• Welcome to the DeeperBlue.com Forums, the largest online community dedicated to Freediving, Scuba Diving and Spearfishing. To gain full access to the DeeperBlue.com Forums you must register for a free account. As a registered member you will be able to:

    • Join over 44,280+ fellow diving enthusiasts from around the world on this forum
    • Participate in and browse from over 516,210+ posts.
    • Communicate privately with other divers from around the world.
    • Post your own photos or view from 7,441+ user submitted images.
    • All this and much more...

    You can gain access to all this absolutely free when you register for an account, so sign up today!

To eat or not to eat?

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
My main worry about eating/not eating prior to diving is that I'm prone to heartburn when I dive. I think this is caused by spending a lot of time upside down, thereby some gastric juice my get into my oesophagus.
This is easily remedied by some yoghurt or milk due to their high buffering capacity.
I also try not to over eat or starve myself before a dive, other than that I'm not too worried.
 
For CWT my advice would be to eat well the day before, and then experiment with what you eat the same day. Try not eating at all, and if your legs fail you then you should probably eat something. If your legs can take you back to the surface without food then I can`t see any advantages of eating the same day. Personally I like to eat small amounts of fruits in the morning if I have to wait some hours before the dive.
 

Although i do agree with a majority of your post, whole grains have been shown to be an impediment to digestion and brain function along with many other bodily functions. This is a common mistake when following the food pyramid which quite a few modern nutritionists believe should be turned upside down. Fat free and low fat products have to replace the fat with un-natural ingredients, or more commonly sugar. Your body needs healthy fats like avocado and coconut oil, my personal favorites, in order to burn fat. By starving your body of fat it is much more likely to conserve your existing fat as a defense against starvation. Higher fat diets also provide much more sustained energy without having to consume and digest constantly which is typically a hassle and hindrance in freediving.
 
Reactions: emile.c and Erik
I eat nothing for several hours before diving and then have a banana about a hour before. I take energy gel packs with me to use if I start to feel hungry - but for my pool workouts I almost never need them.
 
I find eating anything impacts my breath hold dramatically. Eating good food, then wait about 3 hours or over night seems to work for me.
 
For me personally, I would never willingly go diving, swimming, surfing or anything else in the sea without having ate something in the morning, things can go wrong and if they do I want to stay as warm as possible and have fuel in the engine. I am almost always on my own whenever I go in or on, so I plan for things to become emotional and if they don't its a bonus. For me its muesli with porridge oats, dried fruit and cold milk, this will keep me going for hours. Hydration is also critical for me, especially for my ears, I always make sure that I have drunk at least 2 litres of water and always eat a banana for the potassium before diving, swimming or bodyboarding, it really does seem to ward off cramps........... in my opinion
 
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn more…