Eat Well, Train Well

I have seen countless athletes that dedicate themselves 100% to training hard but go home and eat for convenience with a bit of health in mind. What I plan to explain here is a simple guide you can use to ensure you are eating well balanced meals that will improve your performance and reduce inflammation. This will help you to maintain a constant internal state that is optimized for performance whilst reducing your risk of injury and post training pain and stiffness. This method can also be used by non-athletes to promote a healthy lifestyle and reduced inflammation. We should be looking to consume this style of meal roughly every three hours, including right before bed. This may go against many things you have heard in the past but leading research shows that our bodies work best with a continuous supply of nutrients. This avoids any peaks or troughs in your internal environment. The science of the meal plan is all about maintaining your hormonal levels and energy supply.

A simplified way of thinking of this process is imagining your body is a fire and your food and drink is the wood. You don’t throw all of the wood on the fire at once as it will burn down to nothing and you have no more fuel to keep it going. Equally you do not want to starve the fire of wood as it will dwindle down and burn out. To have an ample fire at all times you put a little wood on, as it starts to burn down, you add a little more.

The process in its simplest form is easy to follow and will ensure adequate nutrient intake.

Step 1: Divide your plate into three equal sections.

Step 2: Fill one third with low fat protein. Such as; Chicken, Turkey, Fish, Tofu or Soya based products. The size of this serving should be roughly the size of your palm in both area and thickness.

Step 3: Fill the remaining two thirds with carbohydrates. Such as; colourful Vegetables and a little fruit. The total volume of this should be double that of the protein. Good Choices are: bright coloured fruits, high fibre veg, grains, e.g oats, barley. Worse Choices are: Pasta, Rice, Potatoes, Bananas

Step 4: Add some fat! We are looking for healthy monounsaturated fats such as those found in nuts, avocado and olives. The portion size here will vary depending on your nutrient source. A rough guide for men is 12 almonds or olives and for women its 9 of either one.

Step 5: Enjoy the results this simple process can bring to you!