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The 30 minute Window
After Training or racing, a swimmer needs to replenish their energy stores as quickly as possible. There is a 30-minute window after exercising which is the best time to start this process. The window remains open for up to two hours and then closes.
If energy stores are not replaced, this can have a detrimental effect on their performance later. This can explain why swimmers competing all day perform better at the beginning of the day and produce poor results at the end of the day.
The swimmer should be able to have access to a quick source of food as soon as possible after training or competing. It is important to know what to eat and what not to eat on poolside. Good examples include fruit, some energy bars, fruit and fibre bars, nutrigrain bars, malt loaf (without butter or margarine), fig rolls, rice cakes, pancakes. All these are good sources of carbohydrate without having a high fat content. An example of what not to eat is sweets or chocolate as this has a high fat content and is not recommended as an energy replacement food.
It is also important to remember that up to 20% of supplemental powders and drinks are thought to be contaminated with banned substances.
The snack should then be followed by more food to replenish the energy stores. Foods rich in carbohydrate such as whole-meal bread, pasta, rice and potatoes are excellent for this purpose. These follow-up foods should be combined with a source of protein, which should ideally have a low fat content.
AniIdeal meal combination could be a jacket potato (without fat), filled with tuna or baked beans or perhaps pasta without creamy sauces.
Protein is very important to repair muscles. It is absorbed through the small intestine and goes straight to repair damaged muscles. Swimmers need 2g / day / kg of bodyweight of protein, which is about double a normal dietary amount. Suitable proteins are found in meat, fish, pulses and dairy products.
Iron deficiency decreases cardio vascular performance in swimming. Between 1 and 3 to 1 in 7 women are found to be deficient in iron. it is therefore extremely important for female swimmers to ensure that they have an adequate intake of iron rich foods. Examples of iron-rich foods include red meats, raisins, dried apricots and green leafy vegetables.
As a rough guide to the amount of different types of food that should be eaten per day it may be useful to think of portions in handfuls. Carbohydrates, the main fuel of performance, should be in the region of 5-6 level handfuls each day. Fruit should be about 3-4 handfuls and vegetables 4-5 handfuls. It is recommended that the swimmer should eat 1-2 handfuls of diary products and 3-4 palm sized handfuls of meat, fish or poultry.
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