Basic Principles of Sports Nutrition to follow

When preparing to train and compete in a sport, athletes need to build a foundation from which they can develop and progress. In my opinion diet and nutrition should provide a consistent underlying fundamental from which all the training and performing. Assessing your diet from its present state until where it is where you want it to be is a process, a journey.

When taking on an assessment of your nutritional intake, in terms of the demands of your sport, you should always consider a few fundamental notions to follow to help you progress:

1.    Saturated fats and salt levels should be avoided or kept to a minimum wherever possible

2.    Seasoning can be a great way to enhance the flavour of foods without resorting to high sugar sauces – things like herbs, spices (chilli can be a great addition to spend up the metabolism, due to its capsicum content) and black pepper– use as much as you wish to enhance taste

3.    Be careful of low fat substitutes – although they may provide a low fat alternative to your choice, it may be counteracted by high levels of sugar or additives as a result, so always check and use with caution

4.    Consider GI when consuming carbohydrates – try to predominantly use low GI carbs as sources of fuel from carbohydrates, wholegrain and whole wheat are best. These give you a more gradual release of energy at a more consistent level

5.    Proteins in their original form should be eaten regularly - Each meal to contain some bio-available protein in low fat form – e.g. chicken breast, turkey breast, and very lean beef, and include oily fish as a choice at least twice a week.

6.    Fats have benefits – especially during the recovery process, unprocessed fats sourced from both animals and vegetables will be beneficial to your recovery. Try food sources such as salmon, mackerel and herring alongside vegetables such as avocado will benefit you immensely. Cooking your food using coconut oil will only boost these benefits further, and provide natural aids that cooking with normal oil cannot provide

7.    Deep fried foods should be a no-go area – using different variations of cooking to keep things fresh and remove tedium. Techniques include dry roasting, baking steaming and grilling

8.    Salads and vegetables with at least two meals of the day.

9.    Still mineral should be served with all meals

10. Keep it simple - Good simple foods with plenty of taste/flavour works best - there is no need for adding lots of extras just for an extravagant presentation or serving of food.

11. Plan ahead – this should go alongside the above point, in order to maximise the benefits you can reap.

The right choices in the kitchen make your choices in the gym worthwhile!

This article was expertly written by Morgan Price-King BSc.