Nutritional Suggestions
2002 Version
From Coach Jeff

As I got older and the years got shorter, I realized that my nutrition wasn't nearly what it should be. I ran into some health problems my freshman year of college which caused me to modify my diet. I only wish that I had modified it when I was a swimmer so I could have gotten the maximum effort out of my body.

Here are a few nutritional suggestions as a guideline to what to eat and what not to eat during (or after!) the swim season.

Parents please go over this with your swimmers to help them better understand.

How many calories do we need per day?

As a rough rule, multiply 12 by your weight in pounds.
In other words, someone like me should eat 2200 calories a day to maintain my body weight. However, swimmers need more than just the minimum amount of calories. Sometimes, swimmers need up to 800 more calories per HOUR of tough workout!

Most nutritionists say that daily calorie consumption should be 60% carbohydrates, 15% protein, 25% fat. This is of course just a rough guideline.

MEALS:
Athletes are usually advised to break up their daily meals into smaller, mini-meals during the day. This helps avoid gorging and makes it easier to digest and then use the food as energy.

What to eat way before a meet:
We have the pasta feeds the night before a big meet primarily due to the social aspect.

However, swimmers should also consume pasta and other complex carbohydrate meals 2-3 days before the big meet as well.

This will help the muscles store much needed energy for use during those big races.

What to eat before workout or a meet:
Approximately 3-4 hours (the timing works better for a meet as it would be tough to get up at 4am to consume before a workout!) before a meet/workout, eat a meal of easy-to-digest carbohydrates (foods with a low glycemic (around 23) index, see other handout for index).

Apples, pears, yogurt, soy beans, kidney beans, skim milk and peanuts are good examples.

These simple sugars will be digested in time for the race and will give that much-needed energy!

I find that the drink that gives me my energy back the quickest is Pedialyte.

Other simple sugars with a moderate glycemic index (around 46) that should be eaten during a meet include popcorn, sweet potatoes, oranges, oatmeal cookies, orange juice, apple juice, grapes, and bananas.
These are great things to bring in a cooler!

If your workout or races are all over for the day, it's time to eat foods with a high glycemic (closer to 80) index.

Add some protein rich foods to build muscles now too! Don't eat these foods right before bedtime though, as carbohydrates late at night will do nothing while you sleep.

Watermelon, pineapple, potatoes, waffles, bagels, bread, jelly beans, rice cakes, Rice Krispies, soft drinks (no caffeine), and honey are some suggestions.

WATER:
I can't stress enough how important water is ALL THE TIME. Before, during, and after workouts/meets water should be the number one thing consumed (not pool water of course).

Buy bottled water and bring it to the meet (don't trust tap water). Contrary to what some might believe, we DO sweat in the pool! Therefore, we need to drink enough water during the day to make up for our lost sweat.
It is ESPECIALLY important to bring water to two-day meets and when it is really hot out. Dehydration can happen in less than half an hour and heat stroke is always a worry.
DON'T FORGET THE WATER.

VITAMINS:
If you don't think your daily meals are getting you enough vitamins, by all means take a multi-vitamin pill. Check to make sure it is adequate for your age. Your body not only needs vitamins to swim but to live!!

SUGAR:
Sure, everybody loves sugary sweets. But eating a Snickers bar an hour before your race will cause your blood sugar to be way low by the time you race. This leads to sluggish performances.
A small dose of something sugary 20 minutes before your race may be somewhat beneficial but it could still be bad for your race depending on how well your body metabolizes the sugar…everybody's body is different at different times.
If you are going to make Kool-aid or cookies or other things requiring sugar, here's a healthy alternative to sugar: It's an herbal product called stevia. The extract of stevia is approximately 30 times sweeter than cane sugar, or sucrose, yet has only 1/300 of the caloric value. In addition, stevia can be used in both HOT and COLD, and thus can be used in baking. This unique extract is even water soluble! This is a water-based extract with nothing added, no calories, either! Therefore, no cavities, no weight gain, good for diabetics and it has none of the bad effects of sugar-substitutes either!