Health and Nutrition
Health Info
The British Swimming Website has links to several useful medical documents some of which can be accessed below.
Go to the British Swimming Website and you can also see information on the following;
ADHD info
Neonatal and infant swimming
Verrucas
Epilepsy
Wearing of Goggles
Swimming and diet
and more......
Nutrition
Our Welfare officer endorses a healthy and balanced diet for athletes!
Swimmers should all be aware of the importance of nutrients and the effect they can have on performance. Good nutrition can help the swimmer to fully recover from a hard training session and be fully prepared for the next.
Food contains many different kinds of nutrients and each one has a special function. Since no single food can provide the body with all its nutritional needs, it is necessary to eat a wide variety of foods.
A balanced diet is essential for success in competitive swimming.
What we eat and why?
It is important to understand what you should be eating and why.
Carbohydrtes (The Energy Foods)
It is important that you eat sufficient energy in the form of carbohydrates to maintain energy stores in the muscles so that you can continue training. If energy stores are low because too little carbohydrate has been eaten you will feel tired and find it hard to train. There are two groups of carbohydrates:
Complex carbohydrates eg brown rice, wholemeal bread, pasta and cereals, potatoes, peas, beans and lentils, etc,
These are very important because they release energy over longer periods of time. They are also valuable sources of fibre (especially wholemeal bread, rice and pasta and wholemeal bran cereal) and should make up between 60 – 70% of your total daily nutrient intake.
Simple carbohydrates eg biscuits, cakes, sweets, chocolate, fizzy drinks, sugar, jam, sweetened breakfast cereal, etc
These should be avoided – they are lacking in additional nutrients and not the best form of carbohydrate for athletes striving for a healthy diet.
Simple carbohydrates will tend to give you a short energy ‘high’ followed by a ‘low’, whereas wholefood will keep you at a more constant energy level.
Fats (Fuel foods too – BUT CAUTION)
These contain about twice as much energy as protein and carbohydrate but BEWARE, they are difficult to digest and stay in the stomach a long time. It is wise to decrease the amount of fat in your diet.
Avoid (or eat less) Change to
Butter, oil and lard Low fat spreads and oils
Fried food – chips, crisps etc Grilled, baked or steamed food
Pork, beef, lamb and duck Turkey, chicken, white fish
Eggs, milk and cheese Low fat dairy produce
Sausages and mayonnaise Low fat sausages and dressings
Pate, pies and pastries No butter or margarine on
Burgers sandwiches or jacket potatoes
Eat more complex carbohydrate foods to make up for the lower energy intake of fat. NO MORE than 15 – 20% of your total nutrient intake should be fat.
Proteins
These are used mainly for growth and repair of body tissues and can be divided into two groups:
Animal protein eg meat, fish, dairy produce
Vegetable protein eg cereals, legumes, pulses and nuts
When intake of both these groups of proteins is combined, the protein intake will be of a reasonable quality. Too much protein wastes energy and encourages too high a fat intake. Most people eat too much protein – it need only make up 15 % of the total nutrient intake.
A rough guideline of your average daily needs necessary for healthy growth and development would be obtained from:
2 glasses of semi skimmed milk and 4oz meat/fish/poultry or cheese and
2 servings bread/cereals and fruit and vegetables.
Vitamins and Minerals (Protectors and Regulators of Healthy Bodily Function)
By eating a well balanced diet with extra fruit and vegetables, instead of crisps and chocolate, you will get all the minerals and vitamins you need. As you work your body harder, you will need more vitamins. The B-complex vitamins (available from wholemeal foods, potatoes, green vegetables, liver, meat etc) and vitamin C, play a very important role in the diet of athletes. These vitamins are not stored by the body and need to be replenished every day.
A multi-vitamin supplement is recommended as a safeguard against deficiencies that might occur due to the increased use of these elements in metabolism. Deficiencies can be quite detrimental to performance.
This is an extremely important aspect of nutrition. When you exercise you begin to feel hot. The body is cooled down by sweating, ie loss of water. If this water is not replaced then the ability to cool the body further is lost. Therefore, you may ‘overheat’ or dehydrate. This can be dangerous and is not beneficial to performance.
As a guideline you should drink at least 6 – 8 glasses of fluids each day. Avoid fizzy, sugary, drinks which will make you more thirsty. Instead drink cold water, because it is absorbed quickly, or juices.
You must drink during training before you are thirsty.Eat a light complex carbohydrate meal approximately two hours prior to training.
Eat a meal within 20 – 30 minutes of finishing training or competing – this is of particular importance since when you eat after training will dictate the rate at which your muscles are filled up with fuel/energy again for the next training session.
You should drink a couple of glasses of water or diluted juice approximately half an hour before training and then have small sips throughout your training session.
Be prepared and plan ahead with regard to your food intake. Do not rely on what you may or may not be able to buy at the pool.
Do not try new or different foods during an important training phase, leading up to or at a competition. If you find a new food does not agree with you then you may find that you lose vital training days and you perform below your ability. (This is of particular importance if you are training or competing abroad).
Swimmers diets must contain the essential nutrients in sufficient quantities to support their energy expenditure during training and competition. If the diet should be deficient in any one of the essential elements, ie carbohydrates, fats, proteins, fluids, vitamins and minerals, performance will suffer.