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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. 20% 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 50% 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.

Find other resources online

Find an online calorie tracker here: http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/
This site is great for keeping track of calories, and making sure you have a good balance of fats, carbs and proteins. It will also help you keep on track with a weight goal

Find out what your BMR is by visiting http://health.discovery.com/centers/heart/basal/basal.html

Calories burned for specific activities: http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc
I like this calculator because it includes common activies, such as studying.

Find more nutrition info here: http://www.livestrong.com/diet-and-nutrition/

New! Nutrition article: http://www.theathlete.org/fitness/caloric-efficiency.htm
This article is very detailed and a little wordy. If you're very interested in nutrition it's a good read with good information.