1. Home
  2. Sports
  3. Swimming

Nutrition, Swimming Diets for Swimmers, Swim Parents, and Swim Coaches

Food tips and nutrition information to keep swimmers and other athletes fueled for top performance. What swimmers can eat and drink and when swimmers should eat and drink for before, during, and after a swim practice or swim meet.

About - Body Composition - An Athlete's Guide

Body Composition is the technical term used to describe the different components that, when taken together, make up a person's body weight. Athlete's are different from the normalized population.

About - Body Composition

Body Composition: what it is, how it's measured and how important it is to athletic performance.

About - Don't Forget the Protein

Barbara Chin, About.com Guide to Gymnastics, gives an in-depth explanation on why protein is so important in your diet.

About - Eating for Swimmers

There is a lot of conflicting advice out there. What to do, what to do....

About - Sports Nutrition from the Sports Medicine Guide

The About.com Sports Medicine Guide's links to diet and nutritional information.

About Healthy Eating and Sports Nutrition

The About.com Walking guide's page of links.

About Nutrition for Sports

More from the About.com, aimed at athletes, from the Sports Medicine guide. What to eat and why from an athlete's point of view.

About Nutrition for Swimmers

Some general guidance on what and when to eat, from the About.com Swimming guide.

About Nutrition Links

The About.com Exercise guide's list of links on nutrition.

About Sports Nutrition

Rick Hall, About.com's Nutrition guide, lists many resources on this link page.

Benefits of carbohydrate during exercise

A closer look at energy gels, from Holly Hargroder and CarbBoom.

Calorie Facts

The basics of the calorie, including what is what and where they originate, from the Mayo Clinic.

Carbohydrate loading from the Mayo Clinic

Carbohydrate loading may give you the endurance you need to accomplish your goal.

Eating for Peak Performance

Susan M. Kleiner, PhD, RD, explains the concept behind the energy diet - if you don't have enough energy, you can't do much - from The Physician and Sports Medicine.

Eating for Swimmers

Avoid fat; fat is ok, eat it up. Avoid carbohydrates; carbohydrates should be the major portion of your diet. Consume a high amount protein; eat balanced portions of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. There is a lot of conflicting advice out there.

Eating Well When Eating Out

The Mayo Clinic's guidelines on making healthy choices while dining out on the town.

Endurance Sports Nutrition and Training Articles from PBN

PBN regularly updates this section with articles of interest to endurance athletes.

Healthy Lifestyle

"Getting energy first" is one of the key ideas behind this groups total plan that includes nutrition, exercise, and supplementation.

High Carb Diet May Keep Cortisol Low

Edmund Burke, PhD, in Muscular Development, explains what this means and how this could help you perform better.

McDougall Newsletter

Report on the Zone Diet and why it is not what it claims to be.

Nine Steps for Increasing Energy Through Food

Kristin Fusco and Swim Gold present some ideas on making what you eat work better for you.

Nutrition for the Athlete

Colorado State University and J. Anderson give a good overview eating and athletics, including some sample menus.

Nutrition Pages

Women's Cycling's collection of nutritional information sites.

Nutrition

A primer on eating for athletes from Sports Coach. Don't stare at the spinning apple too long.

Recovery

Restoration and regeneration as essential components within training programs by Angie Calder, B.A., M.A., from the ASCA.

Sports Nutrition

Athletes use up more energy than the average person. The ideal source of the extra energy needed for sport is carbohydrate. This is the body’s preferred source of energy.

Spotting Junk Claims

The Mayo Clinic's ten red flags that can be found in the claims of some diets.

The Food Guide Pyramid

The US Government's guide to healthful eating choices.

The Ideal Swimmer's Body

It's pretty hard to miss. Turn on the tube to watch the Olympics, World Championships or any major meet and you'll notice that the winners tend to look alike: long, lean and supple.

The Power of Protein

Nancy Clark, MS, RD, asks and answers many questions about the place protein takes in nutrition, including how much is adequate, sources of protein for vegetarians, and why it is important for athletes, from the ASCA.

Three Reasons High Protein Diets Fail

The Mayo Clinic discusses some of the negatives of high protein diets.

Too Much Carbohydrate - Addiction?

A description of what is called "Carbohydrate Addiction", from the Carbohydrate Addict website.

USDA Food Pyramid

The official US Government guide to food choices.

What is Hitting the Wall?

Edmund R. Burke, PhD, explains some of the reasons behind good hydration and carbohydrate intake prior to and during exercise, from Muscular Development.

What Should Children Eat Before Their Next Swim Meet?

I am always at a loss for what to feed my swimmers before a big meet. I stress out for my children! They look to me for "what to eat" (not how to swim). What specific food should my children eat before their next swim meet?

Explore Swimming

About.com Special Features

Holiday Central

What to eat, where to go, fun things to do and how to save money on the perfect gifts. More >

Introduction to Pilates

Learning Pilates fundamentals can help you get the most out of your exercise regime. More >

  1. Home
  2. Sports
  3. Swimming
  4. Nutrition & Diet

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.