Health & Nutrition

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Health & Nutrition

A Healthy Diet for Sports and Exercise

Eating a healthy balanced diet will provide you with all the nutrients you need to take part in your favourite sport or activity. Remember that variety is the key to a healthy diet.

· eat enough carbohydrate to keep you going during exercise

· eat plenty of wholegrain breads and cereals, fruit and vegetables and moderate amounts of milk, yoghurt and cheese, lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts and pulses

· eat enough food for your level of activity. If you eat too little then you won't be able to keep up your exercise levels

· drink plenty of fluids (preferably water)

Timing of meals around workouts is just as important as what you eat if you want to keep your energy levels up. For the first two hours after exercise, muscles can refuel their glycogen stores twice as fast as normal so it's important to eat carbohydrate-containing foods with a small amount of protein as soon as possible after a workout or exercise session.

See our selection of recipes for ideas on how to put this together

Carbohydrates - a good energy source

Carbohydrate is the most important fuel for energy, so you should eat lots of foods that are rich in starchy carbohydrates. The richest sources of carbohydrate are bread, rice, pasta, cereals and potatoes, but other foods also contain useful amounts, such as: fruit, vegetables, beans, pulses, yoghurt and milk.

Carbohydrate is stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen, and if you get tired during your sport or activity, this might be because your glycogen stores are running low. The more you exercise the more carbohydrate you need. The actual amount you need depends upon the type of exercise you're doing, the intensity, duration and frequency of the exercise, and your fitness level.

The bigger the glycogen stores in your muscles, the longer you can perform. So this is particularly important if you do an endurance sport such as marathon running, long distance cycling or fell running. After exercise, your muscles can refuel their glycogen stores twice as fast as normal, so it's important to eat foods containing carbohydrate soon after you’ve finished exercising.

Protein and exercise

We need protein for our muscles to grow and repair themselves. Protein is also a source of energy.

The amount of protein athletes need has been a topic of huge debate for many years because people who are very active, especially those who train frequently, generally require more protein than those who don't. However, most people in the UK eat more protein than they need, so even top athletes should be getting enough protein to meet their needs. This means there should be no need for you to increase the amount you eat of foods rich in protein and there is no need to buy protein supplements.

Remember, you should be able to get all the protein you need by eating a variety of foods.

How much protein do I need each day?

Drinking for sport and exercise

If you get dehydrated it can stop you getting the most out of your activity, so it's important to make sure you drink enough.

To help keep you hydrated:

· Don't wait until you feel thirsty

· Drink lots before you start exercising

· Keep some drink to hand so you can reach it whenever you need it while you're exercising

· Drink plenty when you've finished

And remember that the fluid we have when we're exercising should be on top of the usual 1.2 litres (6 to 8 glasses) we need every day in climates such as the UK to stop us getting dehydrated.

It's not usually necessary to drink sports drinks just because you're active. Fruit juice mixed with water, well diluted fruit squashes, or juice drinks will hydrate you and give you some energy. But remember that these, like sports drinks, contain lots of sugar, which means they contain extra calories and can lead to tooth decay.

How much protein do I need each day?

Men need about 44 to 55g a day and women need about 36 to 45g protein each day.

The following foods are all good sources of protein:

· poultry (an average portion of roast chicken breast contains 27g protein)

· lean meat (an average portion of bolognese sauce contains 28g protein)

· fish (a small can of tuna and an average portion of poached cod fillet each contain 24g protein)

· cheese (an average cheese sandwich on white bread contains about 17g protein)

· eggs (an average-size boiled hens' egg contains about 6g protein)

· milk (a 150ml glass of semi-skimmed milk provides about 5g protein)

· pulses (three tablespoons of boiled red lentils contains about 9g protein)

· tofu (100g tofu contains about 23.5g protein)

· bread (a slice of wholemeal bread contains about 3g protein)

It can be harder for vegetarians, and especially vegans, to get enough protein. So if you're vegetarian, try to eat a mixture of foods that are rich in protein every day, and vary the types you choose. For example, you could eat:

· pulses, such as lentils, beans and chickpeas

· nuts and seeds

· eggs

· soya products, such as tofu, miso and soya drinks

· mycoprotein, sold as Quorn^TM

· wheat proteins, such as cereals, bread, rice and maize

· milk and dairy products