BY JILL CASTLE, MS, RDN of usaswimming.org
To eat, or not to eat, breakfast? This is the question young swimmers may struggle with as they scurry out the door to make morning practice or catch the bus and get to school on time.
For growing kids and teens, starting the day with breakfast has its benefits. Breakfast consumption has been linked to better nutrient intake, mental function and academic performance. Skipping breakfast has it drawbacks. A 2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 1999-2006) survey of children aged 9-18 looked at self-reported breakfast eating patterns and the types of breakfast foods eaten. Researchers found that 20% of children and 35% of teens skipped breakfast, 36% children and 25% teens ate cereal, and the rest ate a variety of different breakfast foods. Interestingly, breakfast skippers had higher body mass indices (BMIs) and a higher prevalence of obesity, while cereal eaters had the most favorable nutrient intakes and weight scores.
We have less data for young athletes and their breakfast consumption patterns, particularly about what constitutes the perfect breakfast amount, and composition. However, it is known that carbohydrate-based foods are needed as fuel for athletic performance, and protein sources help build and repair muscle tissue. So it makes sense that young athletes may benefit from the healthy habit of a daily, balanced breakfast.To make getting breakfast on board for your young swimmer easier, check out these breakfast ideas categorized by preparation method:
REFRIGERATE OVERNIGHT
1. Peanut Butter and Chocolate Swirl Overnight Oats
2. Greek Yogurt Parfait: Layer vanilla Greek yogurt, fruit, and granola in a glass or Mason jar.
GRAB-N-GO
3. Nut butter sandwich on whole grain bread: Make this the night before. Add jelly if you like.
4. Trail mix: Use a commercial trail mix or make your own with nuts and dried fruit.
5. Nut butter and fresh fruit: Can you say banana or apple and peanut butter? Vary your nut butters with almond, cashew and try sunflower seed butter too. There are many small convenient packets of nut butter available.
6. Gorp: Mix dry cereal, nuts, raisins/other dried fruit, carob or chocolate chips together in a baggie.
7. String cheese and whole grain crackers
8. Hard-boiled eggs
PREP IN 5 MINUTES…
9. Smoothie: ½ cup 100% juice or nectar; ½ cup milk; 1 cup frozen fruit; ¼- ½ cup Greek yogurt
10. Bagel sandwich: Layer ham and cheese on a bagel. Zap in the microwave for 30 seconds to warm.
11. Egg and cheese on an English muffin: fry an egg; toast the muffin; assemble with a slice of cheese into a sandwich.
12. Breakfast burrito: Take a whole grain tortilla, fill it with scrambled egg or tofu, add cheese, avocado, leftover veggies and salsa, and roll it up.
13. Walking waffle: Toast two whole grain waffles, spread with nut butter or cream cheese, top with fresh fruit or jam, and assemble as a sandwich.
14. Instant oatmeal: Mix hot water and oats in a to-go coffee cup; top with walnuts and blueberries. Don't forget the spoon!
FREEZE AHEAD
15. Egg and veggie cups: Make these over the weekend and freeze them. Heat them in the microwave in the morning and grab a piece of fruit as a side.
16. Breakfast cookies: Try these Pumpkin breakfast cookies or these dried fruit and peanut butter cookies. Toss in a milk box or 100% juice alongside.
Jill Castle, MS, RDN is a childhood nutrition expert and co-author of Fearless Feeding: How to Raise Healthy Eaters from High Chair to High School (www.fearlessfeeding.com) and author of Eat Like a Champion: Performance Nutrition for Your Young Athlete (July 2015). She is the creator of Just The Right Byte (www.justtherightbyte.com), and lives with her husband and four children in New Canaan, CT.
Carbohydrates: Carbs provide 4 calories per gram of carbohydrate and provide not only quick energy to fuel muscles, but they also supply a lot of the B-vitamins in our diet. Carbs also provide dietary fiber, if you choose the best carbs. Carb-rich foods that also supply vitamins and fiber include whole-grain starchy foods, like whole wheat bread (not wheat bread) and other whole grains like brown rice, whole wheat tortillas, rolls and buns and popcorn. Starchy veggies also are good sources of nutrient-rich carbs: corn, green peas, white and sweet potatoes, lentils, black or red beans, and chick peas. Fruits are mostly carbs and whole fruit is best, followed by frozen, dried, canned in juice and fruit juice. All whole fruits are nutrient-rich, so while some swimmers tell me they avoid the sugar in fruit, there is no need forego the naturally occurring sugars in fruit. But, remember that fruit roll-ups, fruit drinks, and fruit-flavored candies are not fruit…those foods do contain a lot of added sugars. Lastly, dairy foods, like milk and yogurt contain the naturally occurring carb, lactose, so don’t forget you are getting carbs when you drink milk for recovery or snack on yogurt.
Protein: Most athletes know that eggs, meat, fish, poultry and milk are good sources of protein, but don’t overlook nuts and seeds and beans and peas for protein. Vegetarians can get all the protein they need from vegetables sources, if they make the right choices. Eating protein throughout the day is the best strategy to build and maintain muscle. 
Fat: Healthy fats for swimmers include the fats in nuts and seeds (including peanut and almond butters), avocado, canola, olive, sunflower or soybean oil (and salad dressings made from these oils). Mayonnaise is made from heart-healthy oils, so there is no need to avoid it. Fats do contain more than twice the calories as carbs and protein, so these are good to include for those trying to gain weight.
Overeating Later (after school, practice, and late at night)
Eating the Wrong Food
Forgetting Fluids
Fruity Sparklers 
Let the Lettuce Work 
Super Soup
Jazzed Trail Mix 
Cheri Mah’s unexpected discovery during her initial research in 2002 at Stanford has taken root in professional and collegiate sports, forcing coaches and administrators to rethink their approach to helping their athlete’s recover. What athlete would not benefit from being sharper, having a more positive mood and possessing quicker reaction times? When she narrowed her study to find specific responses, she turned to the Stanford Men’s Basketball Team for a three-year study. Her published work suggests that when supplementing for five to seven weeks, the player’s specific skills improved as well. They ran faster, their three-point shooting improved by 9%, as did their free-throw shooting. 
A young swimmer asked if there were any nutritional strategies that prevented muscle cramps. If you have experienced the pain of an exercise-induced muscle cramp, you might just try anything to avoid another cramp. Sucking on mustard packets from the local fast food joint to swallowing pickle juice have all been reported to be miracle cures for cramping. One report found that 25% of athletic trainers suggest pickle juice for immediate relief. Muscle cramps have plagued not only athletes, but those who do hard, physical work in hot and humid conditions, like coal miners. But, while cramps are not uncommon in active folks, the reason for cramping remains in question. There are generally two theories on cramping and neither theory has been proven beyond a doubt to be the cause. 
In today’s sports world, it seems like there are endless options for energy-boosting products and few ways to distinguish which ones may actually help. Athletes need to pay special attention to the source of these products to ensure they are not tainted with harmful ingredients or packaged in factories that may also produce banned substances. Navigating the world of supplements can be daunting. It’s important to remember that you can maintain higher energy levels with a few simple changes to your daily habits. Let’s take a moment to discuss what you can do right now to boost your energy throughout the day.
Food’s importance to a swimmer is comparable to an artist and his workshop, or a captain and his ship or a congressman and his lies: deprived of such necessities, we would fail.
BY MIKE GUSTAFSON//CORRESPONDENT
My doctor told me about a science experiment: Mice willingly shocked themselves to eat white flour and sugar. In other words, they put themselves through pain to eat sugar. She told me, after these mice died, scientists analyzed their brains and found similar attributes as drug addicts. 
The raw bell peppers' crispness muffled the noise coming from James Onwualu's mouth as he described the purpose of the colorful snack. Red, yellow and green peppers, mixed with broccoli and spinach, are a vital part of living a purified life, the Cretin-Derham Hall senior said. It's the nourishment he sees as required to adequately prepare for goals that reach far beyond being the best wide receiver in Minnesota. Emphasis on nutrition, carefully sculpted to match growing teenage athletes with their sport's demands, are the edge that Onwualu and other talented individuals use to become the best in their sport.
Nuts: All nuts are chock-full of healthy fats, fiber, protein, magnesium and vitamin E. Use them to top yogurt or cereal, or just grab a handful on the way to practice.
Low-fat yogurt: “Nutrient-rich” is an understatement! Yogurt is a good source of calcium, vitamin D, potassium and protein. Go for Greek varieties if you are looking for extra protein. It’s great as part of a meal, as a snack, or dessert.
Recovery Strategies
Grabbing chocolate milk after a hard swim could give swimmers a performance edge, according to new research presented at one of the nation’s top sports medicine conferences – the American College of Sports Medicine’s annual conference. In a sport where seconds and even tenths of a second can make a big difference and intense practice routines are the norm, Indiana University researchers found that when collegiate, trained swimmers recovered with chocolate milk after an exhaustive swim, they swam faster in time trials later that same day. On average, they shaved off 2.1 seconds per 200 yard swim, and 0.5 seconds per 75 yard sprint, compared to when they recovered with a traditional carbohydrate sports drink or calorie-free beverage.
ELITE SWIMMERS TRUST CHOCOLATE MILK 
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Staying hydrated is a constant effort for many swimmers, requiring a hydration plan around exercise and vigilance for signs of dehydration. In young athletes, a 1% dehydration can impair athletic performance (a one-pound weight loss in a 100# athlete).
1. Weight loss or lack of weight gain: Sudden weight loss is an obvious sign that food consumption is too low. In the growing athlete, a lack of expected annual weight gain is also a red flag. For instance, an average 7-year-old is expected to gain about 4 to 5 pounds per year, while an average 10-year-old will gain about 9 to 10 pounds per year. Adolescents, during their peak growth spurt, may gain even more. If expected weight gain isn’t happening, look for eating patterns that may be responsible. 
tunting— a lack in height growth. Poor weight gain or weight loss is the first sign in this scenario, so be sure to act before it progresses to this irreversible outcome. 
3. Concentration: The brain relies on glucose and other nutrients to operate effectively. Enough food provided at intervals of every 3 to 4 hours helps growing swimmers pay attention in class, stay focused for competition, learn and think. 
ggle with fatigue. Poor food intake can amplify fatigue, and may promote a vicious cycle of exercise, exhaustion and not eating enough. Watch food intake so that the body has the nutrients available for growth and proper physical recovery. 
tion may be linked to shorter duration of sleep, according to a 2013 study from the University of Pennsylvania. Researchers found that people who slept for 5 to 6 hours a night had diets that missed out on certain nutrients and had less variety overall. Those who slept longer (8-9 hours) had better diet quality. More research is needed in the area of nutrition and sleep, especially for athletes. 