Q & A

Q: My friend's dad tells me that orange quarters are too acidic to eat at half time during my soccer game, and are detrimental to my sports performance during the match.  Is this correct, and would I be better off eating a banana instead?

A: There is no problem eating orange quarters at half time, if you tolerate them well and enjoy eating them.  The body is well trained and designed to handle acidic foods.  Oranges are a source of carbohydrate, known as fructose (fruit sugar), and provide a small serve of fluid, as well as Vitamin C.  Just be careful however, as the fibre and fructose can cause some athletes to use their bowels more than they are happy with (but this is unlikely to be a concern with the small amount of fibre obtained from 2 to 3 orange quarters at half-time)! 

Other fruits can also be eaten at half time; water melon is another favourite for its refreshing taste and sweet flavour. If you struggle to eat much food at half time, bananas may be the best fruit choice as they are higher in carbs, hence less needs to be eaten. 

It's always a good idea after eating fruit to rinse your mouth with water to keep your teeth clean and healthy.  The "swig-swish-swallow" motto suggested by dentists is a great one to remember!  Swallowing the water also helps you replace some of the fluids you've lost through sweat too!