The Swiss_Food_Pyramid for Athletes and Your
Sports Nutrition Plan

The Swiss Forum for Sport Nutrition released a pyramid made especially for athletes, which is the first and only one in the world developed for an athletic population. The goal of the pyramid is to make food choices easier for active individuals by translating guidelines for nutrients into foods. A person may know they are supposed to consume MORE carbohydrates or fluids when they are training, but how much more?

The pyramid is similar to the USDA’s MyPyramid but has unique features that are helpful for healthy adults who exercise greater than or equal to 5 hours per week. One unique characteristic of the pyramid is that it includes beverages at the base of the pyramid, with pictures of coffee, water, soups, iced tea, etc. This shows the athlete that fluid intake is crucial and necessary for optimal performance.

The primary feature unique to the Swiss pyramid is that it breaks down additional servings needed from certain food groups for each additional hour of exercise. One additional hour of exercise = 1 more serving from the grains/legumes group and ½ a serving from the oils, fats, and nuts group. This is shown both in pictorial symbols and in words, so individuals can easily understand the message of the pyramid. Examples of serving sizes are listed to the left of the pyramid.

The Swiss_Food_Pyramid for Athletes is simply another way to consider good nutrition. It may be helpful to check out if you are tired of looking at MyPyramid and want to look at nutrition recommendations in a different way. Find out more about the Swiss_Food_Pyramid for Athletes and/or view a picture of the pyramid. This link will take you directly to the Swiss Forum for Sport Nutrition website.

If you have any questions or comments about the Swiss Pyramid for Athletes, feel free to contact me.