The Importance of Breakfast

BY KATHLEEN WOOLF, PhD, RD//Correspondent
As a swimmer, many of your practices start early in the morning. When you rise before the sun, there is less time (and desire) for eating a healthy breakfast. However, breakfast is the most important meal of the day and can influence performance in school and the pool. A healthy breakfast should include whole grains, fruit, dairy and protein. Having breakfast as part of your daily routine is a habit worth keeping.

Time after time, research supports the importance of a good breakfast for top school performance. Kids who eat breakfast study, listen and concentrate better. In other words, skipping breakfast leads to poor school performance. Breakfast-skippers have lower intakes of many vitamins and minerals compared to breakfast-eaters. Physical performance also improves on the days a healthy breakfast is consumed.

If you have an early morning practice, your breakfast needs to be split in two: a “pre-event breakfast” and a “recovery breakfast.” Your “pre-event breakfast” is the last opportunity to “top off” your fuel stores before practice. Having a pre-event meal will delay fatigue during exercise. Include foods that can be quickly digested and absorbed, such as cereal and/or toast, fruit or 100% fruit juice and low-fat milk or dairy. You can even plan to eat the pre-event breakfast in the car on the way to practice. Peanut butter sandwiches, yogurt drinks, fruit, string cheese and bagels are all great examples of healthy “grab and go” foods.

Right after practice, you should eat your “recovery breakfast.” After your workout, your body is primed to store more carbohydrate than at any other time during the day, allowing your body to replenish its carbohydrate stores so that you are ready for your next practice or event. Carbohydrate-rich foods and beverages, such as cereal, 100% fruit juices, low fat milk and yogurt should be the core of your recovery breakfast. Also, include some protein, such as peanut butter, cheese, lean meat, or eggs, to help repair and rebuild muscle. If you don’t choose wisely, you will have a difficult time during your next workout.

Make sure you “break the fast” so that you can swim faster!

Kathleen Woolf, PhD, RD is a registered dietitian and a member of the American Dietetic Association, the Sports, Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group, and the American College of Sports Medicine. She is an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition at Arizona State University.