Read Mad on Nutrition’s top tips for eating for energy here.
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1. Recovery nutrition is essential
Always eat a meal / snack within 45 minutes of finishing all exercise/sport. This is the best time of the day to include carbohydrate in a meal, be it fruit, vegetable or starchy carb, or whole grains.
Not eating after training will compromise glycogen replacement, result in fatigue, potentially immune system issues and weight gain.
2. Eating before exercise, yes or no?
If you are training first thing in the morning it’s ok to do so on an empty tummy for up to 75-90 minutes. However, if you feel better with a something in your tummy choose a carbohydrate snack such as a banana or some fresh dates (3 -4).
3. Hydration
You need to drink 2 Litres of water per day, plus replace anything lost from exercise. In Summer this loss will be greater than in Winter, and its depends on the activity you are doing. Â If you are breast feeding you need to double this !
4. Eat. Real. Food.
Eat a nutrient dense diet with good quality protein and fats, and healthy carbohydrates. Make time for meal preparation and be organized for the week ahead. When you are in the kitchen, think about what else you could be doing. A batch of roast vegetables is awesome to have in the fridge for meals and snacks. Do a variety of above and below the ground veg – my favourites are cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, beetroot and fennel.
How much Protein? Around 60 -70gms per day, split into 3 meals plus snacks. Every time you eat a meal  – think about what is my protein ? each meal should be around 15-20gms, snacks about 5-10gms protein.
How much Carbs? This depends on your body composition, your training and your goals. Focus on unprocessed carbs like vegetables, fruit and wholegrains like brown rice, buckwheat, oats etc .
