Swimming - Training tips - Nutrition

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Swimming - Training tips - Nutrition
What to eat and drink
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The information contained comes from various sources and if you want to find out more then ask your coach. If you have specific nutritional needs or any medical condition that may be affected by what you eat then seek advice from your own doctor before changing your diet.

We all need to eat and drink but if you have ever heard the saying that "you are what you eat"? It is true because everything that you eat and drink can affect your health and your swimming.

The Basics:

• Nutrients

These are the essential elements that we need for life and growth. They include proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, vitamins and water.

• Proteins

These are essential to the structure of all your cells and can be found in egg, meat, poultry, fish, peas, beans and pulses. Between 15 and 20% of what you eat should be protein.

• Carbohydrates

These are either starches or sugars and should be your main energy source. Starches are found in potatoes, rice, grains (wheat, oats etc), noodles and bread. Sugars are found in fruit, juice, honey and other sweet things. More than half of what you eat should be carbohydrates and most of that, but not all, should be starches.

• Fats

Fats are essential for your body's well being and are also a source of energy. They fall into two categories - Saturated fats which come mainly from meat and dairy products and unsaturated fats that can be found in vegetable oils. Unsaturated fats are better for you than saturated fats but you should still aim to get less than 20% of your calories from fats.

• Minerals

Calcium, Phosphorous, Iron, Potassium, Sodium and others assist in many vital body functions but it is possible to have too much of some of them. Too much sodium from salt can be bad for you so not too many crisps please!

• Vitamins

These are required in only small amounts and most are not stored in the body. All required vitamins are contained in a balanced diet so make sure that you eat a wide variety of foods within the basic guidelines below.

• Water

Your body needs plenty of water. This doesn't have to be plain water and it is impossible to say exactly how much you should have but you probably need to drink between 6 and 10 glasses of water or other liquids such as fruit juice or milk to keep your body properly hydrated.

Eat a balanced diet

Your diet should include a wide variety of foods because every day your body needs:

• 3-4 servings of yoghurt/milk and other calcium-rich foods.

• 6-11 servings of bread, cereal, pasta and other grains.

• 5 or more servings of vegetables and fruit.

• 2-4 servings of protein rich foods such as egg, meat, poultry, fish and vegetarian alternatives. Being a good swimmer doesn't mean that you can't have things like chocolates, sweets, ice cream and crisps but looking after your body properly does mean that you should be eating them only occasionally. And body fat? Stop worrying about it!

If you are eating and drinking within the guidelines above then you are doing really well and the rest of this sheet is all about when and what to have for training and competitions.

What to Eat and Drink

Training

Food

Follow general advice about healthy eating and keep to a balanced varied diet but don't forget that the more you train the more calories you need. Swimmers who fail to consume enough carbohydrate don't recover enough between training sessions and this may result in tiredness, loss of body weight, poor performance and illness. It is also good to have nutritious carbohydrate-rich snacks on hand to eat straight after training to start the refuelling process. This is especially important if you have to travel a long distance from the pool to school or home. Breakfast is an important meal and you must have some carbohydrate before morning training even if this is not your "proper" breakfast. Cereals to try include wholegrain varieties such as Branflakes, Shredded Wheat, Weetabix and muesli. Don't stick to the same one every day and add fruit, nuts or seeds for a change. Use skimmed or semi-skimmed milk or yoghurt with your cereal or perhaps you could have some porridge sweetened with honey and/or dried fruit. If you have toast or bread for breakfast why not try muffins or bagels but remember that you should not be slap on thick layers of butter or margarine, instead use low fat alternatives such as honey or jam.

Snack ideas include sandwiches, fresh fruit, muffins, scotch pancakes, dried fruit, cereal bars, fruit juice, nuts and dried fruit, rice cakes and breakfast cereals.

Drink

Drink before you train and bring a full large drink bottle to the pool and drink during rest periods or between sets. Water or diluted squash is fine or sports drinks provide an additional fuel supply for long training sessions. Drink again when you have finished training you lose a lot of water through sweating even if you can't see it.

Competitions

Before

Before the competition, stay within your normal eating habits. Don't get talked into trying anything unusual right before your event. Eat a meal 2-4 hours before the race. This meal should not be too large but high in carbohydrate and low in protein, fat with not too much fibre eg. cooked rice or baked potato, banana, sports drink - about 500 calories in total is about right.

During

You need plenty of fluids, especially if you are spending a lot of time in the pool environment and foods to provide quick energy release(high glycaemic index) such as

• Fruit, dried fruit, juices

• Bagels, bread, low-fat muffins

• Sport drinks, low-fat energy bars

If there are more than 2 hours between races take some dairy items such as yoghurt, low fat cheese and crackers.

After

What you eat afterwards is probably as important as what you eat before so don't neglect your post competition meal. This should be high carbohydrate and easily digested to help your body recover.