When I was playing field hockey at the highest level, the importance of the diet was stressed as much as the importance of training.
This is not exactly news but, in the years since, there has been a lot of talk about the extremely close correlation between food and performance.
What is really great is that all the knowledge accumulated in the field of sport nutrition can benefit all of us in our daily lives, particularly where the gym is concerned.
Here are some tips on what to keep in mind when planning your meals before and after work-outs:
Drink up: Hydration is essential in order to avoid cramps and damage to the muscles. It is advisable to drink before, during and after training. Ideally you should drink a bit every 10-15 minutes rather than all at once.
Before exercise: Focus on carbohydrates, with a good mix of slow-release (to make sure you have energy throughout the workout) and faster release (to give you fuel for the beginning).
Try these: Oats with fresh or dried fruit, Greek yogurt with fruit and nuts, peanut-butter and banana on toast.
More specifically, before working have a light snack, easy to digest and not too caloric (around 250 calories). A chicken or hummus sandwich is perfect about one and a half hours before training. Fruit or bread and jam are perfect around 30 minutes before starting (simple sugars are better right before working out).
Never workout on an empty stomach: The body needs energy to perform at its best.
After exercise, the focus is on protein for muscle building. Focus on chicken, tuna or red meat, eggs and cheese. Vegetarian sources include pulses such as lentils or beans, although it’s important to keep in mind plant-based proteins are not complete, so you’ll need to combine two or more of them. Quinoa and buckwheat are two examples.
It’s very important to replenish your levels of salts, minerals and vitamins. For this reason fruit and vegetables are very important, next to a source of carbs, like pasta or rice and protein.
Need some inspiration? This delicious ricotta pasta recipe gives you high protein, low-GI carbs, fibre, vitamins and minerals all in just five minutes.
Sabine Hobbel, an athlete and health researcher and her husband Nico Olivieri, an Italian chef share a love of food, fitness and nutrition are our Guest Bloggers this week in the lead up to World Pasta Day. The pair, mum and dad to one-year-old Aidan, run natural food company Leaves – pasta made from chickpeas and buckwheat.
