Swimmers need adequate iron for performance. Here are the top tips for getting enough iron in your diet along with tips to help maximize the absorption of iron.

Even the most organized, well-planned swimmer can put nutrition on the backburner. Thankfully, some food items can stay in the swim bag, providing relief in situations where optimal food sources may be scant.

According to the National Health Interview Study, published in 2012, many growing athletes are using some kind of supplement, including multivitamin and mineral supplements, creatine, fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. However, many organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advise against any supplement use among children and teens under the age of 18.

It’s not uncommon to see teams of young swimmers filing into the local Italian restaurant to load up on pasta the night before a big meet. The common conception is that loading up on a high carbohydrate meal will prepare the muscles with a ready source of glycogen the following day, usually a race day. So the thinking goes.

Parents and coaches want their swimmers to feel good, eat well and perform to their best ability. But that’s not always easy to accomplish when you have growing bodies, different food preferences and developmental influences to consider.

Swimmers need adequate iron for performance. Here are the top tips for getting enough iron in your diet along with tips to help maximize the absorption of iron.

USASwimming.org nutrition contributor, Jill Castle, recently published “Fearless Feeding: How to Raise Healthy Eaters from High Chair to High School,” and I asked her to offer her top tips for feeding teen swimmers. Many of our readers are looking for sound nutrition advice with practical tips for families of active swimmers and this book is the go-to source.

Smoothies are a great choice for swimmers because they provide nutrient-rich carbohydrates to fuel muscles before a workout and can rapidly replace lost muscle glycogen after a workout. However, with so many choices of smoothies found in specialty stores to bottled smoothies in the grocery store, how do you choose?

A good recovery snack provides carbohydrate to replenish muscle glycogen and a small amount of protein to aid in repairing and strengthening muscles. Recovery nutrition is most important for swimmers who train daily or compete in several events over the course of a day(s) during a meet.

A 14-year old swimmer asked me for tips on being a vegan. She decided to be a vegan over concerns for the environment, animals and health, but wanted to make sure she has the energy for swimming as well as getting all of the nutrients she needs.