Pre-competition eating habits

RE: Pre-competition eating habits

Former Member — Tue, 27 May 2003 13:26:06 GMT

I am also working on the best food to eat before, during and after events. I know it's important to have both protein and carbs for breakfast, but not too much. I normalkly don't have more than coffee for my 6:30 a.m. workouts. I have a big concern with lunch. At my last meet I swam a 100 breaststroke at 10:30 a.m. and swam a PR! Had some Gatoraide immediately afterwards and then a protein bar plus water and bagel for lunch. My 200 breastroke event at 2:30 p.m. was a disaster. I felt like lead after just 75! It was all I could do to just finish. I lost my kick and strength. Of course, I know there are a lot of factors that go into performance, but I have a three day Senior Olympics meet coming up next week where I'll be swimming two events on Monday and Tuesday and one event on Weds. What should I eat for lunch? I'm disappointed that SWIM mag doesn't have more on meals for competition. Runners World gives some excellent articles. Thanks.

RE: Pre-competition eating habits

Former Member — Tue, 27 May 2003 08:06:44 GMT

I Once did a fitness swim. I swam free style , I swam four miles a day non stop. But i had a peanut butter on whole wheat sandwich. I ate this approx. One hour before I swam. I did this for the whole month of Feb. I also drank a 12 oz. of gator aid mixed half with water. But once I hit the water I did not stop to eat or drink, until I finished my swim . I can tell you I never was hungry untill I stop swimming. So all I an say is peanut butter And gator aid mixed with water.:) :cool:

RE: Pre-competition eating habits

Former Member — Tue, 21 May 2002 05:19:11 GMT

Joy, Buried back in this thread, you asked what the pool was like that the Canadian LCM championships were to be swum in. I had no idea. It seems that this did not matter since the published results indicate you broke the World LCM 50 fly record. Congratulations! Looking at the times of others I know, it seems to have been a 'slow' pool; you should be able to do even better in a fast pool. Again, great swim. Ian.

RE: Pre-competition eating habits

Former Member — Thu, 02 May 2002 14:31:02 GMT

In many cases milk is VERY harmfull. Humans have not used cows milk for very long, perhaps 5,000 years. On the evolutionary scale this is not enough time for a genetic change. Only certain parts of the world until recently drank cows milk. 90% of the rest of the world have major problems with the lactose (milk sugar). You want an eye opener type in lactose in www.google.com. After WW2 the USA sent millions of tons of powdered milk to Africa. You have seen the pictures of kids with swollen bellys. This was not from starvation but from our milk! Beyond lactose intolerance is Galactosemia, the total inability to digest milk sugar. One of my four children has this genetic problem. The accumulation of galactose is a poison to the body and can cause serious complications such as the following and if untreated, as high as 75% of infants will die: an enlarged liver kidney failure cataract brain damage

RE: Pre-competition eating habits

Former Member — Thu, 02 May 2002 11:57:36 GMT

What is bad about milk? 1) The high fat content, which most people realize is a health risk so they drink 2% or skim, erroneously thinking they're getting other benefits. 2) The protein in milk is Casein, which is difficult for humans to digest, causes many allergic reactions and is implicated as a factor in the developement of iron deficiency anemia and juvenile onset diabetes. 3) According to the USDA, there is no milk sold in the US that does not contain trace amounts of pesticides including poisins such as arsenic, cadmium and mercury, (of course, they believe these to be in "safe" amounts). 4) Residues of antibiotics are present. We have a huge problem with antibiotic-resistant bacteria now and this is one of the causes. 5) Trace amount of hormones intended to increase milk production are present and being fed to your kids. 6) you can't even get the calcium from milk that you think you can after they pasteurize it because they destroy the enzyme phosphatase, that works to split the calcium from the phosphate ions. On top of that, the protein further depletes calcium stores so you, in essence, are causing osteoporosis by drinking milk. Want more? The former chief of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins was Dr. Frank Oski, who wrote a book called, "Don't Drink Your Milk". I loved milk as a kid and would like nothing more than for it to be good for you, but the evidence is overwhelming that it contributes to heart disease, cancer, diabetes a host of allergies (earaches, sore throats, asthma runny noses in kids, etc etc etc) anemia, and probably several things I've left out. Drink up, people.

RE: Pre-competition eating habits

Sarah H — Thu, 02 May 2002 10:34:10 GMT

Wayne - I have a son with Galactosemia. Pretty rare to find someone that even knows the word. I hope your child is doing well. I always find the "documentation" about milk being bad as questionable. While it is bad for my son, I don't believe that the rest of us will have dire health ailments because of milk consumption. I guess previous discussions about the water quality of swimming pools concern me more than milk. Back to the original thread...McDonald's cheeseburger and Diet Coke are perfect for a pre-meet meal. Now you know why milk is the least of my diet worries :D

RE: Pre-competition eating habits

Former Member — Thu, 02 May 2002 09:44:10 GMT

there's nothing bad in milk. well, that's what i know. but ofcourse everything should be in moderation. (like overindulging in training)

RE: Pre-competition eating habits

Former Member — Thu, 02 May 2002 05:56:28 GMT

Wayne Yes, you're right about those things as well. There's just so much that people don't know and yet the Dairy Council persists in selling the public on the idea that "Milk is good food". Actually, there is more calcium and protein in rats' milk than in cows, so imagine the marketing efforts to get people to drink milk from rats. It's all in how you market it, after all, humans are the only species on earth that consumes the milk of another animal. Also, try a google search for Frank Oski as well as a PETA (yeah, I know how some feel about PETA) site called milksucks.com.

RE: Pre-competition eating habits

Sarah H — Thu, 02 May 2002 01:10:34 GMT

OK, I'll bite... what are your objections to milk?

RE: Pre-competition eating habits

Former Member — Wed, 01 May 2002 13:27:44 GMT

Supafly, Milk is bad for you anytime unless you are a baby cow. You won't hear this from nutritionists or dieticians since they believe what they've been taught, and the American Dairy Council has done a real snow job on the public regarding the healthful benefits of milk. Don't believe the hype. I can debate the con side of this topic all day and provide plenty of documentation to back up my assertions. Basically, milk is not just "not good" for you. It is also bad for you. DrG

RE: Pre-competition eating habits

Former Member — Wed, 01 May 2002 06:16:31 GMT

my coach always tells us to avoid sweets and other high sugar foods. my stomach hurts whenever i ate something sweet before training. though sweets are energy giving stuff, they're just not healthy... (my opinion) :mad:

RE: Pre-competition eating habits

Former Member — Fri, 05 Apr 2002 16:25:38 GMT

Joy Sorry that is all I could find out about the pool. No I have not swum in it yet, but I am looking forward to swimming there at the nationals. Glen

RE: Pre-competition eating habits

Former Member — Fri, 05 Apr 2002 15:01:12 GMT

Joy Here is some information on the pool in Saskatoon: 8 Lanes, 50meter, shallow end from 3' to 5', deep end from the 5' to 16', moveable bulkhead, second pool for warmup and cool down is 25meter. 1500 seat bleacher over looking the 50meter pool. Hope this helps. Glen

RE: Pre-competition eating habits

joy — Fri, 05 Apr 2002 11:17:35 GMT

Glen What a pleasent surprise. Thanz for all the info. Have u swam in this pool? What kind of gutter system do they have. trough or flat? I really appreciate the update.

RE: Pre-competition eating habits

joy — Fri, 05 Apr 2002 10:55:26 GMT

Thanz again Glen. Hope to see u there and thank u in person.

RE: Pre-competition eating habits

Former Member — Thu, 04 Apr 2002 15:32:40 GMT

For wheat-free (celiac, etc.) eating, try dried cranberries and raisins.

RE: Pre-competition eating habits

Former Member — Thu, 04 Apr 2002 11:39:00 GMT

I find that if I eat a couple of eggs and coffee early in the morning of a meet then throughout the day eat fruit and and snack on a couple of pecan cookies. About 45 mins before each race I take a sport gel and of course I drink lots of water and sport drinks throughout the day. I suffer from Celiac so I am limited to what I can eat. If there are any more Celiac's out their I wouldn't mind knowing what you take throughout the day of a meet. Glen

RE: Pre-competition eating habits

Former Member — Tue, 02 Apr 2002 07:15:44 GMT

Re: Is milk good or bad I've heard that it's "bad" because it causes an increase in mucous production in your body. I thought of getting more specific but mucous is not my favorite topic ;) Jill Manitoba Masters Aquatic Club http://www.mmac.mb.ca

RE: Pre-competition eating habits

Former Member — Thu, 28 Mar 2002 17:17:53 GMT

Thanks for the responses to my questions of a few days ago. I'll stay mostly with my poached eggs, lots of orange juice mixed with honey and toast and honey, but I think I'll add some peanut butter also.

RE: Pre-competition eating habits

Former Member — Tue, 26 Mar 2002 14:08:22 GMT

I eat peanut butter and jelly for lunch each day before noon swim practices. Sometimes in the car on the way to the pool. It never bothers me as I swim. So on meet days I do the same. I also like fig cookies.

RE: Pre-competition eating habits

Former Member — Mon, 25 Mar 2002 17:12:04 GMT

My college days were the early 60's and it was there that I was first introduced to competitive swimming. We were a small school but we had a number of swimmers who had been in their respective state competitions. As we were a new team sport in the college, they pretty much set up the recommended diet with the college mess hall. I would like to have someone critique this diet the day of the meet, as follows: About 2-3 hours before start, lots of orange juice mixed with lots of honey. Also lots of toast and honey. We also had 2-3 soft boiled eggs. I've done the same when attending Masters meets which I started to do two years ago (35 years out of swimming). Rather than soft boiled eggs I now prefer poached. Still drink lots of orange juice mixed with honey, plus toast and honey. At the meet, if I get hungry I'll have a granola bar or similar coated with honey. I'll take a bottle of water and have a sip every 15-20 minutes. The above works for me. I only wonder now if there is some real good to this diet, or if it is all in my head psychologically. Would someone comment on this please. Thanks.

RE: Pre-competition eating habits

Former Member — Mon, 25 Mar 2002 14:33:24 GMT

I think vegetables decrease acidity, and meat increases it. I think that some citrus fruits, although they contain plenty of acid, actually make the body less acidic. Honey/oj/eggs might sound unusual, but I think it has everything you need: some carbohydrates to get you through the races, and some protein and fat to keep you from getting hungry.

RE: Pre-competition eating habits

Former Member — Mon, 25 Mar 2002 09:28:55 GMT

That's pretty weird about the citrus fruits actually decreasing acidity... Is milk bad on the day of a meet or is it fine?

RE: Pre-competition eating habits

Former Member — Tue, 26 Feb 2002 14:07:34 GMT

Joy, Sorry, I don't know anything about this pool. Ian.

RE: Pre-competition eating habits

Former Member — Sat, 23 Feb 2002 14:08:51 GMT

So if acidic stuff is bad because it lowers the pH of your blood then I'd like to know which fruits/other things to stay away from. Oranges, lemons, Colas, what else...? Are bananas acidic?? Also I heard that milk is bad on the day of a meet. Is this true?