Top Tips for Meal Planning
Last month I wrote about ketogenic diets for performance and cited the work of Dr. John Hawley showing that high fat, low carbohydrates were not performance enhancing. And, promised to show a general meal plan on how much carbohydrate swimmers should consume on heavy training days. Before we get to that, Dr. Hawley (along with his colleague, Dr. Louise Burke) have published their research and here is the citation, published in the Journal of Physiology.
When planning meals for swimmers it is important to consider many factors; to name a few…age (younger swimmers have higher calorie and nutrient needs than older swimmers, training intensity and duration, gender, and food preferences. I mention food preferences because if a swimmer doesn’t like a food he or she just won’t eat it!
Here is a sample meal plan for Ashley, a 16-year old high school student who trains 1 hour in the morning before school and 2 hours after school four days a week. She describes her training as moderately intense. Ashley is 5’6” and weighs 59 kg or 130 pounds. She tries to eat right to support her training but complains of being tired and stale in her training. Let’s take a look at what Ashley is eating and what she could do to improve her nutrition.
First, here is a table on carbohydrate recommendations from the 2016 position paper on nutrition and athletic performance published jointly by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, The American College of Sports Medicine, and the Dietitians of Canada. For those who want to read the entire paper, it can be found at
Carbohydrate Recommendations
(kg=kilograms; lb=pounds; g=grams; bw=body weight; d=day; h=hour)
|
Daily Needs |
|
|
|
Light Activity |
Low intensity or skill-based |
3-5 g/kg/bw/d or 1.3-2.3 g/lb/bw/d |
|
Moderate |
~1 hour/day |
5-7 g/kg/bw/d or 2.3-3.2 g/lb/bw/d |
|
High |
Endurance (1-3 h/d) moderate to high-intensity |
6-10 g/kg/bw/d or 2.7-4.5 g/lb/bw/d |
|
Very High |
Extreme (>4-5 h/d) moderate to high-intensity |
8-12 g/kg/bw/d or 3.6-5.5 g/lb/bw/d |
First, a quick assessment: Ashley needs 350-415 grams of carbohydrate on heavy training days. Her usual intake provides about 285 grams of carbohydrate or about 70% of what she needs. Ashley is on the right track, but needs to add more fuel to each meal and snack. With a few fixes, she can enjoy the foods she likes while boosting nutrition.
|
Ashley’s Usual Food Intake |
Nutrition Fix |
Benefits |
|
Before Practice 1 cinnamon-brown sugar toaster pastry Banana |
Add 8-ounces of low-fat milk Substitute 2 slices of whole grain toast and peanut butter for pastry |
Increases carbohydrate, protein, calcium, and B-vitamins. Also, increases fluids and dietary fiber. |
|
After Practice 16-ounces sports drink Sausage, egg & cheese biscuit |
If a grab & go meal is her choice, substitute the biscuit for an egg, cheese, and Canadian bacon sandwich on toasted English muffin |
Boosts carbohydrate while decreasing fat. |
|
Lunch Macaroni & cheese Green beans Burger, without the bun Water |
Don’t avoid the bun; add lettuce and tomato (if available) and add 8-ounces of low-fat milk |
Increases carbohydrate in lunch meal with the burger bun and milk |
|
Before Practice Bottle of water Handful of cheese crackers |
Keep the water and cheese crackers, but add 6-ounces of yogurt and keep a snack of trail mix pool-side to keep energy up during practice |
Yogurt adds some protein, as well as carbohydrate to fuel practice |
|
Dinner Spaghetti with marinara sauce 2 pieces of garlic bread Apple juice |
Add a large green salad with plenty of veggies; sprinkle Parmesan cheese on pasta; try a protein-enriched whole grain pasta and add turkey meatballs to marinara sauce |
Adds carbohydrate and protein for recovery |
|
Before-Bed Snack Bowl of ice cream |
Make a smoothie with vanilla yogurt or ice cream, milk, and frozen berries |
A smoothie not only increases carbohydrate, but adds another serving of fruit and more protein to help muscle refuel during sleep |
Chris Rosenbloom is a registered dietitian, certified specialist in sports nutrition, and professor emerita of nutrition at Georgia State University. She welcomes questions from swimmers, parents and coaches. Email her at chrisrosenbloom@gmail.com; follow her on Twitter @chrisrosenbloom.