What Do Esports Players Eat and Drink?

There are many misconceptions surrounding the esports industry, especially regarding what the players eat and drink. It may surprise you, but esports players actually don’t just drink energy drinks and eat chips.

Esports players have to invest a lot of time and energy to ensure they are focused and healthy enough to play. Most esports players focus on a diet filled with fruits and vegetables, and only drink carbonated water while they play. Read on to learn more details about what esports players eat and drink.

1. Lean Protein

As you probably already know, protein is an essential aspect of every diet and it helps keep you full between meals. What may surprise you, however, is that esports players tend to avoid fatty meats like beef and pork, and instead focus on lean protein like chicken, turkey, and fish.

This is because fatty and processed meats, while delicious, can be more difficult for your body to digest and can lead to feelings of fatigue. Esports players need to remain alert and focused, and as such, most focus only on lean proteins and skip the fats and carbs altogether.

2. Lots of Fruit

Fruit has gotten a bad rap in recent years, but the reality is, fruit is an essential source of vitamins and minerals for your body, with certain fruits even helping you to avoid cramping during sports.

This is why, if you watch esports frequently, you constantly spot players consuming bananas, apples, and other fruits. Not only are they doing this to consume essential nutrients, but also because fruits provide simple carbohydrates, which are easy for your body to break down and use. Most gamers gravitate toward fruit over other sources of carbs (like bread and rice) because of its ease of consumption and because complex carbohydrates can lead to feelings of tiredness or fatigue during digestion.

That being said, players do tend to eat bread following their game, replenishing whatever they depleted while gaming, without affecting their performance.

3. Vegetables

It is impossible to have a healthy diet, and before you start thinking of the carnivore diet, no, that is not a healthy diet. In fact, most individuals on this diet have to take supplements in order to avoid deadly health conditions like scurvy.

Anyway, back to esports. Esports players tend to eat as many vegetables as possible, relying on them to round out their diet and keep them full during events. As you can imagine, there is no eating on stage while gaming, and it’s common for players to have to go several hours between meals while also staying focused.

4. Nuts and Seeds

As mentioned previously, there isn’t always time to stop and eat during esports tournaments. As such, most teams practice in this same format, leaving players to snack on nuts or seeds during the brief breaks they are provided.

Nuts and seeds are a good source of healthy protein and fats, keeping the players healthy and alert while they play. That being said, certain nuts and seeds are avoided due to the difficulty in digesting them. Most of our reports indicate that esports players rely on walnuts, which also contain essential omega-3s, pistachios, which help keep them alert, and sunflower seeds due to their easy accessibility.

It is common for esports teams to consume a “trail mix” made by their coach during large tournaments. This trail mix is often a mix of the nuts and seeds that help the players perform their best during training and can be unique to each team. Some major esports teams even hire a nutritionist to ensure their players are eating as well as possible for peak performance.

5. Water

The most shocking of everything on this list is the amount of water esports players consume. Despite common belief, most players only drink water during their career. This is for several reasons.

Sugary and caffeinated drinks tend to be a no-go because they affect focus and may increase the need for the gamer to use the restroom. Like most sports, there are no unscheduled bathroom breaks allowed during an esports game, and a player has to “hold it” until the next break. As such, the players avoid most beverages containing these ingredients.

Alcohol is also a no-go for most esports athletes because it affects focus and ability to sleep. When you consider that most esports athletes begin their career around 15 or 16 years old, it makes sense that even after a win, alcohol is rarely part of the celebration. Though esports athletes do occasionally partake in a champagne toast post-tournament, especially if it’s a high-grossing one, know that this is not the norm.

Most esports athletes report only drinking water, though some do choose carbonated water (or “soda water”), which can lead to some confusion. Carbonated water is just as healthy as regular water and can help someone feel full without consuming food, which is why some esports players choose it. It is important to note that while some players choose flavored carbonated water, like the La Croix brand, most do not, as they worry the artificial flavors may affect their ability to focus.

Now, before you argue that you’ve seen your favorite gamer drinking Red Bull, know that sponsorships do exist in esports and that some gamers may have a specific drink next to them during a tournament because they are paid to do so. While some do indulge for brand deals, most players report replying solely on water for tournaments to help them avoid sugar/caffeine crashes (but of course, no brand makes money on that, so it isn’t advertised!)

Overall, becoming an esports athlete can be just as difficult as becoming an athlete for any other sport, and most players start young to build the habits they need to succeed. If that’s you, start now on eating a healthy diet filled with the things on this list to ensure you have the best chance at becoming a successful esports player.