Swimming Nutrition

ASA Regional programme

Carbohydrate

Fast Release

Slow Release

• Table sugar• dried fruit• fizzy drinks• sweets

Digested quickly from all exposed places

• Grains e.g. porridge

• Brown pasta• Potatoes

Digested slow as fewer exposed places

Protein

• Build and repair muscle tissue

• Become hormones or promote hormone function

• Maintain fluid and electrolyte balance

• Promote the immune system

• Be an energy source (both at rest and exercise)

Examples:• Meat• Fish• Dairy• Soy• Legumes• Nuts• Grains• Vegetables

Fats

Healthy• Fats which are naturally occurring

and your body can use for:– Immunity– Vitamin Storage– Hormone production– Blood clotting

• Olives• Oily fish - Salmon• Nuts• Avocados• Butter

Unhealthy (Trans fats)• Fats which as usually man made

and your body has no way of using them

• Fried Foods• Doughnuts• Cookies• Processed foods• margarine

List good and poor quality options for:

Carbohydrate Protein FatsGood Poor Good Poor Good Poor

Structure

• Eat every 2-3 hours– Meals– Snacks

• Avoid getting over hungry as this leads to overeating.• Ensure constant flow of energy ensuring:

– Fuelled for exercise– Constantly replenishing fuel stores– Not using muscle as energy source

2 Session dayTime

5.00 Museili7:00 Training – 750ml per hour of water/cordial7.30 2 x fruit plus 1 pint milk09:00 Porridge11:00 Handful of Nuts and Seeds13:00 Turkey, salad tortilla wrap15:00 Granola plus milk17:00 Training – 750ml per hour of water/cordial19:00 2 x fruit, cottage cheese21:00 Tuna tomato pasta (70g pasta per serving)

Rice pudding22:00 Hot chocolate

Nutrition During School/College

• On average school students who eat school dinners vs packed lunch have a better nutrient intake – dependent on healthy choices by students.

• If school dinners are poor take your own– Healthy snacks– Plenty of fluids– Occasional treats ( 5 per week max)

Its better to take more food than needed rather than not enough

Packed Lunch

Packed lunches need to be complete (e.g. CHO, protein, vitamins and minerals, fluids)

Main Meals Snacks Fluids

Ham Salad Sandwich

Fruit, Dried Fruit, Nuts

Water, Diluted Squash (cordial)

Chicken Pasta Salad

Cereal Bars Fruit Juice

Tortilla Wrap Yogurt, smoothie Milk

Example dinnersMain Meal Dessert Fluid• Tuna Pasta Bake

with veg /salad• Chicken Breast

with Roasted sweet potato’s & veg

• Stir fry veg and egg noodles

• Jelly• Fruit salad• Low Fat Custard• Yoghurt• Rice Pudding• Milkshake• Occasional treat

(once a week)

• Cordial• Fruit Juice• Flavoured water• Water

If their not going to eat within 60-90 minutes after training have anadditional recovery snack

Recovery

• The ability to replenish, rebuild and adapt to training.• Good recovery enables adaptions throughout the

training year.• 3 Priorities:

– Replenish energy used in training– Repair muscle damage– Protect against illness and injury.

Post-Training

• 30 minute window

• Include both fast absorbed carbohydrate & high quality protein.

Recommended servings:

• Approx. 50-70g of carbohydrates.

• Approx. 20-30g of protein.

• Avoid high fat foods

• Avoid any carbonated drinks

Example Recovery Snacks

Banana & TunaOr

4 x Muller YoghurtOr

2 x Apple & 1 Pint of Semi Skimmed milkOr

Nature Valley bar & Pint of milkOr

200g cottage cheese & 2 x orange & 2 Apples

What is hydration

• The act of replenishing the fluid stored in your body• Humans are 50 - 60% water• Humans can survive 4-6 weeks without food but only

a few days without water• Simple acts of breathing, temperature regulation and

going to the toilet causes ½ - 1 litre fluid loss per day• Average intake of water:

– Men: 3.7 litres per day– Women: 2.7 litres per day

Hydration

Dehydration Status

Impaired performance 2%

Capacity of muscle work declines 4%

Heat Exhaustion 6%

Hallucination 8%

Heat stroke and circulatory collapse 10%

Performance impact

• 2% dehydration = 10% drop in performance• Training target = 60.0 seconds• Dehydrated = 66.0 seconds• How disappointed would you be with this session?• If in a race it can be the difference between winning

and loosing

Monitoring methods

• Body weight• Check urine (Osmocheck)• Colour

1, 2, or 3 you are hydrated.

If your urine matches the colours numbered 4 through 8 you are dehydrated.

.

Hydration strategies

• Drink little and often.• Always have a water bottle with you especially at

school.• Drink water / cordial to hydrate• Drinks which include caffeine cause greater urine

loss. Bare this in mind when calculating your daily fluid intake.

Training fluids

• Water based drinks.• If training <1 hour no need for sports drinks.• If training >1 hour at 80% or harder possible need for

a sports drink.• Ensure you start the session at optimum hydration.• Rehydrate after training.

Stay Hydrated

• Drink 2 - 5 litres per day (including water, cordial, tea, coffee etc.)

• Drink 750ml per hour when training• Sip throughout the day, don’t drink large quantities in

one go.• Limited caffeinated drinks as these have a

dehydrating effect.

Competition Nutrition

General Rule = Don't eat or drink anything that won't make you swim FAST

Hotel Breakfast

• Stick to your normal foods.• It's always tempting but don't sample everything on offer• Try to get extra fluids in, water, fruit juice etc.• Limit tea and coffee intake especially before heats.

During the meet• Stay hydrated• Snack regularly

– Healthy options

– Slow release foods such as flapjack, fruit, yoghurt, nuts and seeds, trail mix, granola bars, rice cakes, popcorn.

• Follow recovery plan i.e. after each race have a snack• Spread meals out and don't over eat at main meal times• Don't rely on the pool cafe - do your homework, what's local?• Just because the nutrigrain bars are free doesn't mean you

have to eat them.

Lunch / Evening Meals

• Don't over eat - portion control

• Pick healthy options e.g.– No chips, ask for potatoes instead.

– Pick red sauces instead of white - lower in fat.

– Avoids battered / deep fried foods.

• Pasta is good for you but can choose other options if you’ve had carbs throughout the day.

• Don't have pudding unless it's good quality and healthy.

Competition Recovery

• After each warm up and race• Try to have balance e.g. Carbs and protein• If protein isn't as easy to transport or keep fresh etc

have carbs and add protein to meals when possible.• Good options for protein sources:

– Ambrosia rice pudding– UHT or soya milk– Dried milk powder / baby milk powder

Competition Timing

Questions