Super Foods 6 - Fruit and Vegetables

 

Renee McGregor (Dietitian, Author of ‘Training Food’) - Vibe Fitness nutrition expert

No matter who I am working with, elite, recreational or non-athletes, the key is to help them to tailor their nutritional intake to their training, lifestyle, family commitments and budget. Many of these so-called super foods on the market are costly; you need to eat an awful lot of kale to get the rich nutritional value that is quoted for health benefits. 

In my new book, Training Food” and in my daily practice I have introduced my list of “hero foods” for athletes. The list is by no means exhaustive but in my opinion these particular budget friendly hero foods are my top 10 and are a must on all athletes shopping lists.

Hero Foods 6 - Fruit and Vegetables

We all know that fruits and vegetables are good for us; they provide us with essential vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and fibre. They are also low in energy and can help keep us full. Root vegetables such as carrots, swedes, butternut squash are all great choices on low carbohydrate days as they help us to stop feeling deprived if we can’t serve out chicken breast with a great big jacket potato!

They have a further role to play too; they are actually very good buffering agents and so could help reduce acid build up in short sprint events such as 100m or 50m freestyle. More studies are needed to confirm this but it’s a good reason to aim for your 5 a day!