Reprinted from “Training Agenda”, a USS Sports Medicine and Science Series

Everything you do influences your performance, but your food choices have the most effect due to the long term and short term benefits. A proper diet, including proper selection of foods, will help your training and performance while also achieving a healthy lifestyle once you stop competing.

To help ensure a balanced diet, remember that there are no magical nutrition remedies. So forget the fads and eat a variety of wholesome foods from the four food groups–milk, meat, fruits & vegetables, and grains. Foods in these groups provide protein, fat carbohydrate, fiber and all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Your ideal diet should include the following percentage of calories:

Carbohydrate  50-60%
Fat     20-30%
Protein     14-18%

This nutrition series is designed to help you better understand good nutrition and to provide guidelines for ideal food choices. Within sports, there are four major periods that nutrition will impact:

During Training

1.  Training represents the period in which athletes spend most of their time. Therefore, this category represents the most critical period. During this time, a diet high in carbohydrates is important. This is important since it is not uncommon for athletes training 4-6 hours a day to burn 2500 to 4000 calories a day. The best way to replenish these calories is with a high carbohydrate diet. By being conscious of this and by taking high carbohydrate foods or drink in the first 30 minutes following a workout, you can minimize depletion of energy stores.

Pre-event Nutrition
2.  The major purpose of the pre-event diet is to ensure sufficient energy and fluid for the athlete. Two to three days before competition, a high carbohydrate diet with plenty of fluids should be emphasized. The pre-event meal should include a light, high carbohydrate meal three to four hours before the event.

Nutrition During Competition
3.  Provided that good nutrition practices were followed during training, middle distance and sprint events will not be limited by nutrition-related factors. During a three to four day competition, make sure you consume plenty of fluids and each meal should include high carbohydrate, low fat selections.

Nutrition After Competition
4.  High intensity work will deplete the muscle’s energy supplies. Therefore, carbohydrates play an important role after competition to make sure energy stores are maintained.

Food Choices
The best food choices include a well balanced, mixed diet with choices from each of the four food groups. You can get all the nutrients you need by selecting a variety of foods in the recommended serving size from each of the following food groups:

Food Group, Selections, Servings

Food Group	Selections	Servings
MILK	Milk, Cheese, Yogurt,Cottage Cheese, IceCream (Vitamins & Protein)	4 or More
MEAT	Meat, Fish, Poultry, Eggs,Beans, Peas, Nuts(minerals & protein)	2 or More
FRUIT & VEGETABLES	Fresh, Frozen, Canned,Dried and Juiced Fruits and Vegetables (Vitamins and Carbohydrates)	8 or More
GRAIN	Cereals, Breads, Rolls,Pasta, Muffins, Pancakes (Carbohydrates and Minerals)	8 or More
OTHERS	Cakes, Cookies, Pies, CandySoft Drinks, Chips(Carbohydrates and Fat)	ONLY if you need additional calories AFTER selections from above

Fast Food Nutrition
(??) Yes! “Fast Food” restaurants play an important role in the diets of athletes on the go. Today, these restaurants can provide a viable source of good nutrition–but the choice is yours and selection is critical.

Here are some guidelines to make wiser choices:
Menu Adjectives
Fat content must be watched when selecting menu items. If you see one of the following words, try to make another selection:

Fried, Crispy, Breaded, Scampi Style, Creamed, Buttery, Au Gratin, Gravy.

Selection adjectives that are good include:

Marinara, Steamed, Boiled, Broiled, Tomato Sauce, In  Its Own Juice, Poached, Charbroiled.

Restaurant Choices
Depending on the restaurant you go to, here are some tips when selecting foods:

Mexican – Choose pot beans instead of refried beans and chicken or bean burritos and tostados. Ask for baked, soft corn tortillas instead of deep fried shells. Salsa is fine, but watch your chip intake.

Italian - Pasta with marinara sauce is good but watch alfredo sauces. Pizza, plain or with vegetables, is a good choice. Bread is good (watch the butter). Low-fat italian ices are better than rich dessert choices.

Chinese – Stir fried and steamed dishes, like chicken & vegetables and rice, are good choices. Minimize fried egg roll intake or avoid all together.

Burger Places – Salad bars are great but watch the dressing. Look for grilled burgers, hold the mayonnaise and go light on the cheese. Watch your french fry intake (select a baked potato with a little butter if you can) and go easy on the milk shakes.

Breakfast Cafes – Always ask for butter on the side of pancakes, toast, muffins, etc.  Select fresh fruit, juices and whole-grain breads and muffins.

Fast Food Choices
Listed on this page are a partial list of fast foods and their calorie & fat content. When selecting, always go with the low fat choice.

BREAKFAST

Food	Calories	fat(gm)
Juice	80	0
English Muffin/Butter	186	5
Scrambled Eggs	180	13
Ham, Chs.,Mushroom Omelet	290	20
Egg McMuffin	340	20
French Toast (2 slices)	400	20
Sausage with Biscuit	467	35

Burgers
Hamburger, 262,15
Cheeseburger, 318, 20
Quarter Pound Burger, 427, 25
Quarter Pound Cheese-Burger, 525, 35
Big Mac, 570, 40
Whopper with Cheese, 760, 50

Chicken
Drumstick, 117, 5
Chicken Sandwich, 320, 10
Chicken nuggets(6), 300, 23
Chicken Salad Sandwich, 386, 20
Chicken Club Sandwich, 620, 35

Desserts
Soft Serve Cone,  185, 5
Strawberry Sundae, 320, 10
Carmel Sundae, 361, 10
Frosty (12 oz), 400, 15
Cherry Pie, 260, 15

Fish
Fish Sandwich, 450, 30
Seafood Platter, 471, 35

Pizza (3 slices of 12 inch pizza)
Cheese, 510, 8
Pepperoni, 430, 17

Potato
Plain, baked, 215, 0
Regular Fries, 220, 15
Baked, Cheese &
Broccoli, 541, 25
Baked with Cheese, 590, 40

Mexican
Taco, 179, 6
Beefy Tostado, 291, 15
Bean Burrito, 343, 15
Taco Salad, 390, 20

Milk and Milk shakes
2% Milk, 120, 5
Whole Milk, 150, 10
Milk shake, 350, 10

Nutrition Do’s & Don’ts
Carbohydrate intake is important during every stage of nutrition. For each meal and snack, follow these Do’s and Don’ts listed on this and the next page for wise food choices during training.

Breakfast

DO

• Eat hot cereals like oatmeal or oat bran.
• Select whole-grain or high fiber cold cereals. 
• Eat breads, including muffins, biscuits and bagels. 
• Try milk, skim or lowfat is best.
• Choose fruit, including fresh, canned and fruit juices.
• Drink hot beverages such as hot chocolate and hot apple cider.
• Eat pancakes, waffles and french toast.
• Chooses eggs up to two or three times weekly.
• Choose fat-free toppings like syrups and jams as an alternative to butter.

DON’T

• Eat sausage, ham or bacon more than once or twice weekly.
• Opt for eggs every day.
• Choose sugary children’s cereals
• Choose fast food breakfast sandwiches and fat-laden croissants every day.
• Use too much margarine or butter.
• Eat doughnuts or pastries daily.
• Skip breakfast.

Lunch

DO

• Pack a lunch when possible.
• Choose whole-grain breads.
• Choose lean meats like turkey over salami or bologna.
• Use mustard and ketchup as condiments.
• Choose a hamburger over hot dogs.
• Choose a baked potato over french fries.
• Eat pasta as much as you like, but choose tomato sauces rather than cream sauces.
• Try pizza without fatty meat toppings.
• Eat hearty soups and stews.

DON’T

• Eat fast-food meals too frequently.
• Eat fried foods like fish’n'chips too frequently.
• Overuse condiments like mayonnaise or salad dressings.
• Eat fatty and salty luncheon meats too often.
• Skip lunch.
• Choose prepared salads containing excessive mayonnaise or salad dressing.

Dinner

DO

• Eat pasta dishes.
• Choose pizza with vegetable and lean meat toppings.
• Try chinese food with rice and fresh vegetables.
• Select fish often. Broiled or poached is best.
• Trim visible fat from meats and remove skin from poultry.
• Have soups, salads and plenty of vegetables.
• Eat as much bread as you like.
• Include potatoes, rice or beans when available.
• Choose fresh fruit, yogurt or jello for  dessert.

DON’T

• Choose deep-fried meals more than twice a week.
• Eat high-fat meals like hot dogs or sausages in excess.
• Choose meals with heavy cream sauces or gravies.
• Ruin a baked potato or bread with too much butter.
• Have cakes, ice cream and pies every night.

Snacks and Beverages

DO

• Pack nutritious snacks like fruit, raisins and nuts.
• Have rolls, muffins and breads when you get a break.
• Snack on popcorn, pretzels and breadsticks.
• Drink eight to ten glasses of fluids every day.
• Drink nonfat or lowfat milk.
• Drink fruit juices, sparkling waters and plain water.
• Drink hot ciders, soups and hot chocolate.

DON’T

• Count on potato chips or tortilla chips as good snacks.
• Eat cupcakes or cream-filled pastries to satisfy hunger.
• Eat ice cream, cakes or candies in excess.
• Drink too many soft drinks.