Diet

All swimmers and sportspeople in general, need to consume a healthy, varied and balanced diet in order to support their training.  A sportsperson’s diet should contain a high proportion of carbohydrates (particularly complex carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, cereals and root vegetables), plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables generally, and an adequate supply of protein (lean meat, fish, or, if vegetarian, beans and other pulses, eggs, milk etc.).It is also essential to take in plenty of fluids.

The fuel we use during exercise is mainly provided by carbohydrates-either simple sugars, which go very quickly into the bloodstream, or starches, (complex carbohydrates as described above), which release their sugar more slowly.  Carbohydrate is stored in the liver as glycogen, and during periods of intensive exercise it is these stores the body draws on. They can, however, gradually become depleted during periods of heavy training, unless they are regularly topped up, and this can lead to fatigue for the swimmer, and a drop in performance.

Whilst a diet including generally larger portions of rice, pasta, potatoes, etc should be sufficient to maintain fuel stores you may also wish to supply your child with a high-carbohydrate snack to eat immediately after training as this has been proved to be the optimal time to refuel.  Another important area is that of hydration, or fluid balance. It is essential that sportspeople maintain an adequate fluid intake at all times, but particularly during and after hard training - we have to replace the fluid our bodies have lost in sweat.  A plastic bottle of dilute fruit juice or squash should be provided for your child to take on poolside - some swimmers prefer plain water - or you may like to try one of the isotonic or fluid-replacing drinks on the market, such as Lucozade Sport or Isostar, which are designed to be quickly absorbed and additionally replace some of the mineral salts lost through sweat.

Race-day Eating

Make sure your swimmer has had a good, high-carbohydrate intake the day before the competition, and is well hydrated.  On race-day, for an all-day Open Meet, a cereal toast and fruit breakfast will give a good start.  Race-day meals should be small, easily digestible, high in carbohydrate and low in fat (as fats take longer to digest and can make you feel sluggish). Plenty of fluids should be available. For an evening or late afternoon event, the main meal should be eaten no less than four hours before the swim. Snacks or small meals to consume at County Championships or open meets could include banana, Marmite, or jam or honey sandwiches, bagels or rolls, a pasta salad, and even, in moderation, chocolate or cereal crunch biscuits. Dried apricots, which you can now buy in a ready-to-eat form or other dried fruit are also good,  (but not nuts - too fatty). Fresh fruit, but particularly bananas, are excellent.

Finally, it is important to remember that if your child is healthy, full of vitality and enjoys their food, you are almost certainly doing the right things diet-wise! As a growing teenager and training  sportsperson, your child needs plenty of nourishment, but as long as you ensure provision of large portions of carbohydrate, fresh fruit and vegetables and adequate protein, you need not become unnecessarily worried about do’s and don’ts. Indeed, drastic and sudden changes to a diet could even be detrimental in some cases, and,  as you will be aware, an undue preoccupation with diet is something to be avoided by all teenagers! So far as race-day eating is concerned, be very cautious about introducing a new regime if your current system seems to work and agrees with your swimmer!  And if you do feel you need to improve their race-day eating habits, we suggest a trial run on a less important occasion rather than making changes just before a major event.