Carbohydrates have taken a beating lately from the most recent fad diets to the popularity of both the Atkin’s and Paleo diet. No, carbohydrates are not inherently bad for you but I will agree the Western Diet consists of entirely too many carbohydrates. With that being said, carbohydrates are, or should be, an aerobic athlete’s best friend. The literature is riddled with study after study demonstrating the benefit and importance of a high carbohydrate diet for athletes, particularly aerobic athletes. Simply put, carbohydrates are the body’s fuel currency. No other nutrient burns as efficiently as the carbohydrate does. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the American College of Sports Medicine and the Dietitians of Canada all agree that carbohydrates should make up the majority of calories in your diet. Want numbers? A range, albeit large, of 6 to 10 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight is recommended. Swimmers and other mostly aerobic athletes will need closer to 8-10 g/kg.¹ For a 160 pound person, this turns into 580-720 grams of carbohydrates. Outside of the actual workout itself, the carbohydrates that you want to focus on are complex carbohydrates. Examples include: Legumes (lentils, beans and peas), Whole Grains (oats, brown rice, and whole grain breads), Fruits and Vegetables.

Protein before a workout may sound counterintuitive. However, a small dose of protein can prime your muscles for recovery even before you start your workout. In fact, The ISSN recommends consuming 0.15-0.25 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight an hour or so before a workout (about 15 grams for a 160 lb. person).² The reason? Protein before a workout helps establish a positive nitrogen balance thus improving the uptake of protein into the muscle, preventing the breakdown of muscle tissue and delays gastric (fancy word for stomach) emptying which in turn increases satiety and prevents hunger during training.

Try not to get too caught up with consuming loads of protein. A recent journal article that came from the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics showed little difference in protein absorption and synthesis when comparing a 30 gram protein dose with a 90 gram protein dose.³ What happens to all of that extra protein that doesn’t get synthesized in our muscle? Most of it will be stored in fat cells. What’s more important is the quality of protein. The buzz word dietitian’s like to throw out is “high-biological value” (HBV) protein. That’s a fancy way of describing how usable the protein is. A HBV protein is one in which contains all of the essential amino acids that are required by humans and will thus vastly improve muscle repair after a workout. Whole eggs, milk, fish, beef and soy beans are among the proteins with the highest biological value. Vegetarian? That’s okay, be sure to mix and match your plant proteins to meet all of your essential amino acids.

Among those micronutrients, vitamin D is gaining popularity in the realm of sport performance. Along with its role in bone health, vitamin D is now being studied for its role in muscle health and strength as well. It turns out that vitamin D has an important role in muscle synthesis and muscle contraction. Additionally, muscle weakness is a noticeable feature of people who have a vitamin D deficiency.⁴ There are few food sources of vitamin D however fifteen solid minutes of sunlight exposure will provide you with your required daily dose. This can pose a problem during winter months and especially for swimmers who train strictly indoors. In fact, vitamin D deficiency seems to be common among swimmers.^5,6 Food sources include fatty fish (tuna, salmon and mackerel), cheese, egg yolks and fortified milk. It’s important to note that one study showed that supplementing with 4000 IU (100 mg) of vitamin D in NCAA swimmers and divers was effective in maintaining vitamin D status.⁷ Speak with your physician first prior to supplementing.