Consistent and Inconsistent Meals:

Effects on Performance
Jackie Berning, PhD, RD, CSSD
Associate Professor/Chair
University of Colorado
Sport Dietitian: Denver Broncos, Colorado
Rockies, Cleveland Indians
jberning@uccs.edu
Challenges to a
Swimmers Diet
Hectic schedules
Little knowledge about:
Basic nutrition
Grocery shopping
Food preparation
What to choose when
eating out
Good nutrition isnt
always a priority
Nutrition Knowledge
Survey of Adolescent Swimmers
Most nutritious carbohydrate
63% chose an apple while 37% chose French fries
Good source of protein
63% chose chicken, while 37% chose oatmeal
Food Groups
95% identified the food groups, but only 45% could identify
foods from the group

Berning et.al, IJSN, 1991
Nutrition Practices
30% of adolescent athletes skip
breakfast
25% skip lunch
86% eat at fast food restaurants each
week
82% of male track, basketball, and
football teams could not identify the fuel
sources in the muscles
Food is Fuel
Strategies to help players
maintain their fuel tanks
Must eat breakfast even if it is
small
Liquid meal supplements may
be useful when in a hurry
Focus on grab & go foods
Focus on foods with protein
and carbohydrate
Hydrate before during and
after workouts or games
Never go more than 3-4 hours
without food
Bagel with
Peanut butter
Banana
Sports Drink
Instant
breakfast
Cold cereal
with milk
Energy bar
Apple
Recovery
drink
Yogurt
0
+
-
Higher body fat
Lower body fat
24 hours
Athletes who skip meals and only eat one meal per day have higher body fat
Deutz et al, 2000 Med Sci Sports Exerc 32(3) 659-68
Effects of skipping meals
Fatigue, lethargic
More energy
Throughout the
day
Recovery Nutrition
Normally takes 24 to 36 hours to replace
muscle energy (glycogen)
By consuming carbohydrates immediately
post exercise (w/n 30 minutes) can reload
the muscles in 12 to 16 hours
Snack should be mostly carbohydrates and
some protein (4 parts CHOs and 1 part Pro)
Chocolate milk, nutrition shake, smoothie,
peanut butter sandwich, energy bar, yogurt,
turkey sandwich, string cheese and crackers
Example of Post Game/Recovery
Nutrition
Local High School Soccer coach
wanted to cut the time it takes to
come home after an away game
He asked the parents to provide
snacks on the bus for the trip home
Found:
the team recovered faster the
next day
Were not as hungry coming
home
Were not as grouchy coming
home
Felt he could push them harder
the next day
Took the team to the State High
School playoffslost in second
round double overtimesudden
death




Sample Recovery Foods

Granola, energy or breakfast
bars
Bagels with peanut butter
Sports drinks
Recovery shakes
Sub sandwiches
Crackers and cheese
Burritos
Fresh fruit like apples,
bananas, oranges, grapes
Vegetables such as carrots
and celery
Fruit smoothies (prepackaged)
Trail mix/animal crackers
High School Football Team
Local HS football coach
felt that students needed
to know about
nutrition/hydration
Set up several
educational opportunities
Met with booster club
Parents, students and
coaches all hearing the
same information


Local High School Football Team
Meet with players in
the summer at speed
camp
Breakfast
Hydration for camp
and two a days
Healthy snacks
throughout the day
Weight gain and
weight loss
Weight Gain/Weight loss
Weight gain (muscle) involves
eating more calories not just
more protein
Weight gain is a combination
of strength training, proper
nutrition and rest
Increase calorie intake 500-
1,000 calories per day
Maintain hydration
It takes a plan to gain

Eat smaller meals more
frequently
Need a 200-300 calorie deficit
per day
Dont skip meals or only eat
one meal a day
Eat slowly
Fast eaters tend to overeat
Increase aerobic exercise
slowly each day
Maintain hydration
WEIGHT GAIN WEIGHT LOSS
Breakfast Skipping Bad for
Bones and Weight
Study found that skipping what some call the most
important meal of the day "may predispose" girls to
diets low in calcium and fiber.
Those who eat breakfast on a regular basis have a
reduced body mass index compared to "infrequent
breakfast eaters.
Girls who consistently ate breakfast had a lower
body mass index and higher fiber and calcium
intakes, which may suggest that eating breakfast
during the critical pre-teen and teen years could help
prevent osteoporosis.
Journal of the American Dietetic Association. (June 2005)

Local High School Football Team
Game Day Nutrition
Developed a meal
plan for game day
Developed hydration
plan for game day
Developed snack plan
for half time
Developed recovery
plan

Meet Day Nutrition
Need to stick with the three meals/day and depending on swim time
snacks in between events or heats
Even if its an early morning swim still need to eat something
Oatmeal, bowl of cereal with low fat milk, or energy bar
Need to eat after swim
Carton of yogurt, peanut butter sandwich, smoothie
Lunch
Small sub sandwich, fruit and or vegetables, sports drinks
Mid-afternoon Snack
Fruit/vegetables, low fat string cheese, whole grain crackers
Dinner
Standard basic meal that includes entre, starch, vegetables and low fat
milk
Snack before bed
Smoothie, yogurt parfait, bowl of cereal



Pre-Event Eating
1-4 hours before the event
closer to event less food
Consume mainly CHO as they are digested
faster
next comes protein, last comes fat
1 hour or less-- stick to liquid, sports drinks
2 hours or less-- sports drinks, toast, muffins, cereal
with lowfat milk
3-4 hours--spaghetti, French toast, turkey sand,
yogurt, string cheese and crackers
Pre-Event Meal Ideas
One hour or less before competition
Stick to liquids like water, sports drinks and avoid high glycemic
beverages like soda, juice, drinks or energy drinks
Two hours before competition
Cereal and low fat milk
Toast, or low fat muffin
1/ 2 Bagel, yogurt and fruit
Three-four hours before competition
Turkey Sandwich w low fat cheese, yogurt, fruit, granola bar
Pasta with meat sauce, bread sticks, low fat milk
French toast, low fat milk, fruit

Dangers of Dehydration
Fatigue
Loss of
coordination
Increased risk of
heat illness, heat
stroke and even
death
Monitor Fluid Loss
Two ways:
Weigh in before
practice and after
practice
3 cups of fluid per
pound lost
Check the color of
urine
1 - 3 = Optimally Hydrated
4 - 6 = Slightly dehydrated should drink more
6 - 8 = Dehydrated, must drink more
Thirst
Thirst is not an
adequate indicator of
fluid needs
Wait to drink until you
thirsty its too late
As little as a 2%
weight loss as sweat
will affect performance
If you drink to satisfy
your thirst its not
enough
Sport Drink Formulation Important for Optimal Fluid Absorption
Water Gatorade Powerade AllSport
Ryan, AJ. et al J. Appl. Physiol. 84: 1581-1588, 1998
18.3
16.5
6.9*
1.8*
FAST
SLOW
Fluid
Absorption
(mL/cm/hr)
0%
6%
8%
9%
* p<0.05 slower than water and Gatorade.
Water and Gatorade were not different from each other.
Sod
a
Pop
13%
Energy Drinks: What are they
Basically fluid and energy
in one bottle
Contain high
concentration of
carbohydrate (almost same
concentration as syrup)
Usually caffeine (sometimes
in an herbal form such as Mate or
guarana, which is 4-5x more
powerful)
May contain other
ingredients to potentiate
caffeine (ginseng)
May contain Synephrine
Fluid Guidelines say:
Before
Drink 12 to 20 oz -- 2-3 hours before
During
Drink 6 to 12 oz every 15-20 minutes
After
Drink 150% of sweat losses
Drink 3 cups (24 oz) for every 1 lb weight lost through sweat
Two gulps are about 3 ounces
Replace 70% of what you have lost before next practice
How much should I drink for Practice and
Games?

Carbohydrates
(60%)
Proteins
(15%)
Fats
(25%)
What Should Athletes Eat?
Use a Modified Peace Sign
Breads, cereal, rice
pasta, fruit, vegetables,
tortillas, energy bars
crackers, potatoes (not
fried), pinto beans, black
beans, salad
Chicken, turkey,
beef, pork, milk,
cheese, yogurt,
eggs, peanut
butter, nuts, soy
/
3
Protein
/
3
Grains, Bread, Pasta /
3
Fruits & Veg
All players, coaches and parents
bought into the program
Resulted in a 5A State High School
Championship!
Take home message for me
is coaches/athletes
believed in:
Importance of nutrition in
athletic performance
Importance of hydration
Second half team
Believer in fueling and
cooling the body will allow
a student athlete to
maximize their athletic
potential