How to Eat Before a Swim Meet For Maximum Results

What you eat in the days leading up to a swim meet can have an effect on your performance in the pool. Be sure to eat properly before a swim meet. Food should be eaten as a fuel for optimum performance while swimming.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• bananas
• cereal
• pasta
• beans
• energy bar
• gatorade
• water

1. Eat healthy the week prior to your swim meet. Now is not the time to incorporate brand new foods into your diet. Do eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, and other nutritious foods.

2. The night before a swim meet eat a dinner that is loaded with complex carbohydrates. Some good meal choices are pasta or chili with cornbread. Carbohydrates help to fuel muscles.

3. Eat a meal 2-3 hours before a swim meet. About an hour before your event, have a small snack. Do not eat a large amount in the last hour! If your first swimming event is early in the morning, have a light breakfast 2-3 hours before and a small snack 1 hour before. If your first event is not early in the morning, you may have a normal-size breakfast with some complex carbs. A good breakfast would be pancakes with no butter. A banana is a great small snack to have the hour before.

4. Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water or gatorade. Do not drink too much in the last hour before your event as it may slow you down and cause cramps. If your body is not hydrated you may experience decreased performance.

5. Avoid foods that are loaded with sugar and fat. Do not eat fried foods, chips, cookies, etc.

Tips & Warnings

• Some good foods to eat when appropriate are crackers, cereal, bananas, bagels, pasta and beans.
• Do not eat in the last hour as it may cause cramps and slow you down.