Healthy Eating
There is no perfect diet or single nutrition program that will meet the needs of everyperson or athlete. Nutritional needs vary between different sports and should be targeted individually based on factors such as activity levels, age, body composition and personal preferences. The main nutritional goal for all of us should be to maintain fitness and health. To put it simply this means we need to eat enough food to fuel our body for activity and we need to maintain our weight within a healthy range. Unfortunately ourtypical New Zealand diet is high in fat, low in complex carbohydrate and dietary fibre, and high in salt and sugar. Many of us are consuming more calories than we are burning in a day, whilst at the same time we are not consuming important nutrients needed by the body for health and performance.
Eating for fitness and health
Beware of fad diets, it may be tempting to try the latest supplement in the quest for weight loss or sports performance but a tally up of your weekly food intake will do you better. While many athletes use supplements or vitamins regularly, it is always important to put a healthy eating plan into place first. Supplements or vitamins will never make up for a bad diet.
Foods to increase
Water
Water is our number one nutrient and good hydration is crucial for us all, especially hard training athletes. Water carries nutrients to our cells and aids digestion and metabolism.
Complex Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are our main source of fuel and should be our chief source of energy. Good complex carbohydrate choices are whole grains, oats, rice, pasta, kumara and potatoes. Choose carbohydrates that are low in sugar and fat. The right carbohydrates will provide added fibre to your diet without extra salt, sugar or fat.
Vegetables and Fruit
One of the main reasons many of us consume too little fibre is because we don’t eat enough plant food. Fruit and vegetables provide fibre, vitamins and minerals and antioxidants. Base your main meal around a good serve of colorful vegetables.
Protein
Protein keeps the body firm and tight and plays an integral role in muscle repair. Protein is needed by the body to form anti-bodies and support growth. The best sources of protein are fish, lean meats, chicken, eggs and low fat dairy foods.
Essential Fats
Healthy fats are important for us all, in specific the Omega 3 and Omega 6 fats. Our modern diet tends to be high in Omega 6 which appears to make us all in need of eating more healthy Omega 3 fats. The best sources of Omega 3 fats are oily fish like salmon and sardines or you could take a quality fish oil supplement.
The good news is that there is no such thing as ‘bad’ food. All foods have a place in a well balanced eating plan. Aim to eat more whole foods such as fruit vegetables and whole grains. Remember to have a well balanced breakfast to help you get through the day. Salt, Sugar and Alcohol deliver no nutrients to the body therefore try to ensure these three anti- nutrients do not make up a large part of your weekly energy intake.
Breakfast
Recent research shows that a third of New Zealand teenagers skip the most important meal of the day because they either don’t have enough time or they don’t feel like eating. We can improve our mental and physical performance with a healthy breakfast.Depriving ourselves of breakfast actually deprives us of nutrients and energy we need to get through the day. When we skip breakfast we not only miss an important meal designed to stoke the metabolic fire, but we also have a higher chance of obesity.
To maintain a high performance body we need high performance fuel. Breakfast is the one meal of the day that just shouldn’t be missed. A good breakfast would be high in fibre and contain a combination of complex carbohydrates and protein with a small helping of good fat to help you through the day. Remember, breakfast kick-starts the brain, improves mental and physical performance and actually helps maintain a healthy body weight
Lunch
Second to breakfast lunch is our most important meal, and studies show that some café or takeaway meals are laden with calories. It’s actually quicker to pop into a super-market, grab a pre made salad, a whole meal roll and some deli meats than to wait in line at the local café! (Don’t forget to grab an apple for the afternoon). Skimping on a good lunch leads to cravings in the afternoon and over eating at night, not the ideal scenario for health and fitness. Studies show that few people are taking the traditional lunch hour and many have rushed lunch breaks at their desk. While this may seem great for productivity if you rush or skip lunch on a regular basis you will be robbing yourself of important health benefits.