A Swimmer's Diet

A swimmers diet is equally as important as their training.  Your diet plays a much larger role than most think in overall performance.  If you are not fueling your body properly throughout the day you can affect yourself more than you can imagine.  An improper diet can lead to tiredness, slow recovery and compromised immune system.  And improper eating during a swim meet is normally the #1 reason for poor swims and results. I just wish swimmers would believe me when I say they need to be constantly eating throughout the day. 

What do you think is the most IMPORTANT part of your diet?  Making sure you drink plenty of water.  NOTHING, I mean NOTHING replaces water.  And do you know how many times a swimmer says “but I am surrounded by water, why do I need to drink water?” Truthfully I just laugh to myself because that just shows how little younger swimmers get it. The truth is being surrounded by and swimming in water does not mean you get hydrated through osmosis. Swimmers need to drink more water than most people.  This is not just during training but throughout the day.  If you get dehydrated it will make you feel like you have to work harder and at the same time it will decrease your overall performance.  There are plenty sports drinks out their (ie. Gatorade and Powerade), but none of them replace water.  I tell my swimmers if they bring a sport drink to practice they should also bring and drink twice as much water.  I am not saying there are not advantages to sports drinks as they help replenish your electrolytes and also give you so much needed calories during training.  But sports drinks should never replace water.

As for the food you should consume…There are a couple of rules of thumb everyone should follow.  The first is to snack often.  Every hour or two you should eat something small.  Something like granola bars, fruit or nuts.  You should snack during training as most practices are longer than an hour.  Now I know some swimmers who if they eat during practice, they get sick to their stomach.  My suggestion is to try different things.  If all else fails this is a good time for a sports drink as it will help supply the energy needed to complete the workout.  At the end of workout it is just as important to consume something with protein to aid in your recovery as to hydrate.  This should be done within 30 minutes of finishing your activity.  That means if you have a 30 minute drive home you should bring something with you to eat at the end of practice.  You also need to make sure you are getting plenty of protein throughout your day as well.  

Now as we get close to a competition your diet should become comprised more of carbohydrates.  These include things like pasta, potatoes, fruits and breads.  This will act as your fuel during competition. One of the most common things I get asked at a meet is “what should I eat?”  One of my favorite things to suggest to my athletes is to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  This gives them the protein to recover (peanut butter), the simple sugar for immediate energy (jelly) and complex carbs (bread) they need to sustain their energy.  Other great things are bananas, apples, cheese & crackers, granola bars, and trail mix. Food such as wheat thins, cheez- its and gold fish are not great sources of nutrition, but I see them all the time at meets with the assumption they are “carbs”.

But despite what you eat,  at meets hydration is still key.  I tell my swimmers I want to see them with a water bottle in their hands at all times.  I expect them to bring their water bottle with them when they are warming up, warming down and heading behind the blocks. 

Now the last thing and probably the most controversial thing I need to talk about are supplements.  Supplements are not regulated by the FDA.  What this means for you as an athlete is you can never know 100% what is in the supplement.  Of course there are two different levels of supplements.  There are your high risk (stay away from):  Muscle Builders, Weight Loss Supplements, and Mega-Doses and there are your low risk (use at your own risk): Carbohydrate drinks, Iron/calcium, and Vitamin D.  I always tell my swimmers when I am asked about supplements to talk to their physician as there are just too many variables involved and I would never want to be responsible for suggesting something that could be potentially harmful. However, the truth comes down to the fact that I am a big believer if you cannot get what you need out of the foods you are eating, you need to change what you are eating. 

Ultimately, I hope that if you get anything out of this it is that you need to eat throughout the day and drink plenty of water as those are probably the two most important things to starting a successful nutritional plan. But as a swimmer you are responsible for taking control over what you eat, how you eat and learning how to create/manage and prepare a proper swimmers diet.

Disclaimer:  These are my opinions and are not to be a reflection on anyone other than myself.