Catharine Hardyman remembers one of the best things about swimming is being able to eat just about anything we wanted and not have to worry about gaining weight. The entrance of my old neighborhood was fundraising central for doughnut sales. All we had to do was hand someone $5 and we had a dozen wonderful doughnuts without even slowing down. As I got older and started studying nutrition, I realized the implications of a high sugar diet. There is a great article I read in the USA Swimming Newsletter by Jill Castle, MS, RDN.She gives good background on the nutritional value of sugar and at the amount of added sugar is in our diets that we may not realize. She also sites data from the CDC on the actual amounts of sugar we consume and gender differences in consumption.
http://www.usaswimming.org/ViewNewsArticle.aspx?TabId=0&itemid=6369&mid=14491
I have been surprised at how much sugar I find hidden in foods that I normally consume every day - not just desserts, and obvious sweets, but in other processed foods. In fact, some of the fat free "heathy " foods contain more added sugar than the original version of the same food. Many sports drinks are loaded with sugar.
The following foods are considered added sugars: white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, honey, syrup, molasses, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, high fructose corn syrup, fructose sweetener, dextrin, and more.
Castle, advises shooting for no more than 10% of the total caloric intake coming from added sugar food sources, which is in line with the World Health Organization (WHO). This ends up being about 150-250 calories per day, depending on age, with the higher calorie level appropriate for older teens.
If added sugar is a problem for the swimmer, Castle has four ways to cut back:
1. Allow no more than one to two sweet foods or beverages per day as long as the swimmer is healthy, growing and physically active on most days.
2. Nix the soda and other sugary beverages.
3. Be selective about sweets. Choose sweet food or beverages that contribute nutrition, such as ice cream as a source of calcium, oroatmeal raisin cookies as a source of fiber. If juice is included in the swimmer’s diet, make sure it is 100% juice and limit the daily amount to 8-12 ounces.
4. Purchase lower-sugar items.
Catharine Hardyman recommends going to the above link to read the entire article on the USA Swimming site.
Jill Castle, MS, RDN is a childhood nutrition expert and co-author of Fearless Feeding: How to Raise Healthy Eaters from High Chair to High School (www.fearlessfeeding.com). She is the creator of Just The Right Byte (www.justtherightbyte.com), and is working on her next book, entitled Eat Like a Champion: Performance Nutrition for Your Young Athlete. She lives with her husband and four children in New Canaan, CT.
http://www.usaswimming.org/ViewNewsArticle.aspx?TabId=0&itemid=6369&mid=14491
I have been surprised at how much sugar I find hidden in foods that I normally consume every day - not just desserts, and obvious sweets, but in other processed foods. In fact, some of the fat free "heathy " foods contain more added sugar than the original version of the same food. Many sports drinks are loaded with sugar.
The following foods are considered added sugars: white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, honey, syrup, molasses, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, high fructose corn syrup, fructose sweetener, dextrin, and more.
Castle, advises shooting for no more than 10% of the total caloric intake coming from added sugar food sources, which is in line with the World Health Organization (WHO). This ends up being about 150-250 calories per day, depending on age, with the higher calorie level appropriate for older teens.
If added sugar is a problem for the swimmer, Castle has four ways to cut back:
1. Allow no more than one to two sweet foods or beverages per day as long as the swimmer is healthy, growing and physically active on most days.
2. Nix the soda and other sugary beverages.
3. Be selective about sweets. Choose sweet food or beverages that contribute nutrition, such as ice cream as a source of calcium, oroatmeal raisin cookies as a source of fiber. If juice is included in the swimmer’s diet, make sure it is 100% juice and limit the daily amount to 8-12 ounces.
4. Purchase lower-sugar items.
Catharine Hardyman recommends going to the above link to read the entire article on the USA Swimming site.
Jill Castle, MS, RDN is a childhood nutrition expert and co-author of Fearless Feeding: How to Raise Healthy Eaters from High Chair to High School (www.fearlessfeeding.com). She is the creator of Just The Right Byte (www.justtherightbyte.com), and is working on her next book, entitled Eat Like a Champion: Performance Nutrition for Your Young Athlete. She lives with her husband and four children in New Canaan, CT.