What to eat???

Dabble cheese burger, extra onions….mmmmmm lots n lots of garlic.
He or she well thinks twice before getting close.

Well, it depends on the time of day the sparring contest will happen... but, really it is an attempt to have a good mix of complex carbs, protein, and sugars... for me, it follows this way:

early competition breakfast - whole wheat bagel with peanut butter, orange juice. (gives carbs, and protein, and some sugar to start off the day and lots of long burn energy)

afternoon competition lunch - spaghetti with meat sauce or something like that, juice.

late night comp - same as lunch

In all cases though, I try not to ever eat a lot. It is way better to have a bite or two ever 20 minutes and have a steady amount of food energy through out the day than to have a full meal and feel heavy and bloated. Also, once you know the exact time of your fight, try to have a small amount of boost bar or granola bar about 35-45 minutes before. This gives a big hit of energy in a small volume that wont over fill you and make you feel slow.

As for what not to eat... I avoid milkshakes. I did that once before a sparring class and... rarely in my life have I ever felt so gross! I swear I could feel it curdling in my stomach.

also, shouldn't this be on the "Health and Nutrition" area?

You remind me of the guys that always ask me what they should eat in the morning before we go deep sea fishing.
One should never deep sea fish on a hang over, it just makes it worse(unless you have aquired the fine skill of biting the dog that bit you ) don't eat anything greasy like bacon or sausage...and yes I have seen people turn a sort of green yellow color right before they puke. They are the lucky ones, it's the guy that holds it in and stays in misery for hours, enough fishing stories. Some fighters load up on pasta the night before to have the carbs stored too. Oatmeal, grapefruit, bananas are good also, I would stay clear of the grease,dairy products, soda and meat since your nerves could sour up your stomach fluids and you don't need to be running to the bath room prior to your competition....not good. Your going to find out over time what works for you, everyone is different. I used compete and protein bars, banans and orange juice were what I ate. Small portions at a time, just because there good for you doesn't mean you can load up. It's up to you but I'm not a big fan of the high caffein power drinks like red bull etc. Gator aid or that type of drink is about as far as I take it, even plain old water is good too. Most of all "kick some butt" and have a good time doing it.

On my last few testing, I've drank a pound of honey throughout the day, before the testing. This usually gets me going pretty well, however, I'm a generally non-intense person, who rarely is 'pumped up', even during classes/sparring.
When I first started TKD a year and a half ago, I didn't have a 'diet' -- I ate whatever.
This was OK, but not good enough.
Breakfast: I've replaced four waffles w/ powered sugar and syrup; with one or two bowls of Raisin Bran (it works wonders).
Lunch: Usually some kind of grilled chicken sandwich.
Dinner: Usually don't eat dinner.
I also don't eat vegetables, at all.
I have a desk/office job (IT Manager), so I make sure to stop at 711 and get either 1 or 2 liters of Aquafena water, every day.

While having a certain meal before a test/class is good, it's much better to get a semi-healthy diet setup.

Sugar wont give you lasting energy, complex cargohydrates are best for that. I would suggest whole grain bread or cereal in the morning. Eat something that includes pasta or rice, either fish or chicken and several vegetables in the afternoon and then again 2 hours before whatever event you need energy for. If you want to include something like honey eat it an hour or so before your event. I think a pound is perhaps a bit much for one day...