FINDING THE FACTS -- THE NUTRITION FACTS

BY DR. KATHLEEN WOOLF, REGISTERED DIETITIAN

As a swimmer, your body needs nutrients to fuel your performance.  Which foods provide the nutrients required by your body?  Fortunately, food companies are required by law to give you the facts on the foods you eat.  However, it does take practice to understand these nutrition facts.  Here are some tips to help you with the process: 

• Ingredient list: Ingredients are listed in order by weight.  The ingredient used in the greatest amount is listed first followed by those in smaller amounts.  Try to limit foods where words like “sugar,”  “high fructose corn syrup,” “corn syrup,”  “sucrose,” or “hydrogenated oil”  appear early in the list of ingredients.  You may also want to choose foods that have a shorter ingredient list and limit foods where the ingredient list sounds like names from your chemistry class.
• Serving Sizes: The Nutrition Facts panel lists the serving size (i.e., 1 cup of cereal, 5 pretzels) and number of serving per container.  Pay attention to the serving size. It may not be the amount of food that you typically eat. The rest of the information on Nutrition Facts panel is based on this serving size.
• Calories: The number of total calories and calories from fat in a single serving of food is included in the Nutrition Facts.
• Nutrients: The Nutrition Facts panel lists the amount of total fat (g), saturated fat (g), trans fat (g), cholesterol (mg), sodium (mg), total carbohydrate (g), dietary fiber (g), sugars (g), protein (g) per serving size. For several of these nutrients, the percent of the Daily Value is also noted. The Daily Value is based on a 2000 calorie diet, which may not be appropriate for a growing and physically active swimmer.  However, you can look at these percentages to determine if the food is low (= 5%) or high (= 20%) for a given nutrient.
• Vitamins & Minerals: Information for four nutrients (vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron) must be included on the Nutrition Facts panel.  The amount is noted as the percent of the daily value.  Additional vitamins and minerals may be noted on the food label for some foods (i.e., fortified breakfast cereals).  Once again, a food with  = 5% of the daily value is a poor source while a food with = 20% of the daily value is considered a high source of the nutrient.

To help you pick between two similar items at the supermarket, compare the Nutrient Facts panel.  Which food provides more carbs?  Which has more fat?  Which food provides a higher percent of the daily value for vitamins and minerals?

What about when you eat in a restaurant?  New federal law may require fast food and other chain restaurants to provide nutrition information on menus and menu boards.  Some cities and states are have already implemented such policies. 

Use these Nutrition Facts to help you select the right nutrients for your body.  Food labels, menu labeling and menu boards can help you learn about what you are eating.

USA Swimming – Speedo Tip of the Week

NUTRITION CENTER - NUTRITIONAL CHEAT SHEET PART II

BY MIKE MEJIA, M.S., C.S.C.S//SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Provided that you've adhered to the guidelines we published in last week's article, there are a couple of steps you can take the day of the meet to help make sure that you perform at your best.

Eat Breakfast

Start out with a proper breakfast. This does not entail grabbing a bagel with cream cheese and eating it in the car with a large orange juice on the way there. The bagel, especially if it's made with white flour can really jack up your blood sugar levels. Granted, the fat in the cream cheese will blunt this affect somewhat, but add in the OJ and you'll be all fired up for warm-ups and likely crash shortly thereafter.

The best-case scenario is to sit down and eat some slow cooked oatmeal (prepared the night before) with fruit, or some eggs and whole grain toast, or whole grain cereal with skim, or low fat milk. If it's an early meet and you must eat on the run, at least make it a whole grain bagel with peanut butter, as the these two foods together make up what is known as a complete protein by providing your body with all the essential amino acids it needs. Trade in the OJ for a lower sugar sports drink and you're good to go. Some more foods to stay away from include bacon, sausage, croissants, doughnuts and sugary breakfast cereals.

As far as what you should have in your bag for snacking, I think the best way to address this is with a list of what you should bring, vs. what you should not bring.

What to Bring:

1. At least 32 oz. of water to drink during and after the meet.

2. No more than 16-20 oz. of sports drinks that meet the above criteria.

3. Energy bars: Try to stick with bars that have less than 10 grams of fat, and less than 35% of their calories from sugar (the lower the better). To calculate this: multiply the number of grams of sugar by 4 and then divide that number into the total calories.  Some recommended brands include: Kashi TLC Bars, and Odwalla Bars.

4. Whole grain pretzels, crackers and cereals.

5. Nuts, seeds and dried fruit (in limited quantity due to the relatively high sugar content).

6. Lower Sugar Fruits: Strawberries, Apples, Cantaloupe, Blueberries, Raspberries and peaches.

What not to bring, or bring less of:

1. Chips of any type. Most are loaded with fat and calories.

2. Goldfish, Cheese Nips, or any other types of crackers made with white, enriched flower.

3. White Bagels and Breads.

4. High Sugar Fruits: Banans, Raisins, Pineapple and Grapes.

5. High Sugar Energy Bars: Many types of Power Bars fall into this category.

6. Fruit Juices of any type: Too high in sugar and don't clear the gut as rapidly as sports drinks, possibly leading to stomach cramping.

7. Soda. This one's an absolute no-no!

8. Cookies, candy, gummy bears, or anything else along those lines.

USA Swimming - Nutrition Articles

NUTRITION CENTER-NUTRITIONAL CHEAT SHEET PART I

Nutritional Cheat Sheet PART I
BY MIKE MEJIA, M.S., C.S.C.S//Special Correspondent

Keep in mind that in order for nutrition to have an appreciable impact on your performance, you have to eat the right way on a year-round basis. Not that you can't occasionally indulge in some fast food, or sweets; just make sure that your daily diet follows the 80% rule, meaning that you make the right choices at least 80% of the time and reserve the other 20% percent for some of your favorite "cheat" foods. This way, you'll know you're supplying your body with the nutrients it needs to feel and perform at your best.

The following recommendations will help you stay on the right path:

The Right Kinds of Carbs
Make sure that the bulk of your diet comes from complex carbohydrate sources (approximately 50-60% of your total caloric intake). It's important that these carbs are predominantly in the form of whole grain breads and cereals, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, yams (or sweet potatoes) and beans. Try to stay away from white pasta, rice, breads and bagels as much as possible. They have an unfavorable effect on blood sugar levels and can really hamper your performance.

Protein Intake
Try to opt for quality, low-fat protein sources like skinless, white meat chicken and turkey, lean beef, eggs, tuna, flounder, sole and cod, skim and low fat milks, low-fat yogurt (not the "fruit on the bottom kind") and tofu. Limit your intake of high-fat cuts of beef and pork, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, fried chicken and pretty much all fast food, as much as possible. Proteins should make up anywhere between 20-25% of your total caloric intake.

Watch the Fat
Keep an eye on your fat intake. As a general rule, try to limit your intake of saturated fats, or any type of "hydrogenated oils" and "trans" fats. You can do this by cutting down on higher-fat cuts of beef and pork and all types of fast food. Also try to read as many nutrition labels as possible, as most clearly list the breakdown of both total fat, and saturated fats. Make sure that any food you choose has no more than 3 grams of fat per every 100 calories (i.e. in a 200 calorie food, 6 grams of fat is the limit), and that no more than about 1/3 of the total fat comes from saturated fat. So, that same 200 calorie food with 6 grams of total fat should have no more than 2 grams of saturated fat. Overall, fats should comprise anywhere from 15-20% of your total caloric intake.

Don't Forget Fruits and Vegetables
Eat as many fresh vegetables and fruits as you possibly can. Most kids fall way short of the recommended 5-9 daily servings of fruits and vegetables. They provide tons of vitamins and minerals, as well as much needed fiber.

Hydrate!
Proper hydration is absolutely key! You can't drink next to nothing for several days and think that jumbo Powerade you're swigging in the car on the way to the pool is going to do anything. Here's a breakdown of how much you should be drinking and when:

Overall water consumption for kids age 9 to 13 should be 2.0 to 2.5 liters per day, whereas 14-18 year-olds should strive for 2.5 to 3.5 liters, with girls falling near the lower end of the range, and boys at the higher end. Keep in mind, we're talking about water here, not juices, sports drinks, or soda. This should be your target for each and every day, with your fluid requirements increasing with athletic activity.

Sports drinks are really only necessary for activities lasting at least one hour in duration, but can otherwise be consumed in moderation if they encourage young athletes to drink. Watch the sugar content, though. When choosing a sports drink, look for one with a 6-8% carbohydrate concentration, or 50-80 calories per 8 ounces, with 120-170 milligrams of sodium. 

Provided that you've adhered to the guidelines listed above, there are a couple of steps you can take the day of the meet to help make sure that you perform at your best. We'll bring those to you next week!

USA Swimming - Nutrition Articles