A good food intake is important if swimmers are to perform to their best ability. Good nutrition is not just for competition and gala days. It is for everyday.
Knowledge of healthy eating can benefit swimmers at all levels - not just the elite. Club classes and training sessions will be more productive if swimmers have taken time to consider what they are eating and drinking in relation to that session.
Some manufacturers would like us to believe that certain products hold magical properties in relation to sport. Studies of the literature however tend to lead us to the conclusion that a well balanced diet provides greater benefit than any special product.
A good nutritional intake is one of the key factors leading to peak performance.
We all eat a diet consisting of a mixture of foods from the three main food groups, these groups are:
1. Proteins, 2. Fats, 3. Carbohydrates.
Different meals are made up of different proportions of these nutrients. The way in which we combine and select foods determines whether we eat a healthy diet or not. Healthy diet is not dependent on any one individual food.
In this country we tend to eat more protein and fat than we require and insufficient carbohydrate. Athletes generally will enhance their performance by trying to redress this imbalance on a daily basis and not just on the day of competition.
To gain the maximum benefit from sport there are two key nutritional issues to be particularly aware of.
ENERGY INTAKE
To maintain an adequate energy intake the swimmer must take in as many calories as he expends in training in addition to his daily calorie needs. The main sort of calories in a swimmers diet will be carbohydrate based foods. Taking sufficient carbohydrate will ensure that muscle glycogen stores are kept at a high level. As muscle glycogen supplies the bulk of the energy required during training it is important that these stores are maintained at a high level.
FLUID INTAKE
An adequate intake of fluid must be maintained to replace the loses during sport. Inadequate fluid intake leads to dehydration and poor performance.
Carbohydrate
This is the food group that swimmers need to be most aware of. Carbohydrate is the main source of energy in the diet and can easily be increased to provide extra calories for training needs. There are two distinct forms of carbohydrate available in the diet. The swimmer will benefit by being aware of how the body can make best use of each type of carbohydrate.
Complex or Starchy Carbohydrate
i.e. Bread, Potatoes, Rice, Pasta,Cereals and Pulses.
These foods form the bulk of the diet and will become sugar when fully digested. As they take time to digest they are not instant energy sources. Every meal should contain at least half the food in the form of carbohydrate. (Approx. 55% of the diet).
A swimmer training daily may need to increase this proportion up to 60-70%. On competition days it may be more practical to take less starchy carbohydrate at meal times and substitute with sugary carbohydrates in between meals.
Simple or Sugary Carbohydrates
i.e. Sugar, Fruit Juice, Cordials, (not diet type), sweets, Yoghurts, Jelly Cubes, Fruit, Milk.
These foods provide more instant energy and are not so bulky as starchy carbohydrates. They are useful prior to training when a swimmer would not want to eat a large meal. They are also useful foods to use inbetween races to top up glucose levels.
Muscle glycogen stores will be reduced or depleted after bouts of activity. Replenishment is most efficient during the 2 hours immediately following exercise. If bulky, starchy carbohydrates are unacceptable at this time, sugary carbohydrates appear to be as effective in replenishing muscle glycogen.
Proteins
Swimmers have a slightly increased need for protein than non-swimmers. This is easily met by an overall increase in food intake. Supplements of protein in the form of special drinks or extra food is not recommended.
Fats
Swimmers will use fat as a source of energy if an exercise session is prolonged. There is no need to increase the amount of fat eaten. Food surveys of the British diet show that intakes of fat are above that which healthy eating guidelines recommend.
Vitamins and Minerals
These form a small but significent part of everyone's daily diet. Deficiences are rare in the U.K. Intakes of vitamins and minerals greater than that provided by a good diet are of unproven benefit to the swimmer.
Fluid/Liquids
Exercise causes body temperature to rise, and sweating will then occur. This leads to loss of fluid and dehydration. Swimmers are often less aware of sweating because of the environment of their sport. It is important to prevent dehydration by drinking extra fluid before during and after training sessions and competitions.
Poolsides can be very warm and dehydration can occur when waiting to compete if fluid intake is not maintained. All swimmers should have non-breakable drinks bottles with them on poolside to be used during training and at galas. Suitable drinks include diluted fruit juice, squash, or isotonic sports drinks. More concentrated drinks may be taken only after the session is complete, as these will stay in the stomach longer than the more dilute suggestions above.
Hand-outs on nutrition are
available on the club desk.