Last Updated on July 19, 2025 by Mandy Tyler, M.Ed., RD, CSSD, LD
What to Eat Before a Swim Meet
Wondering what to eat before a swim meet to keep you fueled and performing at your best?
Let’s explore key sports nutrition strategies as well as meal and snack ideas to provide you with the energy needed for optimal performance at your next swim meet.
What to Eat Before a Swim Meet: Plan Ahead
It can be challenging for swimmers to know what to eat before a swim met. Swimmers often compete in multiple events and the start time of the events can vary between meets.
In addition, swim teams often travel together on a bus to the meet. Thus, swimmers may arrive at the pool several hours prior to the start of their first event.
Therefore, it is important for swimmers to take time to plan in advance what they will eat before a swim meet to support their individual needs.
Pro Tip: Swimmers should plan ahead and make sure to pack snacks they can eat on the bus and for energy between events at the swim meet.
What to Eat Before a Swim Meet: Meal Timing
When planning what to eat before a swim meet it is important for swimmers to consider the timing of their first event.
When time allows, I encourage swimmers to eat their pre-meet meal ~3-4 hours before the start of their first event. This allows time for digestion and for the swimmer to go the bathroom, if needed, before their race.
Let’s consider the following example:
- Swim Meet Start Time: 8:00 am
- Swimmer’s First Event: Anticipated around 10:00 am
- Ideal Breakfast Timing: 6:00 – 7:00 am
What to Eat Before an Early Morning Swim Meet
If a swimmer is participating in an early morning swim meet or is scheduled for one of the first events of the day, they may not have time to eat a full meal before the event.
In this situation, I encourage the swimmer to eat a smaller high-carb breakfast or mini-meal ~2 hours before their event.
Pro Tip: In general, as the start time of the meet approaches, the size of an athlete’s pre-event meal should decrease. In addition, as it gets closer to the start of the meet, an athlete’s focus should be on consuming carbohydrates for energy.
Meal Ideas for Before a Swim Meet
Carbohydrates provide swimmers with the energy needed to perform at their best. Thus, the foundation of a swimmer’s pre-meet meal should be foods providing a good source of carbohydrates.
Along with carbohydrates, I encourage swimmers to enjoy a moderate amount of protein with their meal.
Best Breakfast Ideas for Before a Swim Meet
Starting the day with a well-planned breakfast will help ensure swimmers are fueled for the day ahead.
Below are a variety of breakfast ideas that swimmers can enjoy before their next swim meet.
- Protein overnight oats, banana
- Fruit smoothie, bagel with nut butter and honey
- English muffin with egg and ham, Greek yogurt and berries parfait
- Pancakes with fresh strawberries, scrambled eggs
- Kodiak Cakes® toaster waffles with nut butter, hard-boiled eggs, fresh sliced fruit cup
- Instant oatmeal with walnuts and raisins, hard-boiled eggs, mixed berries
- Breakfast wrap with eggs and turkey sausage, fresh sliced melon
Lunch Ideas for Before a Swim Meet
For swim meets that start later in the day, swimmers will want to make sure they eat a carbohydrate-rich lunch to provide them with energy for their upcoming races.
Ideas for lunches that swimmers can fuel-up with before a swim meet include:
- Turkey sub sandwich, pretzels, apple slices
- Grilled chicken wrap, graham crackers, fruit cup
- Peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Greek yogurt parfait, banana
- Pasta with tomato sauce, sliced grilled chicken or turkey meatballs, breadsticks
- Roasted salmon filet, steamed rice, green beans, fresh sliced fruit, dinner rolls
- Grilled chicken breast, baked sweet potato, fresh mixed berries, dinner rolls
What to Eat Before a Swim Meet: Don’t Forget About Hydration!
Along with their meal before a swim meet, it is important for swimmers to focus on hydrating as well.
Dehydration can negatively impact a swimmer’s health and sports performance. Thus, swimmers want to begin the swim meet in an optimally hydrated state.
For pre-event hydration, it is recommended that athletes drink 5-7 mL of fluid per kg of body weight ~4 hours prior to activity (1). For a 155-pound swimmer, this calculates to be ~12-16 fluid ounces.
In general, consuming approximately 1.5-2 cups of fluid with the meal before a swim meet can assist swimmers with meeting this goal.
In addition, eating foods that contain sodium with the pre-event meal, such as cottage cheese, bread, deli meat, pretzels, and pita chips, will help the body to better retain the fluid consumed before the meet (2).
Pro Tip: Each swimmer is unique in regard to the amount of fluid and electrolytes lost in sweat. Swimmers should consider working with a sports dietitian nutritionist for assistance with developing an individualized hydration plan for activity.
What to Eat Before a Swim Meet: Mini-Meal and Snack Ideas
When swimmers have less time to eat prior to the start of their first event, I encourage them to fuel-up with a high-carb mini-meal or snack.
In addition, swimmers should continue to hydrate in the hours leading up to their event and throughout the swim meet.
Mini-Meal Ideas for Before a Swim Meet
When swimmers have ~2 hours to eat prior to their first event, I suggest eating a mini-meal or balanced snack that provides both carbohydrates and protein.
Simple “mini-meal” ideas that swimmers can enjoy before a meet include:
- Fruit smoothie
- Peanut butter and jelly sandwich, banana
- Greek yogurt, mixed berries, and granola parfait
- Breakfast bars, hard-boiled eggs, fruit cup
- Oatmeal energy balls*, grapes
- Cottage cheese with pineapple, breakfast bars
- Pretzels, jerky, dried fruit
- Crackers, sliced ham, string cheese, orange slices
- Trail mix made with dried fruit, pretzels, dry breakfast cereal, and nuts
*Recipe from Kiran Campbell, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
Quick High-Carb Snack Ideas for Before a Swim Meet
In the hour before a swimmer’s race, I suggest sticking with a high-carb snack that is low in fiber and easy to digest. The carbohydrates will provide the swimmer with a quick source of energy for their upcoming race.
Simple high-carb swim meet snack ideas include:
- Applesauce squeeze pouch
- Banana, orange wedges, grapes, small piece of fresh fruit
- Dried fruit, fruit leather, fruit snacks
- Pretzels, pita chips, crackers, dry cereal
- Animal or graham crackers
- Mini bagel, low-fat granola bar, cereal bar
- Sports drinks, gels, or chews
Tips for What Not to Eat Before a Swim Meet
In addition to providing swimmers with ideas for the best foods to eat before a swim meet, it can also be helpful to share suggestions of foods to limit.
In general, I recommend that swimmers limit foods that are high in protein, fat, and/or fiber close to the start of their swim events. Eating foods high in these nutrients too close to the start of the event may result in GI distress during activity (2).
This includes food items such as:
- High-fiber breads or cereals
- Beans and high-fiber vegetables
- Fried foods (donuts, fried chicken, onion rings)
- High-fat or greasy meats (bacon, pork sausage)
- Heavy cream, cheese, or buttery sauces (gravy, alfredo sauce, queso)
- Dessert type foods (ice cream, milkshake, fudge)
Pro Tip: Each swimmer is unique in regard to the type of foods they feel best eating prior to competition. Swimmers should make sure to practice their pre-event meals and snacks in advance. This will help them feel confident on race day that they are fueled to perform at their best.
What to Eat Before a Swim Meet
You are now set with ideas for what to eat before a swim meet to keep you fueled and performing at your best.
For additional sports nutrition tips for swimmers, make sure to check out my blog on what to eat after swimming to fuel recovery.
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About the Author
Mandy Tyler is a Sports Dietitian Nutritionist in the San Antonio, TX area. She is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian, a Board-Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics, a Licensed Athletic Trainer, and is a Certified Exercise Physiologist through the American College of Sports Medicine. Mandy has experience working with athletes at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. She believes the key to reaching one’s full potential, both in everyday life and in sports performance, relies on a healthy nutritional foundation.
If you are looking to take your performance to the next level, make sure to check out my new Sports Nutrition Game Day Guide. This downloadable guide is written to help athletes develop an individualized plan to achieve peak performance on game day.
