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Parent / Rower Nutrition Information:
Here are a few basic guidelines for
rowers to follow to help achieve peak performance as a result of a
healthy diet. Proper nutrition requires the correct combination of
nutrients to help the body recover and reach high performance.
Protein:
The first nutrient athletes should be
concerned with is protein. 30% of daily calorie intake should be made
up of protein. Proteins are made up of amino acids that the body uses
to rebuild. There are 8 essential amino acids that the body cannot
create; the rest the body can create using the 8 essentials.
If you are on a vegetarian
diet, you must be concerned about these essential amino acids, as they
are much harder to get a complete balance if you are not consuming
animal products.
Proteins are mostly found in meat, poultry, fish, beans, nuts and
legumes.
Carbohydrates
The second
nutrient athletes should be concerned with is carbohydrates, or “carbs”.
Carbs should comprise of about 40% of an
athletes diet. Essentially the body uses carbs as energy and should be
consumed throughout the day to keep high glycogen levels.
Glycogen is the energy source that athletes rely on the most. Athletes
should consume approximately 50-75 grams of carbs about one hour
before exercise. They should consume approximately another 75 grams of
carbs directly after exercising (within 30 minutes) to replenish
depleted glycogen stores. The carbs consumed after exercise should be
in the form of glucose, such as juice or sports drinks. Carbs can be
found in foods such as rice, bread, cereal, pasta, fruits, vegetables
and beans. When consuming carbs athletes should
try to consume whole grains (wheat does not make a difference unless
it specifies “whole grain” in the ingredients). They should also try
to avoid simple sugars except directly after exercise. Simple sugars
are found in things like soda, candy, cookies or ice cream. Sugars in
fruits and vegetables are not simple sugars.
Fats
Another nutrient athletes need to be
concerned about is fats. Around 30% of calories consumed by athletes
should be fats. Fats are necessary for many things in the body and
should not be ignored. Not eating enough fats could be very
detrimental to an athlete’s performance. Fats are in foods such as
dairy, meat, poultry, fish, nuts, beans, and oils. Fats found in fish,
olive oil, and nuts are especially helpful to the body.
Water
Water is one of the most important
nutrients in the body. The human body is made of about 60-70% of
water, and muscles are made up of 70-75% water. Water is essential for
almost everything the body does, including the immune system. The
first thing a rower should do if they are beginning to feel sick is
increase fluids in their diet. Rowers should not wait until they feel
thirsty to drink water. When a person feels thirsty they are already
2-3% dehydrated, which leads to 15-20% decrease in muscle endurance.
Any higher than 2-3% dehydration is much more serious than that even.
Once a person is dehydrated it takes 2 hours, after consumption of a
proper amount of water, for the body to go back to a healthy hydration
level.
Meals
A good idea for rowers is to eat a
breakfast high in calories. This should be a well balanced meal with
carbs, fats, proteins and fruits and/or vegetables. Rowers should also
be taking a daily multi-vitamin. For lunch a rower should eat a meal a
similar to breakfast, but with more of a focus on carbs. Snacks during
the day should include more carbs (preferably
fruits and veggies). Directly after practice a rower should consume
foods high in glucose (sports drinks and fruit juices are recommended)
as well as proteins. This combination will help the rower replenish
electrolytes (with the sugar) and help begin rebuilding muscles
damaged by exercise (with the protein). Dinner for the athlete should
be lower in carbs and fats, and should consist highly of protein. A
good dinner would include plenty of meat, fish or poultry, as well as
a generous serving of vegetables.
Vitamins
All athletes should also be taking a
daily multivitamin. It is very important to make sure that athletes
are getting all of their vitamins daily. The best way to do this is to
include a daily multivitamin.
Gaining/Losing Weight
Athletes attempting to put weight on
should increase calories all around, but focus on proteins. Athletes
attempting to lose weight should consult their coach before attempting
to do so. Losing weight too quickly, or in the wrong ways can be
extremely dangerous to rowers.
Calories Burned
To give you an idea of what kind of
calories you are burning each day:
Basal Metabolic Rate measures the
calories you would burn in a day if you did not step foot out of bed.
A 15 year girl that is 5’6” and weighs 120lbs has a BMR of about 1400.
Going to school for 6 hours plus 2 hours at the gym is burning
approximately an extra 1,150 calories for the same 120lbs girl. This
means that this 5’6” 15 year old, 120lbs girl is burning approximately
2550 calories per day. The BMR and calories for a 5’10” 150lbs 15 year
old male would total to be about 3230 calories. This is an
approximation, and more likely than not these are lowball estimates
for these calorie amounts.
Here is an example of one day’s diet
for that above mentioned guy.
|
Food |
Fat(g) |
Carbohydrates(g) |
Protein(g) |
Calories |
|
Breakfast |
|
3 eggs |
15 |
3 |
18 |
225 |
|
6 slices bacon |
18 |
0 |
12 |
220 |
|
1 pieces whole grain toast |
1 |
12 |
3 |
65 |
|
2 oz cream cheese |
20 |
2 |
4 |
200 |
|
Banana |
1 |
27 |
1 |
105 |
|
Breakfast Total |
55 |
44 |
38 |
815 |
|
Lunch |
|
Tuna Sandwich (6 oz. tuna) |
4 |
24 |
64 |
440 |
|
2 oz cashews |
26 |
18 |
8 |
330 |
|
2 oz. cheddar cheese |
18 |
0 |
14 |
230 |
|
Orange |
0 |
15 |
1 |
60 |
|
Lunch
Total |
48 |
57 |
87 |
1060 |
|
Snacks during the day |
|
2 oz sunflower seeds |
28 |
10 |
12 |
320 |
|
Clif Bar |
5 |
45 |
10 |
250 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Snack
Total |
33 |
55 |
22 |
570 |
|
After Practice Snack |
|
2 oz. peanuts |
28 |
10 |
16 |
330 |
|
Gatorade (12 oz) |
0 |
78 |
0 |
310 |
|
Snack
Total |
28 |
88 |
16 |
640 |
|
Dinner |
|
6 oz. roasted chicken |
6 |
0 |
44 |
280 |
|
1 cup brown rice |
1 |
50 |
5 |
50 |
|
1 cup sautéed broccoli |
0 |
9 |
5 |
45 |
|
1 cup sautéed carrots |
0 |
16 |
2 |
70 |
|
2 tbsp olive oil |
28 |
0 |
0 |
250 |
|
1 cups raw strawberries (dessert) |
1 |
10 |
1 |
45 |
|
Dinner
Total |
36 |
85 |
57 |
745 |
|
Daily
Total |
200 |
329 |
220 |
3830 |
|
Daily
total percent |
27% |
44% |
29% |
|
Nutrition
The following is an article extracted from the AIS web
site. Rowing at Shenendehowa is a complete program aimed at giving our
athletes the opportunity to compete to the best of their ability. How
athletes take care of their health through adequate nutrition,
hydration and recovery is vitally important to both their sporting and
academic performance. Especially for senior rowers who are doing early
mornings. They must constantly eat small snacks during the day to
maintain constant energy for class and afternoon activities. The
information below and that contained on the web site link is of the
highest quality and based on first rate research
(http://www.ais.org.au/nutrition/HotTopics.asp
).
Should you have any questions, please feel free to explore the web
site or approach any of the coaching staff. Much of this information
will be published in Out Of The Blue during the season.
Eating Before Exercise
Many athletes put a lot of emphasis on the pre-event
meal believing it is the key element to performance. It is important
to remember that food eaten throughout the training week and food and
fluid consumed during the event is also important. The meal eaten
before exercise should be seen as an opportunity to fine-tune
carbohydrate and fluid levels and to ensure you feel comfortable and
confident.
When should I eat?
Food consumed before exercise is only useful once it
has been digested and absorbed.
This means you need to time your food intake so that
the fuel becomes available during the exercise period. The time
required for digestion depends on the type and quantity of food
consumed. Generally, foods higher in fat, protein and fibre tend to
take longer to digest than other foods, and may increase the risk of
stomach discomfort during exercise. Large quantities of foods take
longer to digest than smaller quantities. You need to experiment to
find the timing that best suits your individual needs. Generally,
tolerance is better during lower intensity activities or sports where
the body is supported (e.g. swimming, cycling) than sports such as
running where the gut is jostled about during exercise. A general
guide is to have a meal about 3-4 hours before exercise or a lighter
snack about 1-2 hours before exercise.
What should I eat?
Food eaten before exercise should provide carbohydrate.
It should also be low in fat and moderate in fibre to aid digestion
and reduce the risk of gastrointestinal discomfort or upsets. On
occasions, it may be important to place emphasis pre-event on intake
of carbohydrate and fluid. However, it is also useful to continue to
consider other nutritional goals when choosing a pre-exercise meal.
This means opting for meals that provide a wide variety of nutrients
including protein, vitamins and minerals.
The following foods are suitable to eat 3-4 hours
before exercise:
• crumpets with jam or honey + flavoured milk
• baked potato + cottage cheese filling + glass of milk
• baked beans on toast
• breakfast cereal with milk
• bread roll with cheese/meat filling + banana
• fruit salad with fruit-flavoured yoghurt
• pasta or rice with a sauce based on low-fat
ingredients (e.g. tomato, vegetables,
lean meat)
The following snacks are suitable to eat 1-2 hours
before exercise:
• liquid meal supplement
• milk shake or fruit smoothie
• sports bars (check labels for carbohydrate and
protein content)
• breakfast cereal with milk
• cereal bars
• fruit-flavoured yoghurt
• fruit
The following foods are suitable to eat if there is
less than 1 hour before exercise*:
• sports drink
• carbohydrate gel
• cordial
• sports bars
• jelly lollies
* A small number of people experience an extreme
reaction following the intake of carbohydrate in the hour prior to
exercise. This topic is covered later in this fact sheet.
Are
foods with a low glycemic index better?
Carbohydrate-containing
foods have different effects on blood glucose levels. Foods with a low
glycemic index (GI) cause a slower, sustained release of glucose to
the blood, whereas foods with a high GI cause a rapid, short-lived
rise in blood glucose. It has been suggested that low GI foods could
be useful in the pre-event meal as they would result in a slower and
more sustained release of glucose during exercise maintaining blood
glucose levels for a longer period. However, research has been unable
to demonstrate that consuming low GI foods prior to exercise has
universal benefits on exercise performance. In addition, consuming
carbohydrate (e.g. sports drink) during exercise provides an
alternative way to maintain fuel levels throughout the activity and a
study has shown that this practice overrides the effects of different
types of carbohydrate in the pre-event meal. If you are involved in an
endurance event in which it is difficult to take in extra carbohydrate
during the session, you may wish to trial low GI foods before
exercise. However, keep in mind that many low GI options (lentils,
porridge and multi-grain bread) may not be suitable as they are more
likely to cause stomach discomfort.
What if I exercise early in the morning?
It is not always practical to eat a meal 3-4 hours
before exercise. If you train early in the morning you should opt for
a light snack about an hour before exercise. For example, some fruit
or a cereal bar on the way to training along with some fluid such as
sports drink. Make up for your smaller carbohydrate intake by
consuming carbohydrate during the event or training session.
What if I am too nervous to eat?
You will perform better when you are well-fuelled and
well hydrated, and the pre-event meal may play an important role in
achieving these goals. Experiment to find a routine that works, and
foods that are safe and familiar to you. Liquid meal supplements such
as Power Bar Protein Plus powder provide an alternative for anyone who
has difficulty tolerating solid foods pre-exercise. You may also find
that foods such as cereal bars and sports bars can be eaten if you
nibble them slowly over the hours leading up to your competition.
Should I avoid carbohydrate 1 hour before exercise?
Most athletes are able to consume carbohydrate in the
hour before exercise without affecting performance, and in some cases
it can even improve the outcome of the session. However, a small
percentage of athletes experience a drop in blood glucose levels and
symptoms such as fatigue, shakiness and dizziness after consuming
carbohydrate immediately before exercise. This reaction is a response
to the increase in carbohydrate use that occurs after carbohydrate
intake, associated with a rise in the levels of the hormone, insulin.
When the start of exercise coincides with extra carbohydrate use, it
is usual to see a small dip in blood glucose levels. In most people,
this is a temporary event which is quickly corrected by the body
without any side effects.
However, in a few individuals, the drop in blood
glucose is greater, or the individual is sensitive to the change,
suffering a pronounced fatigue. If you are affected in this way
consider the following advice:
• Experiment to find the best timing for your
pre-exercise meal. Try allowing a longer period between eating and
exercising.
• If you need to eat close to exercise, opt for a snack
that provides at least 70 g of carbohydrate. There is some evidence to
suggest that small amounts of carbohydrate (<50 g) are more likely to
cause problems in sensitive individuals
Written by the Department of Sports Nutrition, AIS www.ais.org.au/nutrition
©
Australian Sports Commission 2004 |
