Registered, Licensed Dietitian Barbara Pearl Registered, Licensed Dietitian
Make a Splash with Healthy Eating Fueling the Swimmer
A Performance Diet Your performance depends on a healthy diet: Carbohydrates Protein Fats Water Vitamins and Minerals
Your main energy source CARBOHYDRATES Your main energy source
PROTEIN The muscle builder
FATS CHOOSE Healthy
The KEY to hydration and top performance WATER The KEY to hydration and top performance
Not a problem is you eat a healthy diet VITAMINS AND MINERALS Not a problem is you eat a healthy diet
Where do CALORIES come from??
CARBOHYDRATES
CARBOHYDRATES About 60% of a swimmers Calories need to come from Carbohydrates
CARBOHYDRATES Best FUEL for Muscles
CARBOHYDRATES SWIMMERS need 2 to 4 grams of CARBOHYDRATES per pound of body weight during competition and training season
How much food is that?? For a 130 pound swimmer, that’s about 15 pieces of bread, 4 glasses of milk, 4 pieces of fruit, an 6 cups of pasta
Good Sources of CARBOHYDRATES: Whole grain breads and cereals Potatoes Rice Pasta/noodles Fruits Vegetables Milk
PROTEIN
PROTEIN Build and repair muscles Fight infection Makes hormones and enzymes
Protein Swimmers need .6 to .8 grams of protein per pound of body weight each day during competitions and training season
How much food is that??? For a 130 pound swimmer, that’s 4 glasses of milk, and about ½ a chicken
Good Sources of PROTEIN: Fish Chicken Lean Beef Milk Yogurt Nuts Eggs Soy
FATS
FATS ENERGY TRANSPORT VITAMINS HORMONE PRODUCTION BODY TEMPERATURE CONTROL
FATS SWIMMERS need .45grams of fat per pound of body weight per day!! HOW MUCH IS THAT??? Only about 3 teaspoons of oil or butter
Good Sources of FATS Nuts Olive Oil Canola Oil Olives Avocado Heart healthy margarines
VITAMINS AND MINERALS Usually not a problem Take a multivitamin-mineral if diet is restricted
FLUIDS Drink BEFORE swimming to improve performance: 2 cups Drink DURING swimming to keep going: 1-2 cups every 15-20 minutes Drink AFTER swimming to recover faster: 2 cups for every pound lost during exercise
Pre-Event Healthy Eating Eat enough foods to provide energy to keep you going throughout the competition Stay hydrated High Carbohydrate, low fat meal 2-4 hours prior to competing Choose foods you like and are familiar with
Sample Pre-Event Meals 4 Hours before event: 2 cups pasta with marinara sauce 1 slice whole grain bread ½ cup grapes 16 oz milk 2 hours before event: Peanut butter and jelly sandwich 1 banana 8 oz chocolate milk
During the Event Drink enough fluid to maintain hydration If the event is longer than 1 hour, performance will be better if you drink a sports drink instead of water
Post Event Healthy Eating Need to replace the energy and fluids lost during the event Eat plenty of carbohydrates and drink lots of fluids Recovery is better if you eat soon after the event is completed High carbohydrate foods to include are: bagels, yogurt, fresh fruit, cereal bars, muffins, chocolate milk
Nutrition Tips to Improve Performance
Eat CARBOHYDRATES !! Needed all year and especially important during the competitive season! Energy bars and sports drinks can be helpful A high carbohydrate snack is needed 15-30 minutes before practice or competition Include another high carbohydrate snack after practice or an event to re-fuel
Eat at Competitions Pack easy to digest foods that you like and that can be eaten at poolside: Bananas, crackers, sport drinks, bagels, honey, chocolate milk, energy bars, gels, peanut butter crackers, trail mix
Stay HYDRATED!! You may sweat more than you realize Make sure a water bottle or sport drink is accessible to you
Snack Ideas Yogurt smoothies, milk, chocolate milk, yogurt parfait Hard boiled eggs, breakfast sandwich with cheese and egg, turkey, lean roast beef, peanut butter, cottage cheese, nuts Bagels, graham crackers, waffles with fruit, cereal, bars, trail mix with dried fruit Banana, applesauce, apples, grapes, oranges, dried fruit, veggies
Thank you for listening Good luck with your competitions!! ANY QUESTIONS????
BARBARA PEARL 847-821-7457 bnpearl@comcast.net