Nutrition for Hoylake Swimmers
The main source of energy during training is derived from carbohydrate; therefore, it is not surprising those high carbohydrate meals and drinks are essential to provide energy and to facilitate recovery. The timing of meals and snacks however, is important.
Morning Training
Have a snack item (examples above) with fruit juice 30 minutes before
training with breakfast after training. Guidelines for event meals High
carbohydrate / low fat meal 2-4 hours before the race. Suitable types of food
include: breakfast cereals, porridge, bread, toast, fruit juice, fruit, rice
cakes, boiled rice, potatoes, boiled pasta, oatmeal biscuits, muffins and
carbohydrate drinks. These foods all help to release energy slowly. A small
snack (see snacks above) may be eaten about 30 minutes prior to a race. If the
interval between races is less than 30 minutes, the swimmer should drink fluids
/ juices or a sports drink. If the interval between races is up to 1 hour, the
swimmer should have a snack from the above list, with plenty of fluid, up to 30
minutes before the next race. If the interval is 1 – 2 hours, the swimmer
should have a small high carbohydrate / low fat meal. Important: As water is
stored with carbohydrate, it is essential that a substantial amount of fluid is
drunk with meals and snacks.
30% Fat Rule
It is recommended that swimmers should eat high carbohydrate low fat meals. Low fat is defined as food items with less than 30% fat by calories. This is not the value that is presented by the food manufacturers, who display fat content by weight, which makes the foodstuff appear healthier than it usually is. An easy way to calculate the true fat content: Look at the label on the food and see how many grams of fat it contains per serving. Multiply the number of grams by 10 to calculate the number of kcal from fat per serving. Look at the label for the total energy, the number of kcal per serving. Divide the kcal from fat by the total kcal and multiply by 100. You now have the TRUE fat content of the food stuff.
30-Minute Rule
The muscles are most susceptible to restoration of carbohydrate stores within the first 30 minutes after exercise. The swimmer should eat 50 to 100 grams of carbohydrate, whilst keeping fat ingestion low, as soon as training finishes, and definitely within the first 30 minutes after training. The following are examples of appropriate snack foods:
Fruit, Nutrigrain bars, jam or honey sandwich, malt loaf, fig rolls, smoothie, muller rice, dried fruit, rice cakes.
Keep Hydrated
It is vitally important to drink plenty of fluids (water, juices, sports drink) prior to training, during training and after training