All-day nutrition tips for athletes: Dinner

DINNER

Now that I have discussed my breakfast and lunch tips, it's time for dinner!!

First off, before discussing my tips, I want to preface by saying that my all-day nutrition tips are designed to help you fuel smarter, eat healthier and develop or maintain a healthy (or healthier) relationship with food and your body. There are no rules or guidelines as to when to eat or even exactly what to eat. There are no bad foods to avoid or even a list of clean foods to eat.
My goal is to help athletes fuel and eat smarter all in an effort to maintain a healthy body composition, keep the body in good health and of course, boost fitness and perform amazingly well on race day!!

-Dinner is often the "Achilles heal" of most people in our society. For a variety of reasons like being tired and hungry, wanting food fast, feeling too busy or not liking/wanting to cook, sitting down at the table to a home-cooked meal is not an every day occurrence for many. But for athletes, with so much to squeeze into the day, there is great reason as to why dinner may be an afterthought. BUT - that is no excuse. You have to prioritize dinner.

Here are my big tips for ensuring that you can enjoy a dinner meal even as a super busy athlete:

-Prepare meals on the weekend and always plan for leftovers.

-A little meal prep goes a long way. Dice, chop, wash, cook - do as much as you can when you have the time so you at least have options for a upcoming meal.

-Prep a meal (as much as possible) before a workout so you don't finish your workout hungry with no patience to meal prep. 

 -Have a menu for the week. Knowing what you will eat for dinner will ensure that you have those items for dinner. No need to make this menu extravagant, just make a plan. As far as I know, athletes love having a plan to follow.

-Allow yourself one night a week to get a little help from a pre-made meal. Rather than dining out (which takes time to wait for food, eat and pay and travel to and from the restaurant), order out or pick-up food and then use your extra time after dinner to prep a meal for the next day.

-Stop wasting time on stuff that takes up time. Think about your day when you are home. Often times, the cooking and meal prep is an afterthought and athletes get busy doing something else and then when it is time to eat/cook, hunger is too great that the athlete needs something quick and easy. Look at your day to see if there is 10-30 minutes in the morning, when you get home from work (or a workout) or evening that you can do some cooking. 

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As an athlete, food should be high on your to-do list. This means eating, cooking and planning. There's no need to be obsessed and there is nothing wrong with the occasional off day of eating food prepared outside of the home.
Above all, you should love to eat as it is the best way to keep your body in good health and boost your fitness - and who doesn't want both of those??

You know how important consistency is with training and the results you get when you can stick to your training plan. Put a similar amount of passion, effort and enthusiasm into your daily diet (and fueling regime) so that you can feel what it is like to properly fuel and nourish your body in motion. 

If you struggle with daily eating as it relates to your busy lifestyle or body composition or performance goals, send me an email so we can work together to figure out the best fueling plan to meet your health and fitness goals. 

All-day nutrition tips for athletes: Lunch

LUNCH

Now that I covered my Breakfast Tips, it's time for lunch!

-Regardless if you love lunch foods or not, lunch is an important meal of your day as an athlete. Unlike breakfast which is super important as it kick-starts your day (and helps you refuel from your morning workout), lunch is a prime opportunity to nourish your body and fill in some nutritional gaps between breakfast and dinner. Whereas a high fiber, high fat and/or high protein meal is not in the ideal composition from a "fueling" perspective in the morning or evening if a workout precedes the meal, lunch is a great opportunity to fill in the nutritional gaps that may occur throughout the day in an athlete's diet. I highly suggest to emphasize a large salad for your lunch and to make your lunch very "plant strong."

-Many athletes eat lunch and then feel hungry just an hour later. This starts an afternoon of trying to mask hunger with unhealthy methods (drinking coffee or diet coke, chewing gum, eating sugar-free/low calorie processed foods, drinking energy drinks) or giving in to hunger with unhealthy snack options. Or just feeling like hunger never settles. The key to taming hunger in the afternoon is to ensure that your lunch meal is well balanced. I've worked with many athletes who eat a super healthy lunch but because of lack of protein and fat, the healthy lunch ends up becoming unhealthy when the athlete indulges post lunch due to not feeling satisfied. Whereas breakfast and dinner may be more carb-rich, be sure to incorporate at least 25-30g of protein and 10-15g of fat with your plant-strong lunch meal. Along with a heavy dose of fiber from a variety of vegetables, you should find your digestion slowing down and providing satiety for at least 2-2.5 hours. 

-You need a substantial afternoon snack. I feel this is where a lot of athletes go wrong. Don't expect (or plan) for lunch to hold you over for 4+ hours, especially if you are doing an afternoon/early evening workout. And if you workout in the evening, you may need two snacks! Don't be afraid to eat in the afternoon. You are not dieting so you don't need to "save" calories. The goal is to have a substantial snack that looks like a mini meal. It could be a 1/2 sandwich or wrap, granola, yogurt and fruit or a small potato with side of cottage cheese. Whatever your mini meal looks like, consider the evening workout so that you allow adequate time for digestion (at least 2-3 hours before the evening workout).

-Simple pre-workout snacks before an evening workout can be very similar to a morning workout. Ideally, athletes should still consider a small afternoon snack in addition to a pre-workout snack. This may look like a lot of eating but in the big picture, you are trying to manage your appetite throughout the week, minimize overeating in the late evening when you are sedentary and seeking good digestion before bed and to ensure great workouts on a daily basis.

-Don't be afraid to get a little help from others. There is nothing wrong with relying on eating-out once a week, picking up a pre-made salad or selecting from a salad bar. Just always keep your goals and appetite in mind. A pre-made salad at the grocery store or restaurant may work for your sedentary co-worker but it may not be enough for you if you are training for an Ironman!

-Lastly, I have worked with many athletes. I try to help my nutrition athletes better plan their day rather than abiding by a standard meal plan that may or may not work for their lifestyle. If you are a retail employee, emergency room nurse, lawyer, doctor, teacher, stay-at-home parent, vet, accountant.....whatever your job  may be, you must eat based on your schedule. Consider your day and how your job requirements impact your food choices, timing of food, energy, cravings and anything else that will help you be a better planner (and healthier eater). 

Stay tuned for dinner tips!

All-day nutrition tips for athletes: Breakfast

Would it surprise you to hear that many athletes express that they are too busy to eat?

Yes - too busy to eat!

I am a very busy person but there is always time to eat. And plus, food is my fuel.

How can I expect my body to perform well in training and throughout the day if I do not make time to nourish it? 

I wanted to share a few of my nutrition tips to help with meal planning, nourishing and fueling your body throughout the day so that you can set yourself up for great health and great performances.

BREAKFAST

-For the athlete who works out in the morning, there are two priorities. First, you need to focus on what you will consume before/during/after your workout. I call this your "sport nutrition". Next you need to plan what you will eat post workout for your post workout meal (or breakfast). Also, do not neglect your hydration in the form of sport drinks (during), water (before/during/after) and electrolytes (during/after).

-Keep your morning nutrition super easy. This is often the time when busy athletes are extremely rushed and tend to prioritize working out. Don't make your sport nutrition or post workout meal super complicated. In the best case scenario, you should be able to prep your meal/snacks in less than 10 minutes. 

-Create a list of 2-3 pre and post workout snack options (depending on the workout) and make sure you always have those foods available. To that list, add 3-4 staple breakfast meals. Your house should always be stocked with these 6-7 food items to ensure that you set yourself up for great workouts and a great recovery.

-Consider your routine, environment (home/work), travel and anything else that makes your fueling/nourishing/eating regime specific to you. Depending on your commute to work, your job requirements, your morning workout (time/volume/intensity) and anything else, this will factor into what you plan to eat.

-Prioritize carbohydrates and protein, with a little fat with your breakfast meal if you are working out in the morning. This is a prime opportunity to replenish liver and glycogen stores and to help reduce the chance for any afternoon/evening cravings. Focus on wholesome foods that leave you satisfied. 

-For athletes who work out super early and eat breakfast soon after, you may find yourself snacking your way through the morning simply because the breakfast (or post workout meal) and lunch occur more than 4 hours apart. In this case, it may be helpful to eat two mini-meals as oppose to one big breakfast post workout (or first thing in the morning). This can also offset extra calories that you may be consuming in the morning simply because you can't seem to feel satisfied. Two mini meals can often solve that problem (example: instead of eggs, oatmeal and fruit at 7am post workout, have 1 hardboiled egg + 1 banana + smear of PB and handful granola at 7am and then your oatmeal creation with fruit and nuts/seeds at 8:30/9am). 

-No two days will be the same. Never get mad at your body and always honor your biological hunger. Make notes (mental is fine) as to what workouts bring on more/less hunger and how to plan accordingly with your morning meals/snacks. 

-Bring finger food for morning snacking. Many times, a few almonds, a handful of grapes, apple slices or chopped carrots can do the trick to hold you over until lunch. 

Stay tuned for lunch tips!