Nutrition and sports: how to eat during programming competitions or hackathons to maintain concentration and avoid harming your stomach?

Participation in hackathons and night code marathons is often accompanied by stress, sleep deprivation, and attempts to boost the brain with junk sweets or fast food. Such an approach guarantees a sharp spike in blood sugar levels followed by an energy crash, which adversely affects both cognitive abilities and the gastrointestinal tract during or after physical exertion.

To remain productive and maintain health, the basis of the diet should be complex carbohydrates with a low glycemic index and high-quality proteins. Prefer oatmeal, whole grain crispbreads, eggs, lean meat, and cottage cheese. These foods provide a steady supply of energy to the brain for long hours without sharp insulin fluctuations.

For quick snacks right at your workstation, nuts, unsweetened dried fruits, dark chocolate, and bananas are great. They contain healthy fats and potassium, which are necessary for the normal functioning of the nervous system and heart muscle. Avoid chips and crackers, as they cause heartburn and heaviness in the stomach.

Don't forget about hydration while coding and working out. Dehydration sneaks up unnoticed, but it reduces concentration by twenty percent and triggers headaches. Keep a large glass of pure water or unsweetened green tea on your desk to help maintain alertness more gently than strong coffee.