Nutrition is very important if you practice water sports, whether you’re an amateur or a professional; there are three key factors to consider in a diet: a quantitative, a qualitative and a chronological factor.
In other words, there are three questions to ask about food: how much, what and when should we eat? A person who trains regularly needs a higher calorie intake than somebody who lives a sedentary lifestyle or doesn’t work out much: if you practice water sports you burn up more energy not only because of the physical activity you do but also because you physiologically need to keep your body temperature constant while you’re in the water; this mechanism burns energy. Moreover, when we talk about surfing or other water sports, we should also take weather conditions into account (microclimate: humidity, sun exposure, wind, air and water temperature), which influence individual nutritional needs.
If you practice sports you should eat a bit of everything: eat a lot of vegetables and fresh fruit, avoid eating too much protein and animal fat. Your daily diet should be divided in at least 3 meals, 5 would be better, and don’t skip breakfast.
A surfer’s daily diet should be well-balanced; you should not eat less than the amount of calorie intake for an average healthy adult: your calorie intake should be such that 55-60% of your total calorie intake is contributed by carbohydrates, 10-15% by proteins and 25-30% by fat.
Your calorie intake should be divided as follows:
BREAKFAST 15-20 %
MID-MORNING SNACK 5-10 %
LUNCH 35-40 %
MID-AFTERNOON SNACK 5-10 %
DINNER 25-30 %
The chronological aspect of a diet essentially regards when to eat before surfing. In general, you have to take into account that:
• it takes at least 6 to 8 hours before your body can use food for energy.
• you should eat at least 3 hours before your surfing session (otherwise your body will not have time to digest the food and it will lay in your stomach because your blood has been diverted away from digestion and to the working muscles).
In a surfer’s diet, fats are surely among the highest-energy yielding nutrients. Fats are broken down and converted into energy during physical activity. However, remember that it takes at least 6 to 8 hours before your body can use food for energy.
Fats supply energy pretty slowly, it takes the body 60 to 90 minutes to break down fats. So, if you can, try to eat fats well before surfing.
Proteins are used as a source of energy only during intense and prolonged workout and if there is no stored body fat or sugar.
100 gr. of bread - 8.1 gr. of protein
100 gr. of semolina pasta - 10.9 gr. of protein
100 gr. of parboiled rice - 7.4 gr. of protein
50 gr. of crisp toasts - 5.7 gr. of protein
Carbohydrates, also called sugars, are ideal for surfers, because you can eat them before, during and after your surf session, and they help you regain energy quickly after training. Don’t consume too much of them, though.
An excessive consumption of sugar, for example, causes “reactive hypoglycemia”. Sugar goes right from your digestive system into your bloodstream and increases your blood sugar level.
At this point the body reacts by releasing a great quantity of insulin, which causes blood glucose to drop below normal levels. This makes you feel tired and your muscles feel weak.
Therefore, you have to eat those carbohydrates that do not alter your blood sugar levels at all or at least only in a minor way; but, most of all, as always, just use common sense. Foods rich is starch, fructose, and cereals, like bread, pasta, rice and fruit are ideal.
These foods are easily converted into energy by the human body; they should be eaten before surfing to increase body glycogen stores for later use to fuel athletic performance.
An important thing to watch out for when you practice water sports is to make sure you eat well in advance before training: as regards swimming and other water sports in the water you should wait at least 2-3 hours after your meal.
You should eat light, nutritious meals that do not burden your body but provide enough energy to work out. You should never work out on an empty stomach or right after a meal.
If you work out in the morning, you should have your breakfast at least 2 hours before your athletic performance, and you should eat light, easily digestible foods, such as:
• 1 glass of milk, 3-4 crisp toasts or 1 slice of bread with jam;
• 1 yoghurt, 2-3 tablespoons of breakfast cereals.
• 1 glass of fresh fruit juice and 5-6 dry cookies.
• 1 cup of tea, 1 piece of fruit pie and 1 apple.
• 1 glass of citrus fruit juice and 2 slices of toasted bread with honey.
• 1 glass of milk with barley and 1 piece of fruit pie or buttermilk cake or yoghurt plumcake.
If you work out in the afternoon, you should have a light, easily digestible lunch at least 2 hours before working out.
Pasta with tomato sauce; vegetables and high-protein foods (meat, cheese or fish, but less than 80 grams) are the ideal meal.
Some suggestions for lunch:
• fusilli pasta with tomato sauce and basil; 1 teaspoon of parmesan cheese; 1 bread roll; mixed grilled vegetables; fresh fruit salad.
• penne pasta with zucchini; 1 teaspoon of parmesan cheese; salad with raisins and pine nuts; 2 mandarins.
• spaghetti with olive oil and parmesan cheese; 2-3 slices of toasted bread; mixed salad with tomatoes, julienne carrots and corn; 1 small piece of fruit jam pie.
If you lunch out, at a bar or at the beach, you can choose among the following:
• 1 cereal bread raw ham and salad sandwich; 2 kiwis.
• 1 large mixed salad with cheese cubes and hazelnuts; 1 packet of crackers; 1 piece of buttermilk cake.
• 1 mixed salad with emmer; 2 pears.
• 1 slice of pizza with mozzarella and tomato; 1 apple.
As regards surface water sports, which, although they are performed atop water, still require great physical effort, we advice you to have a light, nutritious snack approximately 1 hour before. Pre-training snacks should consist of easily digestible carbohydrate-rich foods, as for breakfast, such as:
• 1 fresh fruit or 1 glass of fruit juice.
• 1 piece of cake without cream.
• 1 glass of milk with barley; 1 slice of toasted bread or 2 crisp toasts with 1 teaspoon of jam or honey.
• 1 fruit yoghurt and 2-3 dry cookies.
• 1 cup of fruit salad and 2 cookies.
• 1 glass of fresh orange juice and 2 crisp toasts with honey.
• 1 slice of bread and 2 pieces of chocolate; 1 cup of tea or barley.
After your surf session you should eat a light, healthy and vitamin-rich snack to regain lost energy; for your post- and pre-training snacks you should eat the same kinds of foods. Otherwise, have a carbohydrate-rich dinner to replenish your glycogen storage. Here are some examples:
• legumes and cereal soup; a 2-egg zucchini omelet; 2 kiwis.
• minestrone or vegetable soup; 1 bread roll; 1 slice of veal with balsamic vinegar; steamed spinach; fresh fruit salad.
• legumes cream soup; cod fillet with tomatoes; mixed grilled vegetables; 1 bread roll.
And don’t forget to drink a lot. Replenishing lost fluids is as important as eating a healthy diet. First of all, the main rule to follow is not to drink during meals, to avoid diluting digestive enzymes and stomach acids, making it harder to break down food and making you feel stuffed.
As regards what to drink, beverages that replenish lost mineral salts are the best choice, but don’t exaggerate.
Make sure you drink before, during and after your surf sessions; you should avoid drinking large quantities of water at a time, try to drink frequently to constantly restore the minerals your body needs. It’s a good habit to carry a bottle of water or sugar-containing beverages, such as no-sugar-added fruit juice, with you when you go surfing.
By: Dr. Fontana Lucia – Health and Nutrition Specialist
Clinical nutrition - diabetology
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