Please,What should I eat before & after swimming?

Question

Hi !!
I love healthy food and I read that we should eat something before and after swimming. I read that is not healthy to swim with an empty stomach. what should I eat then, please. :-)
thank you,
Vanny

Answer 1

Ok, well I understand that everyone is trying to give you good advice, but here's the deal. I've been a swimmer for 20 years. Just finished my collegiate career and am now swimming Masters. More importantly, my major is dietetics (food and nutrition) and I am going into Sports Nutrition next year for graduate school. I have researched a lot about what should be eaten when. Most importantly, eat what your stomach can handle. Even if eating dog poop would make you swim extremely fast, would you? I think not. Also you don't want to eat something your stomach isn't used to that will make it upset. (not fun to try to swim when every 10 minutes you run to the bathroom) Secondly, hydration is extremely important. You should be taking sips of water every 15 minutes at least. Depending on how competitive you are drinking Gatorade or another "sports drink" can be helpful during practice. Realize that it might take your body a week or two to get used to having the easily digested sugars in your stomach. Before practice, eat what you like. A carbohydrate is best because during the majority of your practice your body will be using carbs for fuel. I like to eat two pieces of whole wheat toast before morning practice. (as for how long before you swim, it depends again on what your body can handle. I knew many swimmers that would eat a burger 10 minutes before they swam-yuck! But they were fine) After practice-the first 30 minutes are the most important to refuel your body. I have found it very difficult to get dressed and get home within 30 minutes to eat something, so either pack food with you to eat in the locker room, or drink a carbohydrate replacement drink such as Endurox. (the orange flavor is very tasty) I would be more than happy to help you with any other questions you have about nutrition. Otherwise I could go on forever! E-mail me at [e-mail] Hope this helps some!

Answer 2

You should eat what you are used to. If you eat something different just for swim meets or only a few times a month than your body will not work as well. However, you should keep a healthy diet all the time, including carbs because you are an athlete and you need your body to work at it's full potential. Just remember never to change your habits for a swim meet, because your body will respond negatively.

Answer 3

I took swim lessons for 12 years as a child and preteen, i actually started train for the olympics. Anyways.......... I've always been told to eat light and healthy and wait at least 20 minutes before getting into the water, this is to help eliminate the chances of stomach cramping. Eating after you get out of the water, well i guess you can eat whatever, or not eat at all if you're not hungry. I've never heard anything about after swimming.

Answer 4

I agree with KLF002
I've been a swimmer for nearly fourteen years (i'm 18) and under diet surveilance for nearly 6. If you do morning practice before school try to drink some juice for energy and then have your breakfast. Eat whole wheats, carbs from fruits and proteins from foods that are not fried of cooked with fat.
Do eat carbs and proteins within 20 mins after swimming so that you system can recover and take advantage of the workout.

Answer 5

It is healthy to eat before and after a workout. You should have protein and carbs before and protein after. Sugar doesn't hurt before either as long as it's in moderation. It depends how much swimming you are doing and what your body can handle. Waiting 10-20 minutes works for most people but isn't a necessity, it depends on the intensity of the workout and your digestive track.

Some suggestions for Before a long workout: whole fruit, Cheerios (dry), a granola bar, trail mix, a fruit roll up (don't argue about that, it's a triathlete staple!!!), grilled chicken (my fav, I eat an entire pound of Cajun-grilled chicken before I swim any race haha!)

And After a long workout: Protein bar, snack bar, fruit, chicken, turkey, milkshake, trail mix, pretzels, gummy bears (my teammates and I ate those a LOT), Newtons (strawberry are my fav for long triathlons!), veggies and dip, etc.

Good luck and enjoy!

Answer 6

eat easily digestable foods before you swim (breads and fruits). you can drink a sports drink while you swim to keep your energy up (i would go into the physiological reasons for this, but it's a lot of info). And afterwards eat a lot of complex carbs. It's also good to have protein in your diet. And fatty foods aren't terrible if you have them in moderation, you get the most energy per gram from them!

Answer 7

Well you are supposed to eat carbs before swimming and protien after. I am a person who can eat and eat and eat without getting sick when i swim. I tend to eat taquitos or chips or anything like that, then afterwards my dad tries to get me to drink a protien shake, but i usually want something more substantial, so i just eat dinner. Then during swimming i drink gatorade! Hope this helps!!

Answer 8

You should eat at least one hour before swimming, and if you are going to race, you should have some light carbohydrate like pasta. After swimming, you should have some food to renew your energy with some heavier carbs like potatoes.

Answer 9

i have no idea, but when i used to swim, i would eat light about an hour before, mostly fruits and a granola bar or something like that and a regular healthy meal after, depending on what time it was. i usually ate one banana before and after (for its potassium) swimming since i had a tendency to cramp up...ouch.

Answer 10

i'm on two swim teams...and before i eat a snack and after i eat dinner...that's just because practice is at night though

here's what i do for meets:
night before-carbs
breakfast the day of-carbs
during the meet eat light...lot's of water, fruit, MORE CARBS
after PIG OUT! lol hahahah