Sports Nutrition The Ultimate Triathlete Diet Guide By Chrissy Carroll, RD, MPH Chrissy Carroll, RD, MPH Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Chrissy Carroll is a registered dietitian and USAT Level I Triathlon Coach, and the author of "Eat to Peak: Sports Nutrition for Runners and Triathletes." Learn about our editorial process Updated on December 01, 2021 Reviewed Verywell Fit articles are reviewed by nutrition and exercise professionals. Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by John Honerkamp Reviewed by John Honerkamp LinkedIn Twitter John Honerkamp is an RRCA and USATF-certified running coach, celebrity marathon pacer, and recognized leader in the New York City running community. Learn about our Review Board Print Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Daily Triathlon Diet Sample Daily Diet Plan The Keto Diet Pre-Workout Nutrition Fueling During Exercise Post-Workout Nutrition There’s no doubt you’re familiar with the three disciplines of a triathlon: Swimming, cycling, and running. But there’s a fourth discipline that athletes often overlook, and it's nutrition. An optimal triathlon nutrition plan can be the difference between a PR and an upsetting finish. Build your endurance nutrition IQ with the tips below and get ready for your best tri season yet. Your Daily Triathlon Diet While race day nutrition is important, it’s what you eat outside of events that generally makes the biggest difference in health and performance. By focusing on a wholesome daily diet, you help your body maximize training adaptations and recovery throughout your season. A nutritious triathlete diet doesn’t vary much from standard healthy eating recommendations. But you should anticipate eating more during the season and less during the off season to account for changes in energy output. You can break your triathlon diet plan into three essential pillars. These concepts may sound easier in theory than in practice, but sticking with them will serve you well. Eat high-quality meals and snacks made up of mostly whole foods. Enjoy treats occasionally, but don’t overcompensate for your workouts. (In other words, avoid rationalizing eating an entire sleeve of cookies because you pounded the pavement—but it’s certainly okay to grab one or two cookies.) Maintain a healthy weight while molding your body and exercises to meet the needs for swimming, cycling, and running. Monitor Your Macros Each of the three macronutrients (carbs, protein, and fat) serves an important purpose in a triathlete's diet. There’s no hard-and-fast rule on the exact amount of each macronutrient that your body needs. It varies based on your genetics, training regimen, and any medical conditions you might have. Carbohydrates act as your body’s primary source of energy, protein supports muscle repair and recovery, and fat enhances satiety and promotes overall health. Carbohydrates Typically one would consume 45% to 65% of calories, or approximately 3 to 12 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight. However, for a person who participates in triathlon, even though the percentage may be correct, you should expect to be consuming 8 to 12 grams of carbs per kilogram of weight per day. As the training intensity and duration increase, you may be consuming closer to 12 grams per kilogram of weight. Simple carbohydrates like bananas should be consumed at least 30 minutes prior to your workout. During intense exercise lasting longer than 60–90 minutes, try fast-absorbing carbohydrates like gels that replenish your electrolytes. For longer bouts of exercise, you can expect to consume 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrate in a electrolyte and fluid solution within each hour of training and event day. Protein Aim for 2 grams per kilogram of bodyweight when training. Timing is important. Since your body can't store protein, it should be consumed every 3-4 hours throughout the day, and ideally within two hours post-workout for recovery. In the evening, it is recommended to consume about 30-40 grams of protein from casein. Fat Aim for 20% to 35% of calories. Fat is important for nerve function, organ protection, and is a source of fatty acids. But if performance and achieving a new personal best time is vital, a high-fat low-carb diet can slow you down. When training, the calories leftover from the carbohydrate and protein needs will be fat. Most triathletes will fare well using these recommended ranges. If you’re curious about how your macros compare to these numbers, try tracking your food for a few days via a website or phone app. If your ranges are pretty different from these, adjust your diet to see if changing them better supports your training. What Are Macro Calculators And Trackers? Achieving Balance It seems simple—if you’re burning all those calories during your workouts, the pounds should be melting away, right? Unfortunately, many triathletes find the scale moving in the opposite direction. One of the most common reasons is an increased appetite. Have you ever felt ravenous a few hours after a long run? Does your inner cookie monster make an appearance after your brick workout? If so, you’re probably familiar with this phenomenon. Interestingly, most scientific research suggests that individual exercise bouts actually suppress hunger hormones rather than increase them. However, it’s unclear how this impacts endurance athletes who consistently train day after day. Anecdotally, training hunger is a real concern among many athletes. On the flip side, some athletes fear weight gain and perpetually under-fuel themselves. At a minimum, this can cause poor training adaptations. At worst, it can be dangerous for your health. Even more concerning, athletes who consistently under-fuel are at risk for a condition known as RED-S (relative energy deficiency in sport). This mismatch between dietary intake and energy expended can cause complications like menstrual dysfunction, poor immune health, weakened bones, loss of muscle mass, and other problems. There’s definitely a careful balance here between supporting your training and supporting a healthy weight. However, it's achievable through a triathlete diet filled with lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. By filling up with nutrient-dense options, you can both satisfy your hunger and meet the demands of your training schedule. Sample Daily Diet Plan Curious what all of this looks like in an actual day's meals? Here’s an example of a balanced eating plan for a triathlete. Breakfast Blueberry Oatmeal2 cups dry oatmeal cooked with 2 cups of milk1 cup blueberries1 teaspoon cinnamon1/4 cup slivered almonds Snack 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese1 sliced peach10 whole wheat crackers Lunch Roasted veggie and turkey pita1 large whole wheat pita1 cup roasted red peppers1 cup sautéed or roasted zucchini (in ½ tablespoon olive oil)1/4 cup mozzarella cheese2 ounces turkey breast1 medium-sized baked sweet potato2 small fig cookies Snack Apple with 3 tablespoons peanut butter Training Session Sports drink (16 ounces) Dinner Pasta with veggies and meat sauce1 1/2 cups cooked whole grain spaghetti1 tbsp olive oil1 cup zucchini1 cup cherry tomatoes1 cup marinara sauce5 ounces 90/10 (ratio of meat to fat) ground beef Snack 30–40 grams of casein supplement shake Keep in mind that your specific calorie needs will vary based on your height, weight, gender, training regimen, and metabolism. For competitive athletes with intense training regimens and for long course athletes, carbohydrate and calorie needs would increase. The Keto Diet Many athletes follow, or are curious about, the ketogenic diet. While this diet may help some athletes lose body fat and reduce reliance on carbohydrate for fuel, it’s not the magical panacea that many make it out to be. Nutrients The ketogenic diet flips traditional athlete macronutrient ratios. Those on the keto diet eat very few carbohydrates, moderate protein, and high amounts of fat. The goal is to shift your body from using carbohydrates for fuel to using fat for fuel. In theory, this sounds ideal. Your body has far more fat available for energy production, and if you can train it to use more of that fat, all the better for performance, right? Research Unfortunately, while the first part is true—you do shift towards using more fat for fuel —research has not shown improved performance. One study found that a 10-week ketogenic diet helped athletes lose weight and body fat, and they were able to better utilize fat as a fuel source. However, there was a statistically significant decrease of 2 minutes in time to exhaustion. Other performance measures trended towards a negative effect as well, and athletes reported an inability to easily undertake high-intensity sprints. Another study on elite race walkers found that while a ketogenic diet increased fat oxidation, it also decreased exercise economy. In other words, it became harder for athletes to perform at race-level intensity. There was also no improvement in athletes’ performance during an intensive three-week training protocol, while other diet interventions (high-carb and periodized diets) led to quicker times. Among average healthy adults (not competitive athletes), research has shown that a ketogenic diet led to similar performance reductions. For example, a study in the journal Nutrition & Metabolism demonstrated a reduction in VO2 (amount of oxygen measured in the body during intense exercise) peak and peak power. So is a ketogenic diet worth exploring? That’s a personal decision only you can make. While it may lead to weight loss and better body composition, it’s also possible that it could negatively impact performance. Keep in mind that no matter what style of eating plan you follow, you want it to be something you can stick with for the long term. Pre-Workout Nutrition If you’ve nailed down your daily diet, now it’s time to get into training and race day nutrition, starting with your pre-exercise meal. Eating before a long workout not only satisfies your stomach and prevents hunger, but it also tops off your energy stores. Try eating a pre-workout meal that fits the following criteria: High in easily digestible carbohydrates. For most athletes (with the possible exception of fat-adapted keto athletes), eating a high-carb meal prior to exercise improves performance. Moderate in protein. You'll eat more protein post-workout for recovery. Low in fat and fiber. Both can lead to gastrointestinal upset if eaten too close to your workout. Timing: Have your pre-workout snack at least 60 minutes prior to your workout to prevent the risk of a low sugar crash. Sample Pre-Workout Meals These options meet the high-carb, moderate protein, low-fat, low-fiber criteria: Toaster waffles topped with fruit and maple syrup or honeyBagel with cream cheese or peanut butterFruit smoothieSkillet sweet potatoes and scrambled eggsPasta with red sauceChicken and riceQuinoa with poached eggs Some researchers believe that a meal with low glycemic index carbohydrates—carbs that raise the blood sugar level more slowly—is optimal. However, review studies on this topic are inconclusive. It appears the most important aspect of the pre-exercise meal is simply to include carbs, not necessarily the types of carbs you choose. Also, do not make drastic changes from how you eat and train to when you eat on event day. You do want to consider selecting carbohydrates that match your own digestive tolerance, though. For example, many individuals are sensitive to the effects of fiber during exercise—the last thing you want is a mid-race rush to the porta-potty. It's wise for many triathletes to avoid high-fiber fruits, vegetables, or whole grains prior to a big training session or race. Meal Timing In between your training sessions, you want to make sure you have adequate fueling, not just before your intense workout. Twenty four to 48 hours before your mock-event day and event day, you may need to start fueling up. Eating too close to your session can cause gastrointestinal upset, while eating too far out can leave you lacking energy. Of course, one to four hours before exercise is still a fairly large time range. How do you know what is best for you? Practicing is the best way to find out. Try different foods and timing during training to nail down exactly what works best for you, both in terms of gastrointestinal comfort and energy levels. Generally, the farther out from your training session, the bigger the meal you’ll need to start out feeling fueled. This scenario also provides more flexibility for a wider variety of food, since you’ll have more time to digest. Eating about an hour before your long run? A bagel with a little cream cheese might be a perfect option for you. Eating four hours beforehand? You might have a bigger meal, like a breakfast hash and a fruit smoothie. Fueling During Exercise During exercise, your nutrition concerns should focus on carbohydrates, hydration, and electrolytes. Hydration and Electrolytes For exercise lasting less than an hour, drinking plain water works just fine. If you’re exercising for over 60 to 90 minutes (or it is very hot outside), you’ll want to take in carbohydrates, fluid, and electrolytes—specifically sodium. Though several electrolytes are lost in sweat, including magnesium, sodium is lost in the largest amounts. The rate at which you sweat and the sodium that is lost varies from athlete to athlete. Research has shown that high sodium losses in sweat can lead to slightly lower blood sodium levels. This, combined with fluid overload, may increase the risk of hyponatremia—a dangerous drop in blood sodium levels. Rest assured, though, that it’s easy to meet your sodium needs during exercise. Instead of drinking water for long sessions, you can drink a commercial sports drink. You can also use fizzy electrolyte tabs that you add to water. Or, you can drink water and use a salt replacement product designed for athletes. How to Use Electrolyte Tabs Fuel Types and Timing If you’re training for longer than 60-90 minutes, you’ll also want to add some carbohydrate-based fuel during exercise. Your muscles are working hard, and keeping a steady stream of carbs flowing gives them the energy to continue to do so. Aim for 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrate for every hour of exercise. Start fueling every 15 minutes with a 6-8% carbohydrates solution. You will be consuming about 6 to 12 ounces of fluid ounces per hour. Even though your body doesn’t necessarily need fuel yet, it’s helpful to get a steady stream of carbohydrates flowing to get your digestive system used to processing the fuel and to prolong the amount of time before you hit the wall. Fuel can come in many sources, but they should be rich in easily digestible carbohydrates. You can choose options specifically manufactured for sport, or you can choose grocery store options that will also meet your needs. For example: Sports drinksGelsShot blocksGummiesRaisinsBananasFig bars What this looks like in practice: Say you’re going on a 3-hour bike ride. You might decide to consume a gel (15 grams of carbohydrate each) every 15 minutes of your training ride, or 1/3 cup of raisins (38 grams of carbohydrates) every hour. Either of these options would fuel you at that rate of 30 to 60 grams per hour. The only exception to this advice is for fat-adapted ketogenic athletes. If you’ve chosen to follow that type of diet, you probably won’t need to eat at these rates since your body can utilize more fat as fuel. Post-Workout Nutrition Proper recovery nutrition is a key part of the triathlete diet. You’ll replenish energy stores in your muscles and start the muscle fiber repair process, both of which will help you arrive at your next session in optimal condition. Keep in mind that not every workout needs a large recovery meal. Sometimes recreational athletes make the mistake of eating big recovery meals after every workout, which can contribute to excess calories and weight gain. Instead, focus on recovery meals and snacks after: Long, moderate intensity workouts that last more than two hoursHigh-intensity workouts that last more than an hourThe first workout, if you are doing two-a-day workouts and are a competitive athlete Recovery Nutrients In those three situations, take in carbohydrates along with some protein within 30 to 60 minutes of completing your workout. You can wait up to two hours for maximum results, but it's ideal to consume carbohydrates and protein ASAP after you finish your workout. Just how much carbohydrate depends on your body weight. Aim for 1.2 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight every 30 minutes after your training session up to 3.5 hours for optimal recovery. For example, let’s say you weigh 72 kilograms (160 pounds). Using the calculation above, that would mean you’d aim for 86 grams of carbohydrate after your workout. This may seem like a lot, but it can easily be built into a filling post-workout meal. Along with that carbohydrate, most people should include 15 to 25 grams of protein. Masters-age athletes may experience slower recovery rates compared to younger athletes, possibly due to issues with protein remodeling in the muscles after exercise. Because of this, some researchers have suggested that older athletes take in a bit more protein after exercise (perhaps around 25 to 30 grams). Remember, for shorter sessions you don't have to worry about these amounts. You can maximize recovery after short workouts with a small carbohydrate and protein snack—for example, a glass of chocolate milk or Greek yogurt with fruit. A Word From Verywell There’s no one-size-fits-all triathlon diet that fitd every single person. Your training schedule, body type, genetic makeup, and food preferences are unique to you. Following the basic tenets of healthy eating for athletes, though—like consuming lots of nutrient-dense whole foods and focusing on good pre-exercise and recovery meals—will have you crossing the finish line like a champ. Why You Need Rest and Recovery After Exercise 12 Sources Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020. 8th ed. December 2015. Kerksick, C.M., Arent, S., Schoenfeld, B.J. et al. International society of sports nutrition position stand: nutrient timing. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 14, 33 (2017). doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0189-4 Jäger, R., Kerksick, C.M., Campbell, B.I. et al. 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Postexercise dietary protein strategies to maximize skeletal muscle repair and remodeling in masters endurance athletes: A review. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2016;26(2):168-78. doi:10.1123/ijsnem.2015-0102 By Chrissy Carroll, RD, MPH Chrissy Carroll is a registered dietitian and USAT Level I Triathlon Coach, and the author of "Eat to Peak: Sports Nutrition for Runners and Triathletes." See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit