As a recreational player, you don’t need a special diet for padel. If you follow the Estonian dietary guidelines and eat sensibly before and after a match, that is quite enough.
Do padel players need a special diet?
Usually not. If you play two or three times a week, Estonia’s national dietary guidelines are a good basis. The National Institute for Health Development (Tervise Arengu Instituut) published new guidelines in January 2025.
- Eat at least five portions of vegetables, fruit and berries a day: three portions of vegetables and two of fruit or berries. A portion is about a handful, or 100 grams.
- Only 8% of Estonian adults eat the recommended amount of vegetables and fruit.
What is the plate model?
A simple way to put together lunch and dinner:
- half the plate vegetables, raw or cooked;
- a quarter protein-rich food: fish, poultry, meat, eggs, quark or pulses;
- a quarter starchy side, preferably potatoes or buckwheat.
On a match day, the starchy part can be bigger.
How much carbohydrate and protein do you need?
According to an international position statement on sports nutrition, how much carbohydrate you need depends on how much you train:
| Training load | Carbohydrate per kg of body weight per day |
|---|---|
| Light or technique training | 3–5 g |
| Moderate, about an hour a day | 5–7 g |
| High, 1–3 hours a day | 6–10 g |
For athletes, the recommended protein intake is 1.2–2.0 g per kg of body weight a day, spread over several meals. A good meal contains about 0.3 g of protein per kg of body weight, which is about 20 grams for a 70 kg person. For recreational players, a normal varied diet covers this.
What should you eat before a match?
- 2–4 hours before: a normal meal with carbohydrates, moderate protein and little fat, for example porridge with berries, or potatoes and fish.
- 30–60 minutes before: a small snack if you need one, for example a banana or rye bread with honey.
Don’t eat a big, fatty meal just before a match. It sits in your stomach and makes playing harder.
Do you need to eat during a match?
For a match of an hour or an hour and a half, water is enough. If you play for more than 1–1.5 hours or play several matches in a row, carbohydrates help: 30–60 grams per hour, for example from a sports drink, a banana or raisins.
How much should you drink?
Aim not to lose more than 2% of your body weight in fluid during a match. For a 70 kg person, that’s 1.4 kg.
- Weigh yourself before and after the match. For every kilogram you’ve lost, drink 1.25–1.5 litres after the match.
- If you sweat a lot or play in the heat, you need salt as well as water: have a sports drink or eat something salty.
- Pale urine shows that you’re getting enough fluid.
What should you eat after a match?
Within a couple of hours after the match, eat a meal with carbohydrates and protein. Some examples:
- buckwheat, chicken and vegetables;
- potatoes, fish and salad;
- rye bread, quark and berries;
- a kefir or yoghurt smoothie with berries and oats.
If you have another match the same day, eat something small straight after the first one.
How should you eat on a tournament day?
- Have a proper breakfast 2–3 hours before your first match.
- Bring small snacks: bananas, sandwiches, yoghurts, nuts, dried fruit.
- Drink regularly throughout the day.
- Don’t try new foods or supplements on tournament day.
Does caffeine help?
Yes. In studies, caffeine improves performance at doses of 3–6 mg per kg of body weight, taken about an hour before exercise. A smaller amount is enough for a recreational player. According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), up to 200 mg at a time (about two cups of coffee) and up to 400 mg a day is safe for a healthy adult.
Padel is often played in the evening. Caffeine in the evening can disturb your sleep, and with it your recovery, so think about whether it’s worth it.
How does alcohol affect you?
Alcohol after a match slows your recovery: it reduces muscle protein synthesis and makes your sleep worse. Want a drink after the match? Eat something and drink some water first.
Do you need supplements?
As a recreational player, usually not. Large doses of antioxidants can even blunt your body’s adaptation to training: in a study where participants took 1 g of vitamin C a day, endurance improved less than in the placebo group. If you think you’re low in something, for example vitamin D in winter, ask your family doctor (GP).
Are berries and raw food good for you?
Berries are a simple and useful addition to a padel player’s diet. A raw food diet as your only way of eating is risky for an active person. We cover both in more detail in the guide to berries and raw food.
Sources
- National Institute for Health Development (Tervise Arengu Instituut): Estonian national recommendations on nutrition, physical activity and sleep (2025) (in Estonian)
- Toitumine.ee: vegetables, fruit and berries (in Estonian)
- Toitumine.ee: the plate model (in Estonian)
- National Institute for Health Development: only one in ten people eats vegetables as recommended (in Estonian)
- Thomas, Erdman and Burke (2016), Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: nutrition and athletic performance (joint position statement of ACSM, AND and DC)
- Guest et al. (2021), Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition: caffeine and performance
- European Food Safety Authority (2015): safety of caffeine
- Gomez-Cabrera et al. (2008), American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: vitamin C and adaptation to training
- Parr et al. (2014), PLoS One: alcohol and muscle protein synthesis