition of eating oranges at the half-time mark during a game of “footy” goes back to at least the 1950s.

Choosing fruit as a half time snack is a great way to increase children's fruit intake. The most practical options which can be prepared ahead of game time include sliced oranges, slices of watermelon, apples, bananas, or grapes.

Because an orange provides you with your daily dose of vitamin C, you'll not only be boosting your immune system, but also helping prevent muscle injury. Vitamin C replaces collagen in muscle fibers that break down during exercise. Look at you, doing good things for your body.

Showers can be teeming with contaminants, including product residue, germs, mold, and hair—all things you don't want to mix with food. The easiest way to prevent any contamination is to not put the orange down as you eat it.

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Football players tend to eat foods rich in carbohydrates during halftime to keep their energy levels up. Items like granola and pretzels are great options. But more importantly, they often consume sports drinks throughout the game. High activity levels require a ton of hydration and electrolytes.

Pasta is the perfect food for athletes for many reasons that stem from the same idea: it is healthy and it has many benefits, such as reducing anxiety levels. Therefore, they are perfect to have before a competition, because they will help calm the nerves.

Why are oranges good after sports? ›

One orange is 86% water, making it a hydrating fruit. Plus, potassium is one of the electrolytes we lose when we sweat, so eating an orange can help replace fluids after a tough workout.

The fiber in oranges can keep blood sugar levels in check and reduce high cholesterol to prevent cardiovascular disease. Oranges contain approximately 55 milligrams of calcium, or 6% of your daily requirement. This nutrient is important for building strong bones and maintaining bone health.

Orange slices were used for harvesting plants at the start of the Neolithic Revolution and were particularly prevalent in Lebanon where they were found alongside Heavy Neolithic axes and larger flint tools of the Qaraoun culture in and around Qaraoun in the south of the country.

Potassium, a key nutrient in oranges, plays a significant role in muscle function and preventing cramps. During exercise, potassium levels can drop, leading to muscle cramps and discomfort. By eating oranges at halftime, our players replenish their potassium levels, keeping those pesky cramps at bay.

Ideally, you can eat a banana 30 minutes to an hour before a football game to benefit from its easily digestible carbohydrates and electrolyte-balancing properties. The natural sugars in bananas provide a rapid energy boost, while the potassium content supports proper muscle function and hydration.

To keep your body fueled with the energy you need to keep you going after the halftime whistle, you need to eat plenty of starchy foods like potatoes, pasta and rice. Go for wholegrain when you can; these foods release energy more slowly so you have a more steady supply.

The good news is that oranges are not likely to negatively impact sleep. In fact, some studies have suggested that consuming vitamin C-rich foods like oranges could help improve sleep quality. This is because vitamin C is an antioxidant that can help reduce inflammation, which can interfere with sleep.

“People are trying out the TikTok trend of eating oranges in the shower because, supposedly, the shower's heat enhances the smell and taste of oranges,” said registered dietician and nutrition writer Alyssa Northrop. The idea is that the shower and fruit elevate each other.

Consuming oranges at these times of day allows the body to fill up on vitamins, minerals and fibre and to get the maximum benefit from this fruit, which has a strong detoxifying and draining action, which is also a powerful anti-cancer and natural anti-inflammatory thanks to its high flavonoid and vitamin C content.

Oranges contain a good amount of potassium, which is one of those minerals known to help your muscles do their thing. Bananas are an oft-cited source of potassium, but the lighter, more water-filled oranges are preferred by athletes during periods of activity.