Many swimmers approach their training with fierce commitment and laser focus. So often, however, these same athletes fail to recognize that without a solid foundation of nutrition and rest, they’re not going to get to where they want to go. Taking on the responsibility of training must be combined with eating and resting for performance as well. Failure to take care of your nutrition and rest will eventually catch up to you, and your performance will suffer. The biggest mistake made by athletes of all ages is eating randomly through the day. They just let eating happen based on what’s going on and where they find themselves.
Since swimmers have specific performance goals (increasing endurance versus increasing strength, for example), meal planning is vital to adequately support progress toward those goals. Getting stronger doesn’t just happen; neither will getting the fuel your body needs. Swimmers must value their fueling strategy just as they do their training strategy.
Endurance athletes, given their high-calorie output, should plan to eat a substantial amount of carbohydrates at meals and snacks, as research has shown this can improve endurance and performance.
Carbohydrate is the gas in the tank for endurance events. The intensity and duration of the event dictates the fuel that your body uses. The higher the intensity or duration, the more your fuel source is carbohydrate. You have trained, tracked your progress and hydrated. Choosing high octane carbohydrates are the finishing touch to your race day preparation. Quality high carbohydrates are those that reach your bloodstream slowly and give you sustained energy.
Here are some examples of those high-powered carbs:
- Whole grain cereal, such as oatmeal
- Whole grain breads
- Low fat dairy, especially milk and yogurt
- Fresh fruits and vegetables
Practice and train with these endurance carbohydrates in order to develop a gut tolerance for these foods. After a hard training session, recover with faster acting carbohydrates in order to reload the muscles for the next day’s training. Your muscles are the most hungry for food within the first 30 minutes after exercise. However, this is when most athletes tolerate foods the least. Start the recovery process with a sports drink or cold juice and a carbohydrate/protein energy bar. Topping off your tank and refueling are great strategies to improve your performance.
Power and strength athletes may focus on getting solid protein sources at meals and snacks to provide the body with the amino acid building blocks to promote muscle growth.
Consuming healthy fat from avocado, nuts, seeds and olives helps provide concentrated calories, which is especially helpful for athletes with high-calories needs. These sources of fat also help fight inflammation in the body, which is a side effect of intense training.
All athletes should eat more fruits and vegetables during meals and snacks. High training volume can increase the amount of oxidative stress in the body and therefore more antioxidants, which can be found in fruits and vegetables, are needed.
According to the American Dietetic Association, a swimmer needs 3,000 to 6,000 calories a day to maintain their weight. Competitive swim teams often practice twice a day, making meal planning essential. Swimmers need to eat before and after practice to fuel workouts. Eating small meals and snacks can help reach calorie needs.
The body utilizes carbohydrates for energy during exercise. They need to comprise the majority of a swimmer’s meal plan. The American Dietetic Association recommends 2.3 to 3.6g per lb. of body weight a day. Thus, a 150-lb. swimmer would need 345 to 540g. Sources include grains, fruits, vegetables and cereals.
Protein fuels growth, maintenance and repair for the body. Fish, chicken, nuts, eggs, beef, milk and cheese are high quality sources of protein. Swimmers need 0.55 to 0.8g per lb. of body weight, according to the American Dietetic Association. A 150-lb. swimmer needs 82 to 120g of protein a day. As a general reference, an ounce of meat provides 7g of protein per serving. Including milk with meals is a great way to boost protein intake. Using nuts such as almonds on salads or including meat with dinner also helps swimmers reach their protein needs.
Swimmers sweat in the water, which causes fluid loss. Therefore, drinking 2 cups of fluid before practice, and 5 to 10 oz. of fluid every 15 to 20 minutes during practice is recommended. A sports drink is helpful when practicing more than one hour to help replace carbohydrate loss. Another good habit for swimmers is to periodically weigh themselves before and after practice to determine the weight lost from fluids. Replenish with 3 cups of fluids for every pound lost. In addition, at least 1 cup of fluid should be taken with each meal and snack throughout the day. Research show that chilled fluids lower body temperature and are absorbed faster.
Best Energy Bars
Instead of hopping from bar to bar, use these general guidelines to help you find the one that works for you: Look for bars with fewer than 5 grams of fat. Aim for 3 to 5 grams of fiber. If you’re using energy bars as snacks, be mindful of the calories; consider eating half a bar to keep your caloric intake within limits – a Luna bar contains 170 to 180 calories, for example, while a Promax Oat-rageous bar has 330 to 340 calories. If you’re shopping for an actual meal-replacement bar, choose one that has about 15 grams or more of protein – along with some fiber – and is fortified with 35 percent of the Recommended Daily Allowances for vitamins and minerals.
Some of the best energy bars we’ve found on the market:
Power Bar: Performance Bar
Power Bar: Whole Grain Harvest
Luna Bars (selected flavors)
Promax Oat-rageous (selected flavors)
Optimum Rebound
Clif Bars (selected flavors)
Zoe’s Bars (selected flavors)
Other Snack Ideas
Dry cereal: Try some finger-food cereals (unfrosted) alone or mixed with nuts, raisins or dried fruits. Take your cereal blend with you and eat it dry if you don’t have time to add milk.
Trail Mix: Choose one that contains nuts, fruit and some cereal or pretzels.
Yogurt: Buy it with the fruit added, or buy it plain and add your own favorite fruits or granola. Try the regular or thick-and-creamy fruited versions or the yogurt drinks.
Instant oatmeal: Make it with low-fat milk instead of water. Add chopped nuts and raisins.
Crackers: Try the whole-grain or stone-ground wheat variety and reduced-fat versions.
Nut butter (almond, cashew and peanut): Spread it on a banana, bagel or rice cake. Make your own snack using peanut butter and whole-grain crackers.
Pretzels: Try various sizes and shapes to find the ones you like best. Buy the salt-free variety, or knock off the salt entirely if reducing your salt intake is important. Avoid pretzels with fat added.
Fruit: Fresh fruit is always a good choice. Always pack a couple oranges with you for pre-race snacking. Make your own snack packs using dried fruits like raisins, cherries and cranberries.
Frozen fruit bars: Choose the ones with fruit or fruit chunks at the beginning of the ingredients list.
Nuts and seeds: Find ways to add peanuts, almonds, pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc. to foods or eat them alone. They’re a healthy choice, but be aware that they’re also high in calories.
Baked potatoes: Microwave them in minutes, and eat them hot or cold. Add cheese for protein and calcium. Don’t forget sweet potatoes as an option.
Pizza: Order thick-crust with vegetables and/or Canadian bacon instead of pepperoni, sausage or the meat-lover’s version.
Energy bars, breakfast bars and low-fat granola bars: Bars are convenient, but they can be expensive. And don’t believe all the labels say about enhancing your performance. It’s the calories you’re consuming that give you energy, not some magical ingredient. Be sure to read the label carefully.
Sandwiches: Use whole-wheat or whole-grain bread. Be sure to use lower-fat meat-and-cheese choices and reduced-fat versions of mayo. Add lettuce, tomatoes and green pepper slices to provide another food group.
Cheese sticks and cheese cubes: Reduced-fat choices are available with 5 grams or less of fat per ounce. Eat them alone or with crackers and fruit.
Cottage cheese: Use the snack-size, low-fat versions. Eat cottage cheese along with snack-size canned fruit or green pepper and tomato.
Tortilla: Try the whole-wheat version. Add shredded cheese and vegetables, roll it up and microwave.
Bagels: Toast and top them with reduced-fat cheese, cream cheese or peanut butter. Try the whole-grain versions.
Popcorn: The snack-size microwave light versions are just the right size to take on the run. Instead of using butter, try spraying popcorn with cooking oil sprays and adding spices like chili powder or garlic powder.
Raw vegetables: Baby carrot sticks in individual packages and cut-up, washed broccoli and cauliflower are readily available at the supermarket. Take them along with a snack-size container of a light salad dressing dip.