General Nutrition Tips and What to Eat at Swim
Meets
Information provided by Dr. Jackie
Berning, Assoc. Professor, University of Colorado and Nutrition
Consultant to the Denver Broncos and Cleveland Indians
General Nutrition Tips:
Most Americans spend their day in a 'negative energy
balance.' This means that they usually skip meals in the morning and
backload all sorts of calories (i.e., pig out) at the end of the day.
Eating in this way is not good as it can result in higher body fat
content and feeling tired throughout the day.
To maximize your energy, you should be eating 4-6
meals throughout the day. Never go 3-4 hours without some sort of
food. By spreading out your meals (e.g., small breakfast, snack at
mid-morning, small lunch, snack at mid-afternoon, small dinner, and then
an evening snack) you spread out your caloric intake throughout the
day. This usually results in lower body fat and increases lean muscle
mass. Plus, you don't feel as tired or hungry. And that means more
energy for practice. YAY!
So what should you be eating? As an athlete, you
want your food intake per day to be broken into 1/3 grains/breads (e.g.,
pasta, bagels, oatmeal), 1/3 fruits and vegetables (e.g., apples,
oranges, salad, peas), and 1/3 proteins (e.g., chicken, fish, eggs). As
athletes, carbohydrates are our friends since they fuel our muscles.
What Should I Eat/Drink on a Meet Day/Weekend?
You should ALWAYS have something to eat on the
day of the meet. In fact, you should stick with eating 3 meals a day
and depending on your events, you should have some snacks between events
or heats. Even if it's an early morning swim, you still need to eat
something. I know that nerves can get the best of us, but food =
energy. No food means that you are running on pure adrenaline alone,
and adrenaline will only get you so far (basically, one race). You need
food and drinks on race day and throughout the meet.
For example: Breakfast: Eat some oatmeal, or
a bowl of cereal with low fat milk, or energy bar.
Right after you swim in the morning: Carton of yogurt, peanut butter
sandwich, smoothie
Lunch: Small sub sandwich,
fruit and/or vegetables, sports drinks
Mid-afternoon Snack:
Fruit/vegetables, low fat string cheese, whole grain crackers
Dinner: Standard basic meal that includes entrée, starch, vegetables and
low fat milk
Snack before bed: Smoothie, yogurt parfait, bowl of cereal
On a race day, you want to consume mostly
carbohydrates as they are digested faster than proteins and fats. The
closer you are to the event, the less time your body has to absorb
food. So the closer you are to the event, the less food you should eat.
So 3-4 hours before you swim, you should eat
something, say a turkey sandwich, French toast, spaghetti, yogurt,
string cheese and crackers, etc. If you only have 2 hours or less
before you swim, stick to sports drinks and simple carbs, such as wheat
toast, muffins, cereal with low-fat milk, etc. If you have just 1 hour
before your event, stick to liquids and sports drinks.
Do NOT drink soda, juice or so-called "energy
drinks" before a race. Ever. Soda and juice can actually
dehydrate you because of the caffeine and sugar they contain.
'Energy' drinks are just pure stimulants - they don't provide true
energy, they just rev up your central nervous system. Nutritionists do
NOT recommend them at all.
Always, always, always hydrate (drink water or a
sports drink) before, during and after a swim meet!!! Drink BEFORE
you feel thirsty. Feeling thirsty is not an adequate indicator of how
much fluids are in your system. You can be dehydrated before you know
it...so ALWAYS drink your water or a sports drink throughout the day.
It is recommended that you drink at least 12-20oz. of water or sports
drink 2-3 hours before the meet, and drink 6-12 oz. every 20 minutes
DURING the meet. Yes, you will be running to the bathroom a lot, but at
least you will be hydrated. And hey - it will give you something to do
if you're bored.
Here's
another good tip: For long swimming weekends, you
should eat a small snack within 30 minutes after you swim.
Why? It normally takes between 24 to 36 hours to replace muscle energy
(glycogen). By consuming a healthy snack immediately post exercise
(within 30 minutes), you can reload the muscles in 12 to 16 hours. So
that means your muscles can recover faster, and hopefully you can
continue your great swims well into Sunday night. NOTE:
Eating outside this 30-minute window will delay
replacement of glycogen. Having a
small snack immediately right after the meet, rather than waiting an
hour or two before you have a major meal, is a GOOD idea. If
anything, it will take the edge off your hunger and will keep you from
pigging out at dinner. Examples of healthy snacks: nutrition
shake, smoothie, peanut butter sandwich, energy bar, yogurt, turkey
sandwich, string cheese and crackers, etc.
A tip
about goo-packets: Goo packets are ok to take between events if you
have a short recovery time. However, the glucose in the packet will NOT
be absorbed by the body in time to be of any benefit to your next event
unless you ingest the appropriate amount of water to dilute the
concentrated goo packet. It's probably best to mix the goo with water
and sip it throughout the meet.
If you have any other nutrition questions, please feel free to send
me an email and I'll do my
best to answer it. Thanks!
