PERFORMANCE
NUTRITION
Lucy-Ann Prideaux is the founder of Simply Nutrition, a health and performance consultancy offering nutrition assessments and coaching options for athletes and non-athletes alike
Q
After running I get severe cramp in my calves, I stretch as much as I can but can you advise me
why I suffer from them and what I can change in my diet to help?
Dehydration, electrolyte imbalance/lack or loss of minerals (specifically sodium, magnesium, calcium and potassium), tight muscles and lack of flexibility are all possible causes of cramps. Ensure that you are drinking enough water before, during and after training. For extra potassium and a good mineral intake generally, you will need to eat plenty of fresh vegetables, especially cruciferous vegetables, squash and leafy greens. Another theory - the cause of cramps relates to an imbalance in nerve signalling, caused mainly by muscle fatigue. On this note, ask yourself if your training program needs attention. Are you overtraining?
Q
As the winter is setting in, are there any particular foods that will keep me going in the cold weather and help my endurance to stay high?
Winter is a bountiful season for the perfect warming and grounding foods – root vegetables. These include the gourd family of vegetables, such as butternut, onion, squash, pumpkin, parsnip, swede, potatoes and beetroot. All make delicious and colourful carbohydrate-rich soups, stews and broths. Get into the habit of making these sorts of dishes, with added leafy greens for extra minerals, such as kale, cabbage and other winter greens. Soups and stews are not only are perfect recovery foods, easy and fast to digest, and with added peas, beans, chickpeas, chicken or fish, they provide all the nutrition a runner needs to recover and replenish energy stores. Alongside oats, other healthy grains that contain fibre, B vitamins and minerals, such as quinoa, wholegrain rice, millet and buckwheat are not only great accompaniments to main meals, but also make warming, energising porridges and muesli for breakfast. Try these, made with milk and top with sliced banana or stewed apricots or plums, honey and natural yoghurt, and of course a handful of fresh winter berries for your antioxidant fix of the day!
30 n
www.runningfreemag.co.uk Q
I suffer from bloating and wind and have found that running
has helped to suppress this, however are there any foods, drinks or supplements that I can take to prevent it completely?
Persistent or uncomfortable stomach bloating and gas invariably has an underlying cause, and without knowledge or investigation of that, it’s difficult to advise specifically. Do take note that bloating is commonly caused by swallowing air. If you are fast eating and tend to ‘wolf down’ food, slow up a bit. This will help anyway, as digestive enzymes that begin the digestive process are present in saliva. Avoid sugary, fatty and refined foods. Try eating natural yoghurt every day and introduce some wheat-free grains such as quinoa and rice in place of bread and pasta. Try probiotics which are beneficial to gut bacteria.
REGISTERED NUTRITIONIST, LUCY-ANN PRIDEAUX,
WWW.SIMPLY-NUTRITION.CO.UK
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64