Club members and parents often ask about the when and what of food and drink for swimmers.  Chippenham ASC have not developed any specific written guides on food and drinks for swimmers, but if parents wish to know more a good starting point is the publication Nutrition Guidance for Performance Athletes and Parents of Elite Swimmers  - Plymouth Leander Swimming

Key points from this guide

The 30 minute Window. All nutrient replenishment must take place within 30 minutes of a training session and preferably within 15 minutes

Speed killers. Savoury pastries, sweet pastries, crisps, burgers and sausages, chips, chocolate, sweets, cakes, biscuits, ice cream, deep fired anything, fizzy drinks, cooked English bkfast

Hydration and avoiding dehydration. One bottle per hr of training essential. Give a young swimmer a drink they like and there are few problems with re-hydrating.  Don’t arrive to training de-hydrated. Drink a variety of water, squash, fruit juice and milk during the day.  Avoid tea, coffee and all fizzy drink.

Sports drinks/Isotonic drinks.  Isotonic or sports drinks should be treated as liquid food – they will not do anything for re-hydration.  The quantity of carbohydrate in them will actually promote further dehydration.  If swimmers choose to use these then they also need a “drink”  bottle (water based) as well as the Isotonic/Sports  “food” bottle.

Is diet really important for a swimmer?  A balanced varied diet will help to achieve their swimming potential – all swimmers need to ensure that they have the correct amount of energy for growth and development, have the right foods to build and maintain strong bones, need to be fit and healthy and not ill as much as the time as possible, need to recover as quickly as possible, and be able to concentrate on training and school/work.

What are the best foods to eat before training/competing?  The pre training meal should be eaten 2 – 4 hours beforehand and should be low fat, high carbohydrates and low in fibre.  It should be reasonably filling but not cause any discomfort during training from over filling or gastrointestinal upset, and should include some fluid.  Most importantly the meal should be familiar.

Why is hydration so important to performance?  The human body is 60% water.  During exercise some of this essential water is lost as sweat; therefore extra fluids must be drunk to replace it. If a swimmer fails to replace these losses, the body may overheat.  Dehydration is a swimmers worst enemy!  Even mild dehydration reduces strength and stamina. Water should consider an essential part of healthy eating for performance.

There are many more tips, eating plans, Q and A in the guide which can be found at: http://www.plymouthleander.co.uk/images/library/advice/Rudd%20&%20Booth%20Nutrition%20Guide.pdf