Nutrition FAQs asked by SVY Parents and Swimmers THE BASICS: The kids swim hours a day and burn so much energy, plus they are kids! Does nutrition really make a difference? Absolutely. Have you ever had a heavy fat/sodium laden meal and the next day you feel like you have a “food hangover?” The food choices you make affect how you feel. While kids are more adaptable than adults, they too are affected by eating nutritiously void food. When they eat well, they will have more energy and increase their immune system. When they feel healthy and strong, they work harder in practice, leading to increased stamina, strength, and speed, which ultimately make them better athletes. As a bonus, when eating right, they also recover faster from tough workouts, getting them ready to do it again the next day.1, 2 What are the basic benefits of carbohydrates versus protein? Carbohydrates are for energy, protein is for growth and repair. Protein also enhances the process of getting carbohydrates (ie sugar or fuel) back into the muscles post workout, so it’s important to eat them together after a workout.1, 2, 3, 4 I thought high protein, low carbohydrate diets are better. What is all this talk about carbs? Carbohydrates are the basic energy necessary before and during a workout. Athletes need carbohydrates to perform. A good analogy is building a roaring fire. You need newspaper to burn immediately, twigs to get the fire to really take off, and then large logs for the long burn. Carbohydrates are the newspaper, proteins are the twigs, and fat is the long slow burning logs.1, 2, 4 What’s is the Glycemic Index and why should we care? The Glycemic Index (GI) is a food ranking from 0 to 100 based on how quickly foods turn into glucose in the bloodstream. A high number (above 70) gets in quickly. Examples of high GI foods are white bread and rice, potatoes, jam, sports drinks and chomps, and candy. Foods with a low number (below 55) cause a slower and smaller blood sugar rise. Examples of low GI foods are beans and lentils, pasta, multigrain bread, oatmeal, and most fresh fruits and vegetables. Foods with almost no carbohydrates such as meat, fish, chicken, eggs, oil, and butter have no GI value. So what GI number is best? It depends. For the general, non-­‐athletic population, eating foods low GI foods keeps one’s blood sugar more balanced decreasing energy highs and lows. For athletes, the picture is a little different. A few hours before a workout, low GI foods are best to give adequate energy stores for the first hour of practice. But during and immediately after workout, medium and high GI foods are best to get energy rapidly back into muscle stores so the muscles are ready for the next workout. Revised 5/16/14 For more examples of low, medium, and high GI foods, please refer to the SVY Good Nutrition At-­‐A-­‐Glance on the SVY website.1, 2, 3 Why is it so important to eat within 30 minutes after swim practice? A little simple science-­‐-­‐Carbohydrates are converted to and stored as glycogen in muscle. Glycogen is the main energy source used during a workout. Replacing glycogen post workout is critical in order to train consistently at high levels day after day. Muscles replace most glycogen stores within 2 hours post workout, but most efficiently within the first 30 minutes. Waiting longer than two hours results in 50 percent less glycogen stored in the muscle. Research also shows that combining protein with carbohydrate within thirty minutes of exercise results in more stored glycogen. One study found that athletes who refueled with carbohydrate and protein had 100 percent greater muscle glycogen stores than those who only ate carbohydrates. 1, 2, 4 How much carbohydrate and protein should my child have post workout? It depends on their body weight. There are two quick formulas to figure out. 4 First -­‐-­‐ 0.5-­‐0.7 gram of carbohydrates per pound of body weight Second-­‐-­‐The optimal carbohydrate to protein ratio is 4:1 (four grams of carbohydrate for every one gram of protein). Examples-­‐ If your child weighs X, this is the ideal post workout replenishment: • 60 lbs-­‐ 60 x 0.5= 30, 60 x .7=42, 30/4= ~7, 42/4=~10 30-­‐42g carbs, 7-­‐10 g protein • 80 lbs-­‐ 40-­‐56 g carbs, 10-­‐14 g protein • 100 lbs-­‐ 50-­‐70 g carbs, 12-­‐17 g protein • 120 lbs 60-­‐84 g carbs, 15-­‐21 g protein • 150 lbs 75-­‐105 g carbs, 18-­‐26 g protein What are the recommended serving sizes for a typical 8-­‐year old boy versus a 13-­‐year old girl? A portion size is a portion size-­‐ For school age children and adults, the size doesn’t vary with age, gender, or activity. Just the number of suggested servings changes. For the number of suggested servings based on age and gender, please refer to the presentation on the SVY website titled, “Fueling the Swimmer Athlete.” If my child eats an unhealthy breakfast, should we just say the whole day is wrecked and start again on the healthy path the next day? Well, if you buy a dozen eggs and one is cracked, do you throw out the whole carton? No! The key is balance. If a pork roll, egg and cheese was eaten at breakfast, choose a turkey Revised 5/16/14 sandwich for lunch instead of an Italian sub. If you know you are having burger and fries for dinner, have oatmeal for breakfast. GENERAL NUTRITION: Should my child take vitamins? It’s better to get vitamins and nutrients through natural whole food sources versus a supplement. The body recognizes nutrients in the food form best because the body’s enzymes work with the food’s enzymes to enter the bloodstream easier and faster. Supplements should only be used as a last resort. Single-­‐nutrient supplements may be appropriate for a specific medical or nutritional reason (e.g., iron supplements to correct iron deficiency anemia). 2, 4,6 Why are kids being told that gummy bears are good for them? They are just sugar! Gummy Bears are high glycemic index carbohydrates—which are great for quick energy. They may be appropriate for high energy output times such as swim practice lasting over an hour and swim meets. They are offered as just one of many suggestions for getting the carbs they need for optimum performance. Commercial products such as PowerBar Performance Energy Blasts, Clif Shot Bloks, and Gu Comps all serve the same purpose. But to be clear—it is NOT advised that kids eat gummy bears (or drink sports drinks) while they are sitting in school, doing homework, watching TV, or just hanging out. These products should be reserved for exercise times only. Ingesting these products unnecessarily can lead to excessive calorie and sugar consumption, tooth decay, and a variety of other issues.2 Do you have any food suggestions and/or recipes of healthy, easy kid-­‐friendly “power” foods? Yep! We have loads of suggestions. Take a look on the SVY website under presentations, tips, and recipes. We are continually adding suggestions so make sure to regularly check the website. Also, if you Google “sport nutrition recipes” there are thousands of links. What is meant by “clean” foods? What are some examples? "Clean" foods refer to whole foods or unprocessed food. Think foods as they appear in nature. Fruits, vegetables, beans, plain dairy products without added sugar. Whole wheat instead of white bread or pasta, cheddar cheese instead of American cheese, Triscuit crackers instead of Cheez-­‐Its-­‐-­‐you get the drift. Homemade food is generally better than prepared food or restaurant food. Watch jarred pasta sauce-­‐-­‐some have added sugar (as per ingredient list) and some just have sugar naturally occurring because of the tomatoes. Remember, it's about reading the ingredient label, not looking at grams of sugar since fruits, veggies, and dairy have natural sugars. Here is a link for more info: 2http://www.livelifeactive.com/2012/02/29/eating-­‐clean-­‐approved-­‐foods-­‐list/ 1, 2, 8 Revised 5/16/14 What are foods that reduce “inflammation”? Some of the foods that CAUSE the most inflammation are sugar, trans fat, refined (white) breads, artificial additives (MSG, aspartame, etc) wheat, and dairy (wheat and dairy are person specific). Some of the foods that are considered ANTI-­‐FLAMMATORY are salmon, olive oil, blueberries, sweet potatoes, ginger, garlic, and veggies like broccoli, and cauliflower. My child is a picky eater and only eats only about five things. What do I do? While eating a healthy varied diet is best, only eating a few foods is ok, as long as they are good choices. An SVY mother recently shared that her high school son refuses all land animal meat, sauces and flavorings, and most fruits and vegetables. His diet consists of pasta, bagels, apples (sometimes 4 a day!), broccoli, salad, fish (no shellfish), and Powerbars. Actually, his diet hits all the food groups. As long as he’s not supplementing junk food, he is doing pretty well. Now if your child’s diet consists of buttered noodles, chicken nuggets, canned corn, fruit roll-­‐ups, and Burger King, you have some work to do. The good news-­‐-­‐you are the parent and you have some control over the food that is available to your child. Perhaps have guidelines that they must eat a fruit or vegetable at every meal. You can change some white flour products to whole wheat. Try some new foods on the SVY Nutrition-­‐At-­‐A-­‐Glance sheet. Something as simple as chicken noodle soup is a great source of protein and carbs plus it is low in fat. Both parents and kids need to keep an open mind. The key is that changes need to be a family way of life, not just for the child. Kids will eventually bend slightly if you are firm about adding healthy foods. Everyone needs to be flexible. Your child doesn’t have to like everything, but he or she must decide on a few healthy choices that are acceptable.2 I’ve always read that you shouldn’t eat right before you go to bed so even though my 14-­‐year old son doesn’t get home from swim practice until 9pm, I don’t want him filling his stomach before sleeping. Is this correct thinking? The nutrition advice for the SVY team is geared towards youth ENDURANCE ATHLETES who are swimming and/or doing dry land for 1-­‐3 hours at a time. While no snacking at night is a great habit for middle-­‐aged adults sitting watching TV, or inactive kids, it doesn't apply to our swimmers on swim days. They absolutely need to replenish glycogen stores after practice, no matter what time they finish. If they don’t, they are more likely to be sluggish the next morning and drained at the next practice. Also, keep in mind, that after a hard workout, your child’s metabolism is through the roof! They will continue to burn calories while they sleep. Both parents work outside the home and we simply can’t cook a delicious yet nutritious meal every single day. Any ideas of what do to? This is a rough one! It especially gets hard as the kids get older and come home to an empty Revised 5/16/14 house and need to make their own pre-­‐swim practice food choices. Try cooking on the weekends or the night before so your kids have real food when they get home from school as opposed to processed pre-­‐packaged snacks. Better yet—teach your kids to cook healthy! If this is not possible, a few easy to grab foods to always keep in the house: Kefir (drinkable yogurt product found in the yogurt section), Greek yogurt, canned beans, cooked sweet potatoes or brown rice, deli turkey or chicken or canned tuna, protein powder, apples, bananas, frozen fruit, guacamole and carrots and cucumbers. SPORTS NUTRITION SPECIFIC: When and why should our kids drink “sports drinks” instead of water? Examples of sports drinks are Gatorade and Powerade. Water is a good choice when working out for one hour or less and only hydration is necessary. Once an hour hits (though some say 90 minutes), athletes should supplement water with 30-­‐60 grams of carbohydrates per hour to keep energy levels up. The best way to achieve this is through liquids such as sports drinks. Plus these drinks give electrolyte replacement which are lost through sweat during exercise. 1, 2, 5 What is the difference between a “sports drink” and an “energy drink?” Sports drinks, such as Gatorade or Powerade, are formulated specifically for use during exercise and for the sake of enhancing exercise performance. They maximize energy supply to the working muscle while minimizing the risk of GI distress. They are a mix of glucose for energy and electrolytes, which are lost through sweat during exercise. Energy drinks are a more amorphous category. An example would be Red Bull. Like other soft drinks, they provide refreshment whenever. They also contain ingredients—mainly caffeine—to provide perceptions of wakefulness and energy for whenever they are needed. The typical energy drink contains significantly more carbohydrate and calories than the typical sports drink and gets most or all of those carbs and calories from one or two sugars. Because of their higher carbohydrate concentration and their heavy use of fructose, energy drinks are much more likely than sports drinks to cause stomach upset during exercise. Many energy drinks are also carbonated, further increasing the associated risk of GI distress.2, 5 What about carb loading before a big swim meet? Studies show that carb loading works for men but they don't show the same results for women and kids. It's about topping out glycogen stores, not stuffing oneself with excess carbs. Again, it's about clean food (turkey sandwich with avocado or whole wheat pasta with red sauce and baked chicken, vs. Italian subs and muffins).1 Why does my child complain of feeling a little “sluggish” during the taper period? I thought this is when they should feel the most rested. Revised 5/16/14 When kids are working out hard for multiple hours a day, four, five, six days a week, they are hungry. When they are hungry, they eat a lot of food. Often during a taper period, while the exertion significantly decreases, kids eat out of habit and forget to decrease their food intake. This can lead to feeling overfull, sluggish, and even weight gain. It is important for kids to be aware of eating appropriately for how much they are burning. In addition, this is a critical time to stress quality versus quantity. What’s the word “bonking” mean in relation to working out? The term describes when the blood sugar drops too low while working out. The first symptoms are usually trouble concentrating on the set the coach gives or unusual irritation at the coach or teammates during a hard workout. Next comes dizziness, weakness, and general negativity. A bad bonk can lead to exhaustion, nausea, vomiting and even diarrhea. Think marathon runners or what your kids look like after a particularly hard, long practice when they haven’t eaten or drank for the last few hours. The key is not letting the bonk happen. Get proper nutrition in before the workout, ingest calories in the form of carbohydrates during a workout lasting over 1 hour, and get carbs and protein back in the body immediately after a workout. 2, 3, 4, 7 I understand WHAT my child should eat at a meet but HOW they should eat it is still a little fuzzy. Swim meets are different than swim practice since the time spent actually swimming at the meet might be as little as 25 minutes compared to 2-­‐3 hour practices. Meets pose a challenge in that kids need to keep their energy up when called for their events but there is a risk of over-­‐eating while sitting in the stands watching others swim. There are two important guidelines about eating at meets: 1. Don’t eat anything new! GI distress can ruin any person’s race. Practices are the time to experiment with fuel. Better to be in the bathroom for part of a practice than to miss an important race on the block. During hard practices, try out various recommended foods, Powerbars, and sport gummy products such as Clif Shot Bloks or Gu Comps. 2. “Sip and nibble.” For example, bagels are great, but not an entire bagel at one time. Instead, wrap the bagel in quarters. Eat quarter before you leave house in morning, a quarter after warm-­‐ups, and the other two quarters after each of their first two events. Also remind your child to drink before the feeling of thirst occurs. Instead, every 15 minutes, take a few sips of their water bottle. 2 Can’t my child ever “cheat?” Do they have to always eat healthy? The goal is to have healthy eating a general way of life but of course, they can eat other foods too! Being too strict can lead to disordered eating such as binging. Try to stay within healthy guidelines for most days but have a place for sweets and items such as French fries. Choose the best time to be more lenient, whether it is Saturdays after the hardest practice of the week, after a big swim meet, a special party, or holidays. Foods, both “good and bad” are part of our cultures and our lives, and our lives are more than just swimming. Revised 5/16/14 While eating well most of the time is a good objective, there are a few times during the year when it’s most important. Try to focus on the best nutrition the day before regular swim meets and the entire week before focus meets and championships. These are the times to “not cheat.” During these periods, the body is storing up nutrients in reserve to use on race day. Think about what benefits are achieved from the food eaten during this time. If it’s not healthy stay away from it until the meet is over. References: 1. Bean, Anita, Sports Nutrition for the Young Athletes, Firefly Books, 2010 2. Fryer, Danielle, “Fueling for the Youth Athlete” Handout, Nov. 2013 3. SVY “Pre-­‐During-­‐Post Workout Nutrition At-­‐A-­‐Glance for the Swimmer” Handout, Dec. 2013 4. Rodriguez, Nancy, “Nutrition and Athletic Performance” American Dietetic Association Position Paper, March 2010, http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/717046_2, Accessed Jan. 2014 5. Fitzgerald, Matt, “Energy Drinks vs. Sports Drinks, The Competitor-­‐Running, Dec. 2013, http://running.competitor.com/2013/12/nutrition/energy-­‐drinks-­‐vs-­‐sports-­‐
drinks_26671 , Accessed January, 2014 6. Armijo Barberi, “Five Vitamins You Need,” Triathlete, January 2014, page 80 7. Quinn, Elizabeth, “What Causes the ‘Bonk’ and Hitting the Wall During Exercise,” Sports Medicine.com, April 2013, http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/Exercise-­‐
Metabolism-­‐Energy/a/Bonking-­‐Hitting-­‐The-­‐Wall.htm, Accessed Jan. 2014 Revised 5/16/14