One of the main issues concerning a swimmer’s nutrition is what to eat and when to eat it: it is advisable to eat a diet based around small but nutritionally rich meals that differ depending on the time of day the swimmer is training or racing.
A swimmer’s nutritional needs may be broken down as follows:
- 55-60% of calories from carbohydrates (bread, pasta, rice and cereals)
- 25-30% of calories from fats (extra virgin olive oil, fats from milk and dairy products)
- 10-15% of calories from vegetable proteins (legumes) and animal proteins (meat, fish, eggs and cheese)
Vitamins and Mineral Salts come from eating the right amount of fruit and vegetables and supplemented through hydration to make up for any losses through sweating.
Meal times when training and racing
Here are some examples of how to organise your meals in relation to when you are training or racing:
1. in the morning, eat a breakfast that is easily digested at least an hour before physical exertion.
2. in the early afternoon, you cannot have lunch at the usual time, because you would still be digesting your food when you enter the water. This means you should eat a filling breakfast (for example, milk or yoghurt = cereal or biscuits and a piece of fruit), a substantial…
