1. Make carbohydrates the focus of your diet. Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy during exercise, so meals and snacks should be based on carbohydrates. Even if you are trying to lose weight, carbohydrates should still be the main component of your diet.
Advertisement
2. Choose nutrient-dense, carbohydrate-rich foods over those that are energy dense. Good nutrient -dense carbohydrate-rich foods include cereals and porridge (e.g. oats, mealie meal), breads, rice, pasta, potatoes and starchy vegetables (e.g. peas, carrots, corn, pumpkin, butternut), fruit (fresh, dried, canned, juice) and low-fat dairy products (e.g. milk, yoghurt, maas).
3. Energy-dense carbohydrates such as cold drinks, sports drinks (Energade, Powerade etc.), energy bars, sugar, jam, honey, syrup, sweets (jelly babies, marshmallows etc.) can be used to boost your carbohydrate intake. But because these foods are generally low in vitamins, minerals and fibre, they should not replace meals, especially if you want to lose body fat and have a smaller carbohydrate allocation.
4. In view of trying to increase your carbohydrate intake, don’t neglect the protein in your diet – protein is very important for maintaining and building lean muscle mass. Try having some form of protein at every meal. Good options include lean meat, fish (fresh, frozen, canned e.g. pilchards), liver, low-fat dairy products (milk, cheese, maas, skim milk powder) and legumes (dried beans, split peas, lentils).
5. Your body easily converts dietary fat to endogenous fat, which is then stored in your body. To reduce or maintain a low body fat, you therefore need to limit your fat intake. Using low-fat food preparation techniques can effectively reduce dietary fat; choosing low-fat snacks and spreads; and buying low-fat take-away foods, low-fat processed foods and low-fat dairy products.
6. Choose low-fat, high-carbohydrate snacks between meals and after training to aid recovery (add a little protein in “recovery” snacks). Fruit or dried fruit, bran muffins or scones, fruit bars, water ices, provita, hot cross buns, raisin bread, unbuttered popcorn, low-fat pretzels, Bokomo breakfast bars, sports bars (less than 5 g fat/serve), marshmallows or sweets (as a treat), plain biscuits like Marie biscuits, low-fat yoghurt or frozen yoghurt or maas and low-fat milk drinks are all suitable snack choices.
7. Fruit and vegetables should be high up on your priority list. They provide you with a range of vitamins and minerals needed to release the energy from carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Vitamins and minerals also protect you against diseases and help you recover from heavy training sessions and races. You should aim to consume at least three fruit and two vegetables per day.
8. Pay attention to your fluid needs. Dehydration can decrease your performance, so take a bottle of water with you to work and training. If you perspire a lot and/or if the weather is hot, you will need to increase your fluid intake. A rough guide to determine if you’re drinking enough is to look at the colour of your urine. Dark urine indicates the need for more fluid.
9. To meet your nutrition requirements, eat small frequent meals and snacks during the day. Try not to miss meals before training, especially breakfast because you will fatigue sooner. If you have a decreased appetite, make use of a meal supplement like Nestle Build-Up or fruit smoothies and low-fat sports bars.
10. Carbo-loading or eating a very high carbohydrate diet for three days prior to an event is only necessary for long runs i.e. longer than 10 km. Eat a light, carbohydrate meal about two hours before a 10-km race, such as cereal/porridge + low fat milk, toast + jam/honey or a sandwich with low-fat filling (low fat cheese or chicken). Together with your pre-race meal, drink some fluid, so that you start the race well hydrated.
- (Jenny Anne-Smuts, Shelly Meltzer and Associates, SSISA)
Bookmark with:
What are social bookmarks?