What to Eat Before and During Trial?
Going to trial is among the most difficult tasks an attorney can be hired to do. It's not that the actual courtroom presentation is overly challenging, especially if you've prepared. It's more so that the rest of the world does not stop during trial.
Taking care of all the logistics of your practice before a trial begins is absolutely essential in order to make sure you can maintain focus on your trial. However, one of the more overlooked areas of trial prep involves meal planning.
While there are countless trial lawyer superstitions involving wearing certain clothes or getting a haircut mid-trial, where to get food and what to eat is more than just superstition, it's really important. The right trial diet will keep your mind sharp and your energy levels high.
Avoid Magical Fruits
Okay, this may sound like "potty" humor, but the last thing you want is to be distracted by is gas. Since you're human, you know that gas can wreak havoc until released, and you definitely don't want to do that in the courtroom. So in the days leading up to trial, you may want to avoid the foods that lead to excess gas.
Know Thy Stomach
As a licensed attorney, you've probably been eating food for at least 25 years. If there are certain foods, or restaurants, that don't agree with you, stay away from them before and during trial. If you're gluten or lactose intolerant, take extra caution to avoid these.
Also, avoid trying new foods. For example, if you've never had real truffle, after a good day in trial you may want to splurge on something new and fancy, but truffle oil is rather polarizing and can actually make some people feel nauseous.
Carnival Food Is a Cardinal Sin
Getting some relaxation at a local carnival, street fair, or other event, over the weekend, or even for an hour or two after a long day of trial, is a great idea, just avoid typical carnival or fair food. The same goes for eating food out of a truck, trunk, or random food stand. When it comes to food borne illness, sanitation is important, and these types of food vendors are not quite known for their sanitary prowess.
Protip: Avoid processed sugars like the plague (until you're down for the day at least) as these can lead to sugar crashes and lots of yawning, which judges and juries hate to see from lawyers.
Related Resources:
- Traveling for Trial? 5 Free Apps to Get You Going (FindLaw's Technologist)
- 5 Tips for a New Lawyer's 1st Professional Dinner Party (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)
- Can Data Analytics Help Improve Your Trial Prep? (FindLaw's Technologist)
