* Eat
* Eat lots of plants — including lots of carbs
* Eat lots of protein and iron
* A little junk food isn't going to kill you
- A diet based on a wide variety of minimally processed plant foods is best, including fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts, berries, whole grains, herbs, spices etc… There’s no such thing as a superfood that is better than a wide variety of plant foods.
- Eating meat (particularly red meat) is important because it is a very bio-available source of iron and protein to help in recovery from vigorous exercise. Milk is also a great source of nutrition for girls, due to protein and calcium content. Vegetarianism is OK if that is you personal preference, but extra care should be taken to make sure you’re getting enough iron, protein, calcium and vitamin B12.
- Nutritional supplements aren't usually needed unless there is a specific reason for taking them (i.e. calcium due to low calcium intake, iron for low iron stores, protein for adequate protein intake)
- Whey or soy protein is a supplement that can be a good way to quickly and conveniently get protein in the diet. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 0.5 to 0.9 grams of protein per day per pound of body weight for endurance athletes. If you weigh 100 pounds, that's 50 to 80 grams of protein daily. You can certainly do that through diet, but it'll probably take some focus and attention to detail to get started. Whey or soy protein powders can help fill a gap if diet alone isn't getting you enough protein.
- You need to drink a normal amount of water – and maybe extra if you sweat a lot or it’s a hot day -- but the idea that you need to be continually guzzling is misguided. If you have lemonade colored to clear pee and are going to the bathroom every 2-4 hours with good volume, your body is plenty hydrated. A good time to drink more is after practice, especially on a hotter day.
- Carbohydrate loading before meets doesn’t help and can slow you down (unless you’re running a marathon). We do have pre-race pasta feeds, but runners should just eat a normal amount of food.
- Before meets, it’s typically recommended that you eat a modest meal that isn’t too fatty about 3-4 hours before race time. However, everyone is different, and some may need more or less time before racing. In addition, it’s often good to have a small bag of “emergency pretzels” (or some other crunchy food that’s easy on the stomach) available for pre-race hunger pangs. It’s amazing what just a 3-5 little pretzels can do to decrease appetite…just don’t eat the whole bag!
- After practice and races, it’s great to have a snack that includes carbohydrates of any type and some protein, as well. These nutrients are soaked up extra-quick by the body post-exercise and it’s a good way to kick-start recovery. Chocolate milk is a good example of a recovery beverage…but a cheese sandwich, an energy bar, a bag of almonds, fruits and lots of other things are great for recovery. Within 2 hours of strenuous exercise it's typically recommended that you get about 20g to 25g of protein to aid in recovery and muscle repair.