Nutrition for Swimmers

Eating well is vital if swimmers are to perform to the best of their ability.  Good nutrition is not just for galas – it's important every day.  Healthy food helps you train hard and race fast. 

Swimmers need to eat a well-balanced diet, with the majority of their calories (50-60%) coming from carbohydrate (pasta, potatoes, beans, cereals, bread), 10-15% from protein (meat, fish, eggs, pulses) and 25-30% coming from fat (oily fish, olives, avocados, nuts).

Drinking well is just as important as eating well – make sure you drink before training, drink the contents of your water bottle during training, and top up your fluid levels afterwards as well.  Keeping properly hydrated will not only help you swim better, it will also improve concentration levels as school or work.

Breakfast – start the day as you mean to go on!

Healthy breakfasts include porridge, cereal (avoid highly processed cereals packed with sugar), wholemeal toast, fruit, juice and semi-skimmed milk.

Are you getting FIVE a day?

Make sure you're eating at least 5 portions of fruit and/or vegetables a day.  This will keep you healthy and energetic.

Keeping going

Your body needs to have regular fuel in order to keep energy levels high, however try not to eat too close to swimming and plan meals so you're not trying to train on a very full stomach.  Pasta, soup, rice, baked potatoes, wholemeal bread and plenty of fresh vegetables are all good choices.   Avoid deep fried foods such as chips, fish in batter and fried chicken.  For drinks, try milk, juice or water rather than fizzy drinks.

After swimming

After training or racing, swimmers need to refuel fast to replenish their depleted energy stores with carbohydrate.  The best time to start this process is within the first 30 minutes after getting out of the pool.  This will help your body recover in time for the next session.

Good after-swimming snacks include fruit (especially bananas), cereal bars, malt loaf, fig rolls and wholemeal sandwiches.  These are all good sources of carbohydrate without being high in fat and will do you much more good than a bar of chocolate.

Eating at galas

Eat plenty of carbohydrate the night before, and keep drinking.  Make sure you eat something for breakfast, even if it seems too early to be hungry.  Don't experiment with new foods on the day of a gala – choose something you know you like and that you know agrees with you.  Pasta followed by fruit makes a good lunch and try to eat as soon as the lunch break starts so your body has a chance to start digesting your food before the afternoon session begins.  Keep eating healthy snacks throughout the day and drink water, fruit juice or isotonic sports drinks to keep dehydration at bay.