10 FOODS SWIMMERS SHOULD BE EATING

6/17/2014

BY JILL CASTLE, MS, RDN of usaswimming.org

The mystery behind what to eat is never-ending, partly because miracle foods are constantly surfacing while other foods fall from grace. When it comes to the growing swimmer, what to eat is important for growth and development, and also for athletic performance. Many children and teens in today’s world are missing out on calcium, vitamin D, fiber and potassium. Teens and athletes in general may be at greater risk of nutrient deficiencies if they skip breakfast, snack on nutrient-poor foods and use diets to control their weight.

Given this, here are 10 foods that will keep your nutrient intake high and your risk for deficiency low:

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.

Seeds: Similar to nuts, seeds are full of fiber, healthy fats, magnesium and vitamin E. Eat them like you would nuts.

Ready-to-eat cereals: Cereal is fortified with nutrients such as folic acid, iron and vitamins A and E, making them a good source for these micronutrients. Have it for breakfast, snack, or dinner in a pinch, but beware of choosing cereal with too much sugar. Cereals with less than 8 or 9 grams of sugar per serving are best.

100% orange juice: Increasingly, you can find calcium and vitamin D- fortified OJ. Orange juice is naturally a good source of folic acid and vitamin C. Don’t guzzle it though! Orange juice can be a significant source of calories when more than a cup and a half is consumed daily.

Beans: Magical indeed! Full of fiber, protein, iron, zinc and magnesium—find ways to fit beans into your weekly (or daily) diet. Roast them for a crunchy snack, top a salad or burrito, or throw them in with diced tomatoes for a hearty pasta dish.

Low-fat cheese: An easy snack or serve it mixed into casseroles, pasta and in sandwiches. Low-fat cheese is full of calcium, potassium, and protein.

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.

Low-fat milk or soymilk: Dairy milk is a natural source of calcium, potassium, protein and vitamin D. If soymilk is your go-to, make sure it is fortified with calcium and vitamin D. Many athletes use flavored milk (chocolate milk) for a post-workout recovery drink.

Dark-green leafy vegetables: These veggies like kale, spinach and collard greens offer iron and calcium. Pair these veggies up with foods high in vitamin C, or serve with meat to maximize the absorption of iron from the vegetables.

Orange fruits and vegetables: Loaded with vitamins C, E, A, and potassium, these help your immune system stay healthy. 
How many of these foods are you getting on a regular basis?

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). She is the creator of Just The Right Byte (www.justtherightbyte.com), and is working on her next book for young athletes, called Eat, Compete & Grow. She lives with her husband and four children in New Canaan, CT. Questions? Contact her at Jill@JillCastle.com.

Are You Fueling For Performance?

By Bradley Phillips of reachforthewall.com

Whether for practice or meets, swimmers need to remember to fuel up before and after practices to ensure the best performance. (Photo by Manu Fernandez/Associated Press)

Bradley Phillips is a recent graduate of the University of Virginia and a two-time ACC champion. He began swimming with the Pinecrest Pirahanas in the NVSL (1998-2010) and continued his career at Oakton High School where he was a three-time Virginia state champion. He trained with Nation’s Capital Swim Club’s Tyson’s site before enrolling at Virginia and has been a contributor to Reachforthewall.com’s Behind the Blocks blog^[2] for two years.

If you owned a luxury sports car, would you fuel it with old cheap gasoline from a run down gas station? I’d guess not, you’d probably treat it like the high-quality machine it is by feeding it only the highest quality gasoline to optimize it’s performance.

The same should go with your body in the sport of swimming!

Athletes, especially high schoolers, are high-risk for nutrient deficiencies. They skip meals, follow the “seafood diet”, i.e., after a hard day of training, if you see any food you’ll eat it, and in general are not paying attention to what they’re putting in their body.

Instead, you should always be asking yourself if it what you are consuming will help you recover from the day or perform in the future.

Here are some quick tips that can make a world of difference.

To start your day, be sure to have something in your stomach before morning practice. Even a snack as small as a few handfuls of granola or cheerios is better than nothing. Orange juice is another source of instant energy in the morning; just make sure you don’t over do it.

In my days of 5 a.m. wakeup calls, I relied on my mom’s famous banana bread recipe. All of my friends in the swimming community can attest to the magical powers gained after eating this bread during a meet. She would even send me back to college with a few loaves for my apartment to get me through the NCAA season.

Make this the night before and enjoy the next morning before practice. I promise, it works.

Here’s the recipe for one loaf chocolate chip banana bread:

Ingredients:

• 3 bananas, mashed
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ¼ cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup chocolate chips (preferably dark chocolate, if you have an insatiable sweet tooth like myself)

1. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, sugar
2. Add bananas, eggs, butter, and chocolate chips
3. Grease the loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour
4. Let cool

Fast forward 12 hours and you’re finally finishing up a workout. Your body is depleted of the small amount of energy you put in before workout and needs something in it to recover. Instead of loading up on whatever potato chips are laying in the backseat of your car, how about you try this delicious and easy to make peanut butter banana smoothie instead. If my roommate of four years, Jan Daniec, and I can make it, then I assure you swimmers of all age, even the 12 and unders, will have no difficulties creating this concoction.

The recipe might take some adjusting to personal preference (you can double the milk or half the peanut butter, etc.). I originally got the idea from Splash Magazine years ago. Figure out what works for you; it all depends on your taste.

Here is the recipe for a post-swim recovery smoothie:

Ingredients:

• 1 big handful of ice cubes
• 2 bananas
• 4-6 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1-2 cups of milk
• 1-2 tablespoons of Nesquick powder or chocolate syrup
• A few squirts of honey to sweeten (to taste)

Put it all in a blender; press blend; and enjoy!

If you’re on the run, as so many swim families are, they try some of these quicker options:

• Granola bar (not the ones packed with sugar though!)
• A small yogurt
• Fig newtons
• Banana (pair it will peanut butter for a protein boost)
• Bagel with cream cheese

None of these options will replace getting 3-5 well-balanced meals in during the day, but they will go a long way in helping you reach your nutritional and swimming goals.

Hopefully these ideas will help you start thinking about eating healthier throughout the day. What are some tips and tricks that you use to improve your performance through nutrition? Feel free to share some quick and easy recipes below in the comments!

For more information, check out USA Swimming’s nutrition center online^[3]. They’re always putting out great tips what to eat, what to avoid and how to maximize your workouts.