4 Easy Tricks for a Better Diet (Guest Post)

Your body has undergone millennia of evolution and development to achieve it’s highly tuned state of an anatomically modern human, H .s. sapiens. And as an athlete (professional or not) in training, you’re also trying to better your mind and body even further, right?
So why then go and fill it full of junk? Why ‘feed’ your body unwholesome, highly processed, noxious ‘food’?
Instead, you should be filling up on nutrition that your body wants, needs and enjoys. But you know that right?
In this day and age, it’s hard not to be exposed to the world of health, even indirectly. And as an athlete in the making you have no doubt been told, nae! preached unto, time and time again that getting the right nourishment is important.

Well, here some simple tips to help you achieve this with minimal fuss, and don’t worry; I won’t even mention tofu or kale!

KISS
Keep it simple, stupid!

    Why fuss over gourmet health meals, when all you need is food in its (almost) natural state? Your body doesn’t care whether your veg has been sautéed, steamed, stir-fried, baked, boiled… whatever. It cares about the nutrition it can provide, and what better nutrition than food in its natural state?
We have the simple, good-to-the-core, tasty availability of numerous vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, lean meats, fish and fat-free dairy all at our fingertips in stores today. So keeping it easy and simple is a walk in the park when it comes to all of your main meals.

Have A Plan = Have Some go-to’s!

    In the morning, try some simple oats, some peanut butter (the no added sugar or salt variety, of course) and some honey – all natural sources of energy for your tough day of living! You can add in a scoop of your favourite protein too, for added oomph!

    Snacks include the aforementioned nuts, seeds and fruit – or why not throw in some satiating vegetables like celery, carrot, cucumber sticks? One of my favourites is single celery sticks with a peanut butter layer (go easy here with the peanut butter, mind) on top, dotted with berries or pistachio kernels. All super portable, various, cheap and damn tasty!

    Lunch is where most people crack and go for the ‘easy’ options like fast food. Well, this is where your planning comes in most useful!

    Try taking a sandwich (with wholesome insides of course), or buy a low-fat-ingredient salad with plenty of raw vegetables and salad leaves, or if you have access to a microwave oven, try bringing a small sweet potato (or yam, to all you ‘mercans!) and  give it 4-5 minutess in there, topped with tuna/mackerel/chicken and your salad for a more filling lunch

    Dinner, easy! Simply grilled/baked chicken breast with a large helping of veg and greens! Give google its name sake and peruse all of the healthy dinners available for us lazy/tired/broke/can’tcookwon’tcook young and fit folk.

All easy, all simple, all tasty and all nutritious!

HALT

    This tip stems from another of my abbreviations – HALT. It’s simple really, before sauntering over to the fridge, stop and think:

H – Hunger. Is it true hunger, or are you just bored? Or…
A – Anxious. Are you feeling anxious, nervous, depressed about something? It’s called ‘comfort food’   for a reason. Or are you…
L – Lonely. When we are alone, we feel no pressure to eat what we want, food is our company. Are you just lonely? Go out and socialize or recognise that it isn’t right to eat for amusement alone. Or maybe you’re just…
T – Tired. We all need energy, and when we are tired, we often look to calorie-dense foods that seem more appealing at the time than looking to wholesome foods.

    So the next time you find yourself standing in the glorious luminescence that is your fridge light, HALT.

Substitute for Sustenance

    Some easy substitutions can make the difference between a s**t body and a fit body.
It’s easy, just look at some of the more calorie laden things that you eat, like sugar, chips, fries, chocolate, soft drinks, full fat milk, among others, and you’ll soon see how easily they are snuck in to your diet without thinking.

·         Unsweetened tea/coffee/cocoa – if you must have sweetener, use a stevia based one, it’s all natural with no harmful chemicals.

·         Skim milk, or 1% milk – good for your oats in the morning or in your tea, coffee or cocoa etc.
David note: I have substituted my dairy milk for almond milk, which tastes awesome and almost none of the fat.

·         Wholemeal carbohydrates – complex carbohydrates provide longer lasting energy and are ultimately less likely to be stored at fat after metabolizing. So brown pasta, brown bread, brown rice…you get the idea.

·          What about mustard instead of mayo on your sammich?

·         Buy, or make, your own vegetable chips, or have sweet potato fries instead of the fat laden originals.

·         If you can’t resist chocolate, try swapping milk chocolate with a high cocoa content dark chocolate, and limit the amount you eat to 30 grams – about the size of your thumb!

    So, you get the idea. Stop and think, “Is there any way I can substitute something here with another, more healthy option?”

Your Humble Hand

    Often, portion size control is to blame when it comes to overeating. Here is a trick that utilizes your humble hand as a visual aid in determining portion sizes:

One Cup = Your Fist – a portion the size of your fist is roughly one cup portion of food.
Use for: Vegetables, fruit, salads, drinks, soups etc.

Half Cup = Cupped Hand – a cupped hand of food is roughly half a cup.
Use for: Pasta, rice, cooked vegetables, beans etc.

3 Ounces = Flat Hand – roughly the size (thickness, width and length) of a 3oz steak of meat/fish.
Use for: steak, chicken, pork, fish.

One Tablespoon = Thumb – thumb sized portion of food is a tablespoon of food.
Use for: peanut butter, dark chocolate, salad dressings etc.

One Teaspoon – Thumb tip – similarly, the tip of your thumb is roughly the size of one teaspoon of food.
Use for: oils, sweetener, chia seeds etc.

Use these tips and try find some more to pave your path to success in your track fitness goals!
Good luck!

Dom

The Athlete's Essential Grocery List It

No matter how hard, or frequently you train, if you are not putting the right fuel into your body you are not going to succeed to the best of your potential. Without the correct diet you will either crash and burn with a season ending injury, or if you are lucky, only carry on at a mediocre level. It's your choice. But here through my resource scouring I have come up with a list of essential grocery items for athletes. Here they are:

• Dried Fruit - Dried fruit is quickly digestible glucose, which is necessary for the body to sustain itself especially during physical exertion. It is more easily digested into the body than fresh fruit and it's easy to carry. Ingested in not stupid amounts and it wont upset your stomach during a race either.
• Bananas - The energy bar that nature has provided. They are filled up to brim with essential performance nutrients and energy sustaining electrolytes. Trumps an expensive energy bar or sports drink every time.
• Almonds - Almonds are stacked full of "good" fats and Vitamin E, a fundamental ingredient to boost an athletes immune system.
• Eggs - One egg is a significant amount of your daily protein needs. It is also contains absolutely necessary amino acids that promote the recovery of your working muscles. It also has a large amount of Vitamin K, which aids in bone health.
• Sweet Potato - This powerhouse is often overlooked, yet it contains a huge amount of Vitamin A, which is a powerful antioxidant. It also supplies the body with a great many other essential nutrients, but most importantly it contains trace amounts of  Maganese and Copper. These minerals are absolutely essential, and frequently under received, for healthy muscle function.
• Mixed Greens - They contain a unique combination of phytonutrients, and these phytonutrients are also antioxidants which can fend off muscle damage following a rigorous workout.
• Salmon - Not only is this a great source of protein, but it also supplies the body with essential Omega-3 fats. These fats balance the body's anti-inflammatory response, which are beneficial to any athlete with breathing or muscle problems during workouts.
• Whole Grain Bread & Pasta - Great for the body's function, but also may be beneficial to those weight conscious athletes. Those who eat whole grain bread as opposed to white or other grain breads weigh , on average, less. Pasta is great for the athlete regardless as it contains easily digestible carbs, but the whole grain version contains far more fiber and B vitamins that aid in metabolism and disease prevention.
• Frozen Vegetables - Packed with antioxidants and much quicker to prepare than their fresh counterpart. Great for an athlete short of time.
• Chicken - One serving of chicken provides around half of an athletes daily value of protein. It also contains selenium which prevents free-radical damage that can occur during exercise, and Niacin which helps fat burning during a workout.

Also, try these drinking concoctions that are fantastic to any athlete, and vastly cheaper than their advertised counterpart.

• Green Tea with Honey - Honey contains both sodium and potassium, which are the key electrolytes in most sport drinks. The green tea is great for antioxidants, but its main one has been linked to help raise your VO2 Max.
• Orange Juice Diluted with Water - Orange juice is full of potassium! Mix in a tiny bit of salt and dilute it with water and you've created your own homemade sports drink.

Now these are only some great ingredients for an athlete. But these are the ones I deemed to be most valuable. Remember that greater performance starts within. Hope this helps those unsure about what to buy! Good Luck!