-
Athlete Eats/ Fuels!
Athletes need to;
💪 Burn (energy)
💪 Build (recover & develop)
……………………
Athletes need;
🍽️ Carbohydrates – both fast & slow energy release.
🍽️ Dietary fibre – process energy & maintain wellness.
🍽️ Protein – recover & build cells.
🍽️ Fats – reduce inflammation, absorb vitamins & hormonal regulation.
……………………
Athletes, typically;
🏋️♀️ Repeat defined meals, only making subtle changes to nutrients and flavour.
🏋️♀️ Avoid counting calories and gauge caloric volume on sustained appetite.
🏋️♀️ Some days will eat lots, other days, even more!
🏋️♀️ Prepare their meals, which are void of ultra-processed food.
🏋️♀️ Choose organic food, mostly.
🏋️♀️ Avoid caffeine & sugar after 5 pm.
🏋️♀️ Hydrate fittingly, with largely water & minerals, and again, free from processing.
……………………
An example of an athlete's fuelling day in a life – timing, pending training commitments.
Early in the day
🥣 Water (mineral inclusion) – e.g. a pinch of bicarb soda.
🥣 Pampy's Porridge (Oats, cocoa nibs, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut, LSA mix) on active mornings.
🥣 Eggs, Avocado, Goat's cheese, Sourdough on recovery mornings.
🥣 Coffee (including MCT oil).
🥣 Whey protein (isolate) in water - separate to the meal.
……………………….
Middle of the day
🥑 Quinoa & Brown rice, & or, fresh Sourdough.
🥑 Chicken, Beef, Eggs, Salmon, Tuna, etc, cooked & contained.
🥑 Avocado, Haloumi, Macadamia nuts, self-made protein bars.
🥑 Pepita & sunflower seeds.
🥑 Four bean mix, including chickpeas.
🥑 Fresh lemon & lime.
🥑 Flavour: herbs, vinaigrette, aioli etc.
🥑 Protein portion & meal volume pending afternoon training (more carb and lighter if 'harder' evening training).
🥑 Water to thirst and mineral inclusion in warmer months (sodium, magnesium, potassium & calcium).
……………………….
During the day.
🍐 Natural yoghurt.
🍐 Pears, apple, kiwi fruit.
🍐 Salted macadamia nuts, walnuts, almonds.
🍐 Sunflower seeds.
🍐 Ground cinnamon.
🍐 True organic biltong like barbell biltong.
🍐 Celery, carrots, capsicum, cucumber & hummus.
🍐 Sourdough with hummus, goat's cheese, fresh lemon & olive oil.
……………………………
Later in the day.
🥦 Veggie choice – any of them, and lots of them, adding;
🥦 Olive Oil, butter, garlic & Salt.
🥦 Dark coloured leaf – e.g.silverbeet, purple cabbage, red capsicum, red onion.
🥦 Red meat, poultry, seafood.
🥦 Herbs, fresh; basil, coriander, paprika etc.
……………………………
🚰 Water to thirst – so, typically, lots of it!
🚰 Very little refined sugar – only when on the move.
🚰 Most artificial 'sports' food is now limited, e.g sports drinks, power bars, muesli bars, protein drinks.
🚰 Quality isolate whey or egg protein and creatine is cycled during strength & build phases only.
