NUTRITION
The main difference between healthy eating & sports nutrition is the attention to detail & the fine -tuning of nutrient delivery. In healthy eating, the ultimate goals is to promote long-term good health & fend off the increased risk of sickness, while maintaining a balance so that food is enjoyable.
In comparison, sports nutrition, although based on healthy eating principals to an extent, is performance driven. It is about getting the best out of your training and therefore fuelling your body to be able to perform. Tailoring nutrition choices to your training, intensity, frequency & volume will ensure you have the right amount & type of fuel into your body to meet the demands of your training. With the correct choices, timing & amounts after each training sessions, this allows your body to recovery, repair & adapt.
The key to good sports nutrition is not just in the preparation & knowledge to achieve your fuelling goals, but you need to be able to adjust your nutrition to the exact training sessions. It is not just about energy in v energy out. By just meeting your energy demands, you may be able to carry out all your training but you may not see any actual improvements in your day-to-day training and overall performance.
Making good nutrition choice will ensure adaption occurs from training including increased strength& lean muscle mass. Good consistency at each training sessions ensuring you can conduct each one to the best quality and profess. And importantly, have good sleep patterns, a good mood & high energy levels
Losing weight or being in RED-S/LED/ULED by incorrect nutrition intake is often the path athletes take to become faster. Year after year it have been proven in studies that athletes who drop substantial amounts of weight, may get a little faster but then disappear off the face of the planet, with injuries, stress fractures, over training symptoms & disordered eating which could easily have been prevented by having their training supported by a healthy, sports specific diet in place. When it comes to nutrition, long term consistency is key to long-term success.
Training is not for weight loss. Food is not the enemy. To sum it up, there is no substitute for a high quality diet and sufficient energy intake.
The main difference between healthy eating & sports nutrition is the attention to detail & the fine -tuning of nutrient delivery. In healthy eating, the ultimate goals is to promote long-term good health & fend off the increased risk of sickness, while maintaining a balance so that food is enjoyable.
In comparison, sports nutrition, although based on healthy eating principals to an extent, is performance driven. It is about getting the best out of your training and therefore fuelling your body to be able to perform.
RECIPES
See below for more
Chicken & Quinoa Salad
Serves 4-
150g / ¾ cup Quinoa
-
400g cooked chicken breast, cut into chunks
-
150g cherry tomatoes
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1 cucumber, deseed and chopped
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1 tbs walnut oil
(adds a nutty taste & is high in Omega-3 fats) -
1 avocado
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Juice of ½ lemon
-
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Put stock in a bowl and allow to cool.
Add chicken, tomatoes, cucumber, capsicum, oil and toss to combine. Then add Quinoa.
Peel Avo, remove pit and cut the flesh into chunks. Toss with the lemon juice and gently fold into the salad.
ASCENT SPORTS NUTRITION
We are extremely lucky to have our MSGold Accredited Sports Dietitian, Nicole from Ascent Sports Nutrition, provide the squad talks about the importance of fuelling, recovering & sports specific diet. For those looking for expert advise & a personal nutritional plan, look no further than Nicole. She will be able to calculate your nutritional requirements for each macro-nutrients to ensure the training fuel demands are being met.
RECIPES
Choc-Nut Banana Bread
Makes ~8 slices
Yes, as runners we love our bananas, and for good reason! They are an easily digestible source of energy perfect for pre-training & can be great for post training when enjoyed with a glass of milk or latte! Those brown speckled bananas are the tastiest for Banana Bread!
Put oats in a food processor and blend until finely ground
Beat the eggs, then stir through choc chunks, mashed bananas and ~4 Tbsp. water
Sift in the ground oats, flour and baking powder, and fold in all other ingredients together until well combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 30-40 mins until cooked through.
Allow to cool for a few minutes in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
Cut into 8 slices and enjoy!
The Yummo Smoothie
Single Serve
Start your day off right, or refuel after training, with this protein packed smoothie. Filled with frozen fruit, oats, protein powder, almond milk and a dollop of peanut butter, this is the Smoothie of all Smoothies!
Place everything into a high-speed blender.
Blend on high, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed, until thick and smooth
Serve immediately and enjoy
Sweet Potato Fries
Serves 4
Sweet potatoes have taken over in popularity from the humble white potato in recent years due to their versatility! They are high in beta-carotene, great source of complex carbohydrates, perfect paired for a recovery meal or added to a risotto for a whole food pre-endurance training meal, add them to salads or simply have them as a side dish!
Prepare oven at 200oC. Line 2 baking trays
Cut Sweet potatoes into sticks ~1cm thickness, keep as uniform as possible. Place fries in a large bowl and toss with egg white and EVOO.
In a small bowl, mix together curry powder, and then sprinkle over the fried & toss well
Spread the fries onto baking trays so they aren’t touching (this ensures even cooking and crispness). Please in the oven on centre or lower racks and bake for 20 mins.
Remove from oven and with a spatula, flip the fries.
Return to the oven and bake until the fries are browned on the outside and soft in the middle, which will be about 10 mins
Serve with your fav meal for either recovery or energy!
