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Hi,
Good timing for this letter. Save it, and have fun.
Coach Mavi.
May 3,
2010
News For
SWIM
PARENTS
Published by The
American Swimming Coaches Association
5101
NW 21 Ave., Suite 200
Fort
Lauderdale FL 33309
___________________________________________________________________
What Should My
Child Be Eating
Before And
During His Competition”
Answered by:
Keith B. Wheeler, Ph.D.
The
pre-competition meal is really a “mini nutrition
period” that occurs in the 4 or 5 hours before the start of
the meet. Unfortunately, many swimmers don’t understand the
exact role of the pre-competition meal. It has little effect on
increasing muscle glycogen levels. It is foods eaten 3 to 4 days
before a meet that help establish glycogen levels in the muscles.
By Meet days, glycogen levels are mostly “set” and
there is little that one can do to increase them in the hours
before competition.
The
pre-event meal is important for maintaining the blood glucose and
liver glycogen stores, key energy sources used in the early stages
of competition. By maintaining blood glucose levels at the start of
the meet, the dependency on muscle glycogen will be delayed, and
that helps prolong endurance. To avoid stomach upset, nausea or
that “stuffed” feeling, consume the meal 3 to 4 hours
before the start of the meet. Avoid spicy, fatty, and high fiber
foods, too. These are difficult to digest and may cause intestinal
distress or nausea later during the meet. You’re child will
swim more comfortably when he’s eaten easy-to-digest foods,
and his stomach is relatively empty. Nutrition conscious
athletes now avoid traditional food such as the steak dinner, as
well as other high fat, high protein foods like hamburgers, French
fries, chips and mayonnaise. These foods remain in the stomach too
long and slow down the digestion process. Foods that are rich in
complex carbohydrates are generally easier to digest and empty from
the stomach faster than high-fat, high protein foods. That’s
important, because not only do you want to swim on a relatively
empty stomach, you also want the foods you eat to be efficiently
converted to energy. Cereals, pasta, baked potatoes and muffins are
good carbohydrate sources that are easily digested and converted
into glucose.
Vegetables and
fruit juices are also good pre-vent meal items, as well as some
dairy items like low fat yogurt, ice milk and low fat
milk.
Swimmers, who
prefer a light, non-filling pre-competition meal often, substitute
a sport nutrition beverage. EXCEED nutritional beverage is an ideal
choice for your pre-competition meal: it’s nutritionally
complete and well balanced, so you won’t sacrifice essential
nutrients if you use it in place of solid food.
Once
your child’s competition is under way, his body still needs
fluids and nutrients to sustain physical effort and fight fatigue.
Although many coaches and swimmers don’t realize it,
dehydration can be a problem in swimming, especially if the air and
water temperatures are warm. Remember, sweating is the body’s
main mechanism for cooling itself; even though his practice and
competition takes place in the water, he can still lose a great
deal of body water in the form of sweat.
Additionally,
water is also needed to aid digestion and energy production.
Dehydration robs his body of the primary means to cool itself and
generate energy. Your swimmer should observe good nutritional and
hydration habits in the time before he competes. If there are
several hours before your child’s event, then he can enjoy a
light snack or refreshment if he wishes. But if he’s going to
swim right away or his event is an hour or less away, he should be
very cautious about what he eats and drinks. In the hour preceding
competition, he should drink, fruit juices, and beverages or snacks
that contain sugar in any form aren’t appropriate this close
to competition. They can trigger a sudden drop in blood glucose
(hypoglycemia) with the onset of intense activity. Additionally;
drinks that contain high concentrations of sucrose (table sugar)
tend to empty from the stomach more slowly than water. You
don’t want to start swimming with a stomach full of anything,
including liquids.
Once
his event is underway, his fluid requirements change. His body
loses water in the form of sweat, particularly in the distance
events, and it should be replaced. Good nutrition is something that
you apply everyday throughout the season…not just the day
before the meet.
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