Race Previews

Spiky Balls & Other Nutritional Must-Dos...

Saturday, 28 February 2015 00:10

Photo - Spiky-Balls are good for you.

Eat more healthy fats—and other simple rules for smarter fueling.

Start your new year—and training season—off right with my top five nutrition must-do’s for 2015.

1. Hydrate sufficiently (not just while training).

All too often I see hard-working and dedicated triathletes come into my nutrition practice office suffering needlessly due to inadequate hydrating. Track your fluid intake for the next week or so, and periodically throughout the year. Make it easier by using an app such as Water Alert Pro ($0.99, Itunes.com). At baseline, males need 3.7 liters (almost 1 gallon) daily, and females need 2.7 liters (more than 11 cups)—plus more when training or sweating heavily.

2. Eat healthy fats.
I spend countless hours each year explaining the importance of dietary fat to athletes. Savvy triathletes know that fats contain more calories per gram than carbs and protein. However, because they always want to be lean and

Lycra-ready for race day, they wrongly cut out healthy fats such as nuts, seeds, avocados and olive oil to “save calories.” Do yourself a favor in 2015 and eat good fats with every meal. Doing so will not only enhance the taste of your food, but also the absorption of the vitamins and minerals you are working so hard to get. Additionally, these good fats are essential for hormone production, brain function and serve as potent anti-inflammatory agents, helping prevent many common injuries that endurance athletes face.  READ MORE