Download Recommended Food Intake During Competition

Recommended food intake before, during and after competing
A diet rich in carbohydrates increases endurance performance because of the extra store of carbs
in the muscles and liver, called glycogen. Research has shown that if athletes do no consume a
diet high in carbohydrates on a daily basis, they would experience chronic fatigue and poor
performance.
A good suggestion of how much to eat before swimming would be that the athlete consumes 1.5
grams of carbs per pound of body weight, whereas one hour before the competition, the athlete
would consume 0.5 grams of carbs per pound of body weight.
Meals before competing help serve two purposes:


It keeps the athlete from hungry before and during the event, and
It helps maintain optimal levels of energy for the muscles
Suggested meals for pre-event eating
1 hour or less
Food bar
Raisins
Banana
½ Bagel
Pretzels
Fig bar (2)
Applesauce
Sports drink
Toast
Crackers
Serving Size
1 bar
Small box (2.5 oz)
7 oz
2 oz
20 pieces
1 oz
4 oz
8 oz
1 slice
5 crackers
Grams of Carbs
47 grams
34 grams
31 grams
26 grams
22 grams
20 grams
14 grams
14 grams
14 grams
10 grams
2-3 hours before
Baked potato (plain)
Cereal (whole grain/ 1%
milk)
Bagel w/ peanut butter
Fruit smoothie
Food bar
Oatmeal
Yogurt (nonfat)
Pancakes/waffles
Fresh fruit (apple)
4 hours or more
Pasta w/ meat sauce
Pasta, chicken, vegetables
Serving size
1 large
Cereal: 1 cup/ Milk: ½ cup
Grams of carbs
58 g
Cereal: 47 g/ Milk: 8 g
1 bagel (2 tbsp PB)
12 fl oz
1 bar
1 cup
1 cup
2 pancakes (5’’)
1 cup
Bagel: 47 g/ PB: 8 g
47 g
47 g
26 g
33 g
20 g
19 g
Serving size
2-3 cups
Pasta: 1 cup, chicken: 4 oz,
Veg: 1 cup
Chicken: 3 oz, rice: 6 oz, fruit
Grilled chicken, rice, fruit
1 cup
1 bar/ drink: 8 oz
Granola bar/ Sports drink
1 can (11 oz)
Liquid meal replacement
6 oz
Fruit juice
Turkey sandwich (3 slices of Turkey: 3 slices
bread: 2 slices
meat, 2 slices wheat bread,
low fat mayo)/ baby carrots mayo: 1 tbsp
7 carrots
Tuna: 2 oz drained
Tuna sandwich ( 2 slices of
Bread: 2 slices
wheat bread and low fat
Mayo: 1 tbsp
mayo)
1/3 cup
Trail mix (nuts/raisins)
Grams of carbs
75-100 g
Pasta: 60 g, Chicken: 0 g,
Vegetables: 6 g
Chicken: 0 g, rice: 44.4 g,
fruit: 19 g
Bar: 43 g, drink: 14 g
40 g
18 g
Turkey: 0 g
mayo: 0 g
bread: 24 g
carrots: 3 g
Tuna: 0 g
Bread: 24 g
Mayo: 0 g
20 g
It is also important that athletes eat after competing to make sure that they will have enough
energy in their muscles for the next race, whether it be in the same day or the following days.
The same dietary intake principles used to plan the pre-exercise meal can also apply to foods
eaten at all-day events. If an athlete races at 10:00 a.m. and again after two hours, foods that are
high in protein and fat will more than likely still be in the stomach potentially causing stomach
distress. The following guidelines have been recommended to help athletes make wise choices at
all-day events.
One hour or less between events or heats:


Stick with carbs that are in liquid form, such as sports drinks
If something solid needs to be eaten, try fruits like oranges, watermelon, cantaloupe,
peaches, pears, applesauce, or bananas.
These foods consist of mostly carbs and water. They are digested very fast and therefore, will not
cause as much of a problem with stomach cramping or distress. Another key point to making
food choices with limited time between events, is limiting the quantity of the food eaten. The
more an athlete eats, the longer it will take to digest, especially with any pre-competition nerves
or stress.
Two to three hours between events or heats:



Solid foods in the form of carbs can be eaten, as there is enough time to digest them
before competition.
Try eating bagels, hot or cold cereal with nonfat milk, or English muffins along with fruit
like bananas, apples, oranges, peaches, or pears.
Be sure to drink plenty of fluids, like water or a sports drink, for hydration, electrolyte
replacement, and restoration of glycogen stores. Avoid drinks that contain caffeine,
carbonation and other stimulants.
Four or more hours between events or heats:
With four or more hours between events or heats, an athlete may want a meal, which should be
composed primarily of carbs. Keep the meals simple. The following meal examples for this
situation are appropriate:


A turkey sandwich on two slices of wheat bread, low-fat yogurt with fruit, and water or a
sports drink; or
Spaghetti with lean meatballs, bread, salad with low-fat dressing, and water or a sports
drink
If there is a certain meal pattern before competition that an athlete thinks is a winning
combination, then they should stick to it.
Make the right choices
Athletes who make food choices at concession stands need to know how to make the best
choices. Most concession stands are filled with high-fat, high calorie foods that are not designed
to maximize performance. It is always wiser for athletes to pack a cooler from home with
winning combinations, than to rely on the food at the concession stand. Here is a table to use as
an example.
Food
Baby carrots
Breadsticks
Celery
Cherry
tomatoes
Choc. Milk
(lowfat)
Cottage cheese
(lowfat)
Dried fruit
Sports drink
Granola bar
Fresh fruit
Ginger snaps
Hummus
Meal
replacement
drink
Nuts (mixed)
Peanut butter
Pita bread
Vanilla wafers
Whole grain
bagel
Whole grain
cereal
Whole grain
crackers
Yogurt (nonfat)
Serving size
7 carrots
1 stick (2 oz)
1 large stalk
½ cup
Fat
0g
6g
0g
0g
Carbs
3g
24 g
2g
7g
Protein
0g
4g
0g
1g
1 cup
2g
26 g
8g
½ cup
1g
3g
14 g
1 package
8 oz
1 bar
1 piece or 1 cup
1 oz
¼ cup
1 can (11 oz)
1g
0g
5g
<1g
3g
5g
3g
188g
14g
43g
19g
22g
13g
40g
7g
0g
10g
.3g
2g
3g
10g
¼ cup
2 tbsp
1 pita
4 wafers
1 bagel (4 oz)
15g
16g
2g
10g
1.5g
7g
7g
35g
19g
47g
5g
8g
6g
<1g
11g
1 cup
1g
47g
7g
5 crackers
15g
11g
1g
8 oz
0g
15g
11g
Protein for post event food consumption
Not only is the athletes pre-event food consumption important but they should also focus on
what they eat after they are done competing for the day as well. Protein has always been a
particularly populate nutrient with athletes because of its role in building and maintaining
muscles. While research shows that protein requirements are higher for athletes to aid in muscle
repair and growth, more athletes are already consuming more protein than the body can use.
Because our swimmers are endurance athletes they should use the formula of 0.54-0.64 of
protein per pound of body weight. Below is a table of good examples of proteins an athlete
can consume after competing.
Food
Chicken breast
Ground beef
Broiled fish
Cottage cheese
Yogurt (nonfat)
Cooked lentils
Cooked black beans
Milk (nonfat)
Peanut butter
String cheese
Tofu
Egg
Mixed nuts
Cooked quinoa
Whole wheat bread
Serving size
3 oz
4oz
3oz
½ cup
8oz
½ cup
½ cup
1 cup
2tbsp
1oz
½ cup
1 large or 2 egg whites
¼ cup
1 cup
1 slice
Grams of protein
25g
24g
20g
12g
11g
9g
8g
8g
7g
7g
7g
7g
5g
4g
3g