She eats a larger breakfast of waffles, scrambled eggs with cheese, and kosher beef bacon on her days off. On mornings of Olympics meets: Before stepping out to perform their routines, Miller and Douglas both started their day with eggs. Torres tended towards lighter breakfasts as well. By Grace Elkus Updated June 09, Save FB Tweet More. Additionally, top gymnasts know that good nutrition can give them an edge over their competition. When former Olympian Samanth Peszek was training for the Olympics, she knew that every single thing she did needed to help her hit her end goal of making the Olympic team.
This included eating her veggies, which she hated, because she knew this would enhance her performance. So clearly nutrition is an important area of focus for top level gymnasts as well.
So what should my gymnast be eating, you ask? We know good nutrition can be a struggle for some gymnasts, especially those who are picky eaters, have sensory issues, or eat very little. In this article we give you the basics of proper nutrition so that you can have a baseline of what foods your gymnast should be eating. When in doubt, consult a certified nutritionist for individual guidance. If you have a gymnast who eats very little, try breaking down her meals into smaller mini-meals throughout the day.
Another way to tell if your gymnast is eating enough is to check her energy level. Is she often lethargic? Overall, the USDA and Harvard School of Public Health recommend eating a variety of vegetables, fresh fruits, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat dairy, along with a variety of different protein sources and healthy oils.
The USDA is more heavy on the amount of milk but still recommends water as the best option to stay hydrated. Again, this guideline was created for children without regard to sports yet offers a starting point for gymnasts. As they train more or go through periods of growth, gymnasts may need to tweak this guideline to fit their changing needs. Again, gymnasts exercise for much longer than an average non-gymnast child so their nutritional needs are slightly different. More specifically, because gymnastics is primarily an anaerobic sport, gymnasts need the majority of their calories to come from carbohydrates to help fuel their body.
Think of carbohydrates as fuel for your gymnast. Nutrient dense sources of carbohydrates include fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. Gymnasts should eat a wide variety of different colors in their diet including various fruits and vegetables to ensure they are getting the nutrients they need. Examples of nutritious carbohydrates include whole grain pastas and breads, brown rice, oatmeal, various forms of beans such as black and kidney beans, lentils, corn, carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, apples, bananas, blueberries, strawberries, oranges, grapes, peaches, and plums.
Not all carbohydrates are created equal, however. Gymnasts need protein to help their muscles recover and repair. The exact amount of protein a gymnast requires, however, has yet to be scientifically determined. Researchers agree youth athletes, in general, need anywhere between 1. This equates to about 34 grams of protein per day for athletes between the ages of and 46 grams of protein for girls ages Protein can come from animal or plant sources.
Examples of animal sources would be lean meat such as lamb, pork, or beef, along with chicken, fish, and eggs. Examples of plant sources of protein include peanuts and other tree nuts , chickpeas, quinoa, lentils, chia seeds, tofu, and edamame opt for organic tofu and edamame to avoid modified soy.
Young athletes rely more on fat sources than adults do so healthy fat sources should be included in their diet, especially for gymnasts! Fat surrounds nerve cells and insulates organs and is vital for proper functioning. Sources of healthy fats include nuts and nut butters, avocados, walnuts, almonds, tuna, salmon, and food cooked in olive oil. Fats such as fried foods, donuts, packaged and processed foods, fatty meats such as bacon, sausage, pepperoni, salami, and bologna should all be avoided.
The average person needs to drink about half their body weight to stay hydrated. For example, if you weigh pounds you would need 50 ounces of water. Children, who are of all different weights and sizes, have varying hydration needs, however. Depending on how much they sweat and how hard they workout, their needs might be different from day to day.
A good rule of thumb is for smaller sized gymnasts to aim for 48 ounces per day and for bigger sized gymnasts to aim for 96 ounces per day. She should have a 24 ounce bottle that she can take with her and sip from when she feels she needs to drink.
Remember, once your gymnast starts to feel thirsty she is already dehydrated. Stay away from Gatorade and other electrolyte sports drinks as a regular hydration source.
While these drinks might be needed from time to time, the sugars and dyes in them can cause more harm than good. Avoid juice as well, which is primarily sugar, even percent fruit juice. Normally the issue is that most athletes will compete, at some point, during a time when their bodies aren't used to training.
For instance, some kids who train normally in the evening may have early-morning competitions, while others who are used to training in the early morning or afternoon find themselves in evening competitions.
This can really throw an athlete off in terms of food selections. Do not eat a large meal filled with fat within an hour of competing. Foods such as French fries, hamburgers, fried meat, muffins, donuts, and pastries yes, Pop-Tarts are packed with fats!
These fats are slow-digesting, which means it takes you body a lot of energy to process them. This will slow up any athlete no matter how fit she is. After eating a high-fat meal, people are tired, slow, and lethargic. This is not the way to go into a competition! Stay away from sausage biscuits, gravy, whole eggs, burgers, and fries before a competition. Load up on complex carbohydrates the morning and evening before a competition.
Complex carbs are slow-releasing sugars that will give an athlete sustained energy throughout the day, unlike simple sugars, which will give a quick burst of energy then a quick decline.
Here are some of my favorite options for slow-releasing sugar complex carbs :. Oatmeal with honey and a side of egg whites or whole grain toast with natural peanut butter.
If you are competing later in the day, brown rice, quinoa, green veggies, and sweet potatoes are my favorites for slow-releasing energy that will keep any athlete alert, energized, and fueled.
Regardless of what time of day your athlete competes, water consumption both the day before and morning of competition day are essential to athletic performance.
Being properly hydrated is very important for cellular and muscular function as well as muscle endurance. I recommend athletes drink a minimum of 72 ounces of water per day. I have found that sometimes kids aren't finding the energy to get through their routines, and it has nothing to do with food and everything to do with their bodies being dehydrated, especially in warmer climates. Make sure the day before competition your gymnast has drank a full 72 ounces!
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