Competing at a Distance: Nutrition Tips for Long Distance Travel

By Jill Castle, MS, RDN of usaswimming.org

It’s that time of year when many swimmers will be traveling to compete. Long distance travel can wreak havoc on a swimmer’s body and dampen his or her competitiveness. From the availability of less than healthy food options to cramped seats, the choices made during travel can ready the swimmer for athletic performance or it can undermine months of hard work. Focus on the following areas to be ready and able to compete when arriving at your destination:

Bring Along Food

No matter how far the swimmer travels, or the mode, taking nutritious food along will better ensure proper eating and prevention of hunger. Flight provisions, such as small servings of peanuts, pretzels or crackers, generally won’t be adequate for the competitive swimmer. On the other hand, mindlessly grazing on food—even healthy food-- throughout travel can result in overeating. Try to eat food at usual times and bring along activities to prevent boredom like a deck of cards, a book, movies, or music. Energy bars, trail mix, whole grain cookies, fruits, and veggies are all good options to bring along. Keep any food that requires refrigeration safe by storing it in a small igloo or lunch pack.

If meals are available on a long flight, choose the carbohydrate-rich vegetarian option, which will likely be a rice or pasta-based meal. You may need to request this ahead of time, so double check with the airline. If travel is by bus, the food options may be limited to fast food establishments. In this case, opt for whole grain breads, salads with protein, hearty soups and breakfast options with eggs, potatoes or breads.

Stay on Top of Fluid

Flying is naturally dehydrating. The humidity on an airplane can be 10-15%, which encourages more water evaporation from the skin and lungs. This type of dehydration is subtle and may cause headaches or constipation. Water is by far the best option for a beverage, along with an occasional 100% fruit juice or a sports drink. Drink at least a cup of fluid each hour. Bring a water bottle and ask for a refill from the flight attendant as needed. Remember: go through security with an empty water bottle and purchase water near your gate.

Avoid Painful Muscle Cramps

Swimmers may feel cramped on a flight, as the seats are compact and legroom may be minimal. It may also be difficult to get up and move around. Get an aisle seat if possible and make sure to store extra baggage overhead to optimize legroom. Get up, walk around and stretch every hour or so to minimize cramping and encourage blood flow. Make sure to drink plenty of fluids. If cramping is a problem, be sure to drink fluids with electrolytes such as a sports drink, or drink water and eat salty carbohydrate foods like pretzels or crackers.

Cut Constipation

Many travelers experience gas, bloating and constipation. Everybody’s “system” is different, but long distance travel can certainly encourage constipation. The antidote: eat high fiber foods (fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and beans) and keep up with fluids. If constipation becomes an issue, try natural remedies such as prunes or prune juice, apricot or pear nectar, or celery.

Get Some Sleep

Sleeping on a plane can be very challenging. However, swimmers are better able to adjust their body clock to a new time zone if they can get some sleep during travel. Use noise-reducing earplugs, eye covers and a pillow—these will help reduce distractions and promote sleep. Try to eat a high carbohydrate snack, such as a granola bar, dry cereal or whole grain crackers before snoozing to increase brain serotonin, which encourages sleep.

These strategies will help the swimmer be ready to compete when arriving at his or her destination, no matter how far they have traveled. With a little forethought and planning, swimmers can journey with confidence!

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Jill Castle, MS, RDN is a registered dietitian, childhood nutritionist, and youth sports nutrition expert. She is the author of Eat Like a Champion: Performance Nutrition for Your Young Athlete. Learn more about Jill at www.JillCastle.com and check out her free list of 70 Awesome Pre-Workout Snacks for Kids here.

Engineered Sports Foods: 5 Reasons to Put Them in Their Place

BY JILL CASTLE, MS, RDN

Engineered sports foods, such as sports drinks, energy bars, protein shakes, meal replacement foods, and sports candies have been around for a while. Originally designed for the elite, adult endurance athlete who exercised intensely, these foods have become more and more popular in the young athlete’s diet.

It’s no wonder. Young athletes are busier than ever. A full day of classes, practice after school, a social life to maintain, and perhaps other obligations such as a job or volunteer work fill the young athlete’s schedule. All this “busy-ness” takes time away from creating meals and snacks, and sitting down to eat them. As such, many young athletes eat on the run and look to convenient options. They eat food that is designed to provide nearly all their nutrient needs at any given time in just a few bites or swallows.

Who needs food, right?

Wrong.

While marketers and makers of engineered sports foods will focus on the positive aspects and sell you every reason under the sun why you need them, what they won’t tell you about are the drawbacks for young athletes. But I will.

Here they are, as seen through the eyes of a youth sports nutrition expert:

They Crowd Out Real Food
Sure engineered sports foods are uber-convenient, and many of them taste good enough, but a diet of these is repetitive, and for many young athletes, ultimately boring. Youth who are bored with their diet are less likely to eat healthy food, in my experience. If the goal is to raise an athlete who is knowledgeable about food and nutrition, eating real food helps expedite that endeavor. Besides, nothing beats Mother Nature’s real stuff.

They May Be Unsatisfying
What happens when, after a meal or snack, the satisfaction factor, well, isn’t satisfied? True to human nature, most people find more food to eat, in the quest for satisfaction. Young athletes may think they are using engineered sports food properly, but may over-do it in calories and nutrients. And, yes, nutrition can be over-done.

They May Cause Unwanted Weight Gain
I once had a client who started to use protein bars and shakes under the premise that these would help her build more muscle and get stronger. Unfortunately, she didn’t account for the extra calories she was bringing to her diet, and gained quite a bit of extra weight. Engineered sports foods aren’t calorie-free, and young athletes don’t necessarily burn them off during exercise.

They May Offer Too Much Protein
Protein is a necessary part of a young athlete’s diet, not only for growth and development, but also for muscle repair after intense bouts of exercise. Most young athletes get enough protein from the real food they eat in their diet. In fact, studies in young athletes show they get two to three times what they need from food alone. Young athletes who get aggressive with their protein intake by adding engineered sports foods to their regular diet may experience side effects such as dehydration, kidney and liver impairment, and as detailed above, unwanted weight gain.

They are Expensive
If young athletes use engineered sports foods on a daily basis, the costs can certainly add up. Young athletes will pay about $1 for every protein bar they eat ($365 per year if one is eaten per day) and about $0.70 for a 20-ounce sports drink ($231 per year for a daily habit). Compare those costs to that of a peanut butter sandwich ($0.50) and a reusable water bottle from home (free).

Engineered foods aren’t bad; they can have an effective role in the young athlete’s diet when used properly. However, anchoring the sports diet on engineered foods can have some distinct downsides. If the swimmer is using them, make sure they complement his real food diet, not overwhelm it.

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Jill Castle, MS, RDN is a registered dietitian, childhood nutritionist, and youth sports nutrition expert. She is the author of Eat Like a Champion: Performance Nutrition for Your Young Athlete. Learn more about Jill at www.JillCastle.com.