Food to eat before and in between dives

1.) What is a good type of food to eat prior to a long day of diving?

2.) what types of foods/snacks are good to have in between dives? I was going to bring some of the following:

bagels
whole grain flavored tortilla chips
nutri grain bars
cliff bars
banana chips
zone nutrition bars

Thanks!

bananas are always good - contain a lot of potassium which helps prevent cramp.

Me personally? I prefer pizza!

Tasty diving,

C.

Peanut Butter - because it tastes the same coming up as it did going down.

Crowley:

bananas are always good...

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Good for sea-sickness as well.

Oh, They don't do anything to prevent it...but they are the only food that tastes the same coming up as they did going down!

Nothing specific for me---lots of times won't eat till late that nite after diving all day......just stay hydrated......

Id say any fruit or veggie snack with their high water content. I avoid foods with nitrites and sulfites which dialate capillaries in the brain, increasing bloodflow and causing headaches.[ hot dogs, processed meats, caffeine, chocolate]

You've got a nice list there. Generally speaking, it's best to be eating/drinking stuff that's appropriate for fairly strenuous physical activity.

In practice, the kind of food you eat will depend on the kind of diving that you'll be doing.
If you're diving off of a boat in rough seas and/or you are prone to seasickness, eat very little and make sure that what you eat is bland. For breakfast, I recommend bagels. Stay away from anything greasy.
A couple of years ago I joined up with a local dive club that went down to Mexico for a very enjoyable weekend in La Bufadora. The coordinator cooked up a storm on the morning of the first day of diving: pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, etc. Later on that morning, our panga (small fishing boat) had a few divers who had indulged themselves a little too much during breakfast and ended up feeding the fish during the surface interval.

For shore diving in our normal local conditions, I won't modify my normal diet at all.

Something else to keep in mind...
As a novice diver, you're expending a great deal of energy once you get into the water. You're also probably more tense/anxious than normal. As you gain experience, you'll realize that diving can be an effortless pastime. Under the right conditions, it can be almost a meditative experience.

Have fun and dive safe.

Bananas are definately the healthy favourite.
Foods to avoid are dried foods or foods that aborb moisture such as rice, chick peas, dried fruit, processed meats.
I also recommend cabbage, pawpaw, and freshly caught sushi to be kept for the after dive snack rather than before.

MD

caffeine wont dilate the blood vessels around the brain, it'll constrict them. which increases blood pressure. just wanted to distinguish between the two. high bp isnt the best while diving, esp if the situation is stressful.

but to stay on topic, bananas are always a great snack. and a boat captain made some honey and chunky peanut butter bagels that were rather good on our SIT in between dives.

On the boat, I choose simple and complex carbohydrates. No fat and protein because these are harder to digest. A small amount of apples and fruit are good if you are used to eating that. I like ginger snap cookies and also frosted mini wheat cereal is pretty good and probably not terrible for you. Plus if you puke this stuff, it is a lot better than meat, cheese etc.

For breakfast, you want to eat something similar to what you normally eat unless it is greasy or fatty food. If you always drink a cup or two of coffee, definitely don't stop becasue you are going diving.