Get your sports nutrition right with Bachelor of Dietetics and HPSA student Annelise Jefferies here at USC Sunshine Coast

Sport Nutrition: Back to the Basics

As athletes, we are always looking for those extra 1%ers to get the best gains in performance and recovery. Sport supplements from A-Z are common hot topics amongst many sports at the elite and sub-elite level. However, many of us have fallen complacent in our day-to-day nutrition, and some conned into enticing performance enhancing promises marketing products. I strongly encourage athletes of all levels to revisit your basic day-to-day diet to make sure you’re ticking all the boxes. Get this right and we’re talking about more than a few 1%ers in performance and consistency, and without the price tag of supplements!

So what ticks the boxes for a good foundation diet? I’m talking about macronutrients (carbs, protein, fat), micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), and also nutrient timing (which is another topic for another day). Just because you’re burning twice the calories of a sedentary person doesn’t mean you can eat a tone of junk food. Food is fuel for your sporting performance, so if you put a poor type of fuel into your tank you can’t expect the engine to run smoothly. And you can’t supplement substitute a poor diet! You want to be basing your food choices mainly around the 5 food groups: fruit and vegetables, grains, protein, dairy and dairy alternatives, and some healthy unsaturated fats – see the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating.

Choosing a good variety of these ‘nutrient rich’ foods will ensure your body gets what it needs to recover from heavy training loads and fuel top performances. Planning your meals ahead makes it much easier to make good food choices. For main meals, think about picking a source of each: grains, protein and a few types of vegetables. For example; chicken (protein) pasta (grain) with wilted spinach and cherry tomatoes (vegetables) and even add a drizzle of olive oil (healthy fat). If you’re after some recipe inspo, check out these sources: