Adventures in Flapjackery - Part 1

Flapjacks.

Cheap, easy to make, versatile and (potentially) nutritious, flapjacks are often a go-to snack of choice, particularly for those engaging in sports.

They have the illusion of being a healthy treat - based on oats, it's easy to liken them to a bowl of porridge.
A traditional recipe for flapjacks, however, is loaded with added sugar and fat, and what seems to be a small snack can easily contribute significantly to your daily intake of calories and macronutrients.

Oats are an excellent source of slow-release carbohydrates, being low on the glycaemic index. They are also a useful source of protein and contain a form of soluble fibre that has been demonstrated to lower 'bad' LDL cholesterol.

So all in all, oats are good.

Back to flapjacks though, the added sugar and butter detract somewhat from the virtues of the oats. Whilst I very much hold the view that there is a place for everything in the diet (just so long as it's edible!) and moderation is key, I also enjoy a little bit of experimentation in the kitchen. A little bit of tweaking, some alternate ingredients, and flapjacks can be re-invented in a much more healthy fashion. And if you can make something healthier, then why not?

And to that end, I present some flapjack recipes.

The Recovery Flapjack

Containing a carbohydrate/protein ratio of 2 to 1, these flapjacks are ideal for a post-workout snack. The carbohydrates will replenish depleted glycogen stores, whilst the protein content will assist with muscle repair and synthesis.

They contain no added fats (the fat content comes from the peanut butter), and are much lower in added sugars than traditional flapjacks, as much of the sweetness comes from added fruit.

Allergy information:
This recipe contains peanuts, so is not suitable for nut allergy sufferers.
Use gluten-free oats to make them safe for coeliacs. 
Contains no egg or dairy.

Ingredients

175g crunchy peanut butter
5 tbsp golden syrup/honey
200g porridge oats
1 ripe banana, mashed
75g raisins

Method

1. Grease and line a 20cm square baking pan. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4.
2. Place peanut butter and golden syrup/honey in a saucepan, and heat until melted.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until combined.
4. Press into the prepared pan, and bake for 20-25 minutes (ovens will vary).
5. Leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before cutting into 12-16 pieces, depending on desired size.

Pizza Flapjack

A savoury option, because flapjacks don't have to be sweet.

It's a common complaint from people who take part in endurance sports - pretty much all of the shop-bought nutrition products are sweet. Gels, drinks, and bars tend to be based around glucose and are typically flavoured with chocolate, fruits or vanilla. Fair enough, but the sweetness can become cloying. For this reason people turn to alternate strategies, often opting for things like Marmite sandwiches or pork pies. This recipe is inspired by the good ol' pizza. In flapjack format.

This recipe is only marginally higher in fat than traditional flapjacks, but it is still worth bearing in mind that fats can cause gastric discomfort in susceptible people. Try in training and not for the first time on race day, if using as part of a fuelling strategy.

The carbohydrate/protein content is again a 2 to 1 ratio, so useful for recovery as well as general fuelling.
Nutritionally, the tomato puree, grated carrot and courgette provide useful vitamins, whilst the cheese content provides both protein and calcium.

Other vegetables - sweet potatoes, butternut squash, pumpkin, parsnip, etc. can be used as substitutes for the carrot or courgette if liked.

Allergy information:
Contains dairy and egg.
Can be made with gluten free oats. 
Contains no nuts. 

Ingredients

250g porridge oats
150g cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 carrot, grated
1 courgette, grated
50g butter
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp mixed Italian herbs


Method


1. Grease and line a 20cm square baking pan. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4.
2. Place butter, tomato puree, herbs and grated vegetables in a saucepan, and heat until melted.
3. Remove from the heat, and add the remaining ingredients - stir until combined.
4. Press into the prepared pan, and bake for 20-25 minutes (ovens will vary).
5. Leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before cutting into 12-16 pieces, depending on desired size.

Warning! Tastebuds will vary - but as far as I'm concerned, these are delicious!

Part 2 coming soon!

Breakfast - what to eat!

Following on from my last post exploring the importance of the pre-race breakfast, I was asked to provide some practical examples. 

So here we go!

First off, I'm basing this info on some very typical breakfast foods. Cereals, toast, bagels, etc. The examples are far from exhaustive and there are many other weird and wonderful foods you might eat. Just have a look at the food label to work out the carb content of your food of choice. 

I'll stick with the mundane though, as let's face it, it's more likely than not that you'll be reaching for the tried and tested favourites on race day. 

The idea is this - pick the base of your meal. Toast, a bowl of cereal, etc. Then add a topping of your choice - jam on your toast, honey in your porridge, and so on. Double up if you want to! Raisins and a banana together provide 44g of carbohydrates in a fairly modest amount of food. Finally, add some fluids. Milk on your cereal or as a drink, a glass of juice, or for a big hit of carbs, a milkshake. Mix and match as you choose!

Some examples...

Example 1. 

The amount of jam used in this example is fairly modest - at ~11g per tablespoon, spread it thickly to increase the  carb count! 

Example 2.

The portion of porridge included in this example is 30g, which is typically the amount found in a single sachet of microwaveable oats. The portion is fairly small, so eating two would be quite manageable for most people. Doubling the amount of oats and milk provides a further 31g of carbs, taking the total to 118g. The amount of honey can also be increased to raise the total carb content of the meal. Bung in a tablespoon of raisins and you've got another 21g of carbs. 

Example 3.

I've double the 'standard' portion of breakfast cereal here, taking it to a 60g serving. Most people would dish themselves up 60g and think it average, so all in all I'd consider this a fairly small breakfast. Add a banana and some juice, and you've got 120g of carbs. 

Example 4.

Again, this is a fairly small breakfast, but it demonstrates how much you can make of liquid carbs if you so wish. The Nutella could be spread more thickly to increase the carb content, and is quite nice with a sliced banana on top. So I'm told... 



So let's work through a couple of case studies.

This is Barbara. She's a runner. She weighs 10 stones (63.5kg). 
It is recommended that Barbara eat 2-4g of carbohydrates per kilogram  of body weight: 
63.5 x 2 = 127g
63.5 x 4 = 254g
Therefore Barbara should aim to eat between 127-254g of carbs at breakfast. On race day, Barbara eats 2 hours before her race.
She might choose:
Two slices of toast (42g) spread with 1 tbsp honey per slice (26g) and a sliced banana (23g). With this she has a large glass (300ml) of pineapple juice (38g). This will provide 129g of carbs. And all in a fairly modest breakfast. 
      


This is Tom. He is a triathlete. He weighs 14 stones (89kg). 
89 x 2 = 178g
89 x 4 = 356g
Tom should be aiming to eat between 178 - 356g of carbs at his 
pre-race breakfast.
On race day Tom starts breakfast 4 hours before his race. He might choose to eat:
A large bowl of porridge (50g) made with 250ml milk (12g). He adds two tablespoons of raisins (42g) and a large sliced banana (32g). He drizzles over a tablespoon of honey (13g) and has a large glass (300ml) of orange juice (30g). A couple of hours later, Tom eats a bagel (42g) spread with peanut butter (3g) and drinks a 380ml Lucozade (64g) on the way to the race. This provides 288g of carbs.


So there we have it! 

What do you have for breakfast? Leave a comment and let's get some discussion going! 

The Breakfast of Champions?

Frequently referred to as the most important meal of the day. But where does it fit into a sports nutrition plan?

You've spent hours training, braving wet weather, dark nights, early mornings, aching legs and – quite possibly – missing toe nails.

After all of that effort it really would be a shame not to be in optimal condition come race day, yet lots of people neglect a vital component of pre-race preparation. Breakfast.

There’s an awful lot of (often conflicting) advice around what the right thing to do is when it comes to eating and sporting performance, so it’s quite understandable that you might be a little confused about the best way to approach nutrition. So here I present for you all you need to know about pre-event fuelling.

Do I have to eat?

No. You don’t. However, bear this in mind – if you have the time and opportunity, why would you choose to avoid eating on the very day you plan on undertaking an activity with high energy demands?

It is not essential to eat before taking part in sporting activity, whether it be running, triathlon, swimming, football or whatever sport it is you do. Assuming you eat a diet that includes carbohydrates, your body should have sufficient glycogen stores to fuel around 90 minutes of activity. For running, that should be enough time to complete distances up to and including a 10K run, and perhaps even half marathon for the speedier runners out there.

Once your glycogen stores have been depleted – after ~90 minutes – there are ample stores of both fat and protein to tap into.

However – and this is important – glycogen is the preferred fuel for working muscles and essential for the brain.

The metabolism of both fat and protein can (and do) provide energy to keep you moving, but the mechanism by which they are utilised is less efficient than that of carbohydrate stores.

To illustrate the point, watch:

Now this is a slightly extreme example, although there does seem to be an increase in the popularity of Ironman distance triathlon, so perhaps not as unlikely as you might think. 

Both ladies have significant stores of both muscle and fat, and yet they are literally dropping on their feet. Muscle cramps and a build up of lactic acid are likely to be contributory factors to their struggle to complete the race, but the primary factor it likely to be that fuel simply isn't being supplied rapidly enough to keep either the muscles or brain going, and as a consequence they are struggling to coordinate their movements, losing their balance, falling over and suffering. A lot.

So whilst our bodies do have stores of fuel, they can't be relied upon to keep us going in the absence of carbs/glycogen. 

During the night time fast (also known as sleeping) your stores of liver glycogen are significantly depleted, and there is associated dehydration. The morning meal helps to restock the glycogen and to rehydrate the body, thereby providing energy to meet the demands of activity without further depleting stores.

So do you have to eat before a race? No. But is it recommended that you do? Yes. Especially if you’re likely to be active for more than ninety minutes.

What types of food should I eat?

As to what you should eat, it really depends on the demands of the race. But there are some basic rules to adhere to.

It needs to contain carbohydrates 

As we've already said, carbohydrates are the body's preferred fuel source. The body has some glycogen stores (endogenous carbohydrates) that can be used, but once this is expended you are reliant on a combination of what you eat (exogenous carbohydrates) and other body stores of energy - protein (muscle) and fat. As carbohydrates are more efficiently used, they permit higher intensity activity and longer duration. 

Not all carbohydrates are created equal. They can broadly be divided into two categories - simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are sugars (either added or intrinsic, that is, found naturally within the food), whilst complex carbohydrates are more commonly known as starches. 

The chemical composition of the simple vs. complex carbohydrates is such that simple carbohydrates are more rapidly metabolised than complex, and therefore are more readily taken up as fuel. Complex carbohydrates take longer to break down, and therefore have a longer lasting effect. Eat a combination of these and you can reap the benefits of both to provide both a rapid and a sustained energy release.

Add some protein 

The protein is optional, but recommended, for three primary reasons. 

Firstly, protein is the most satiating of the macronutrients, that is, it helps you to feel full. Now, you don't want to be going into a race feeling like you're fit to bursting, but nor do you want to get part way through your race and feel ravenous. So eating some protein as part of your pre-race breakfast can stave of grumbly tums and hunger pangs. 

Secondly, protein helps to control the rate at which carbohydrates are absorbed. Proteins slow gastric transit (the rate at which things move through your gastrointestinal system) and therefore have the effect of lowering glycaemic load - the rate of uptake of the carbs into your system. 

Thirdly, protein contains energy. And an exogenous (originating from outside the system, in this case, the body) source of energy can help to spare/postpone energy being taken from body stores. 

So three good reasons for including protein. 

What are your choices?

Avoid fat

Whilst fat can provide you with a decent amount of exogenous energy, it is digested more slowly than either carbohydrates or protein, to the point at which is can cause problems when you are racing. You really don't want food lingering within your GI system whilst your racing - it's likely to cause cramping, nausea, bloating and diarrhoea. 
So small amounts of fat are permissible, but a particularly fatty meal is to be avoided. Leave the full English fry-up for another day. 

Avoid fibre

The ability of the gut to cope with fibre various widely from person to person. Fibre is renowned for contributing to GI problems during sporting activity. For more information, see my previous post on Runner's Tummy. 

Drink!

A small degree of dehydration occurs over night. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommend that 400-600ml of fluids be consumed around two hours before an event to optimise hydration status. 

How much should I eat?

The amount of food you need very much depends on the duration of your race and the intensity with which you plan on completing it. If you want to go further or go faster there are increased energy demands that you need to meet, so you need to eat more for a longer distance/faster race. 

The general recommendation for the pre-race meal is to eat 2-4g of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight, aiming for the higher end of the spectrum for longer events. 

Remember though: the more food you eat, the longer you need to allow for digestion if you want to avoid GI distress - as already said, you really don't want a stomach full of food when the klaxon goes off!

Ideally you'll eat 2-4 hours before the race begins. For most races (typically with morning starts) this would mean being up pretty early!

Now, not everyone likes eating breakfast, perhaps even less so if it's very early in the morning. So you have options: 

• Split the meal into two/three smaller snacks. Have the complex carbs first, then an hour or two later have a snack based more on simple carbohydrates. 
• If you can't face eating four hours before a race, when you do eat, aim for the lower end of the range for your body weight (2g/kg body weight) and increase the ratio of simple carbs which are more easily digested. As you'll now be eating less, remember to fuel during the event, if the distance/duration warrants it (90 minutes and above).
• If you really can't face breakfast early in the morning, liquid carbs are a good option. They require less digestion so can help if you get pre-race nerves/queasiness or are just not used to having breakfast. Something like a juice or a smoothie is a good option, as are some of proprietary sports drinks. 

So what does that all mean?

It's fairly simple - eat breakfast! 

• Focus on carbohydrate rich foods. 
• Have some protein.
• Avoid too much fat and fibre. 
• Rehydrate!
• Don't fret too much over getting the numbers spot on. Unless you're a top level athlete, it's unlikely to make a huge difference to your performance. 
• Finally - and this one is important - NEVER try anything new on race day. 

Carbohydrate and protein content of common breakfast foods

Fasting, part 2: training and fasting

Fasting and training

It’s a question that’s been raised to me by a few people – can you combine a fasting diet with training for a sport?

Well yes, you can. But it requires some thought.

It is possible to continue training and follow a fasting/calorie restriction diet. You just have to be sensible. Planning a long run in marathon training for a fasting day simply isn't clever, nor is getting into the pool if you know you tend to feel light-headed on a fast day.

So for your reading pleasure, these are some of the things you need to think about/consider.

Train early - if you're used to exercising first thing in the morning, then make the most of the previous day's intake and train early. Your energy stores will be somewhat depleted by the overnight fast (also known as sleeping...), but less so than later on during a day of fasting.

Train late - if you simply can't face the thought of training on an empty stomach, wait until you've had something to eat. This depends on how you disperse your calories during your fasting day - if you spread them throughout the day, then it probably doesn't matter when you train - your exogenous (from food you've eaten) fuel levels will be consistently low. If you still have a 'main' meal during which you eat the majority of your day's calories, perhaps consider training a little while after that meal.

Hydrate - fasting encourages the utilisation of stored energy, and this process often also involves the elimination of stored water. Avoid dehydration by drinking regularly throughout the day - this may also help to stave off hunger pangs, and is essential for enabling quality athletic performance.

Eat well - If you have a poor quality diet in general, then the further restriction on fasting days could simply lead to nutrient deficiencies and poor health - less food = less calories, but it also means less vitamins and minerals. It’s important the you make up for the fasting days by eating nutritious foods on your feeding days. This is particularly important if you are stressing your body with training.

Be clever in scheduling - it simply makes sense to plan your most intense training days to coincide with 'feeding' days. You can exercise on fasting days, but it's likely to be a less than optimal performance. 

It may feel like you're giving it 100% (and you may well be), but 100% on a fasting day is unlikely to resemble 100% on a feeding day. It feels hard because your body is struggling, and you're less likely to experience the gains you would expect from a well-fuelled training session.

Train smart, train well!

Refuelling? It's difficult to refuel properly on fasting days, and it's worth bearing in mind that refuelling isn't just about replacing spent energy, but about feeding your muscles so they can recover from your workout. It's what happens in this recovery phase that determines the benefits you see from your training - becoming faster, stronger, developing stamina - all are affected by recovery. Another reason not to plan intense training days to coincide with fasting days.

Don't fast on race day! Let common sense prevail - if you're racing, give your body the fuel it needs. 

Runner's Tum and Toilet Traumas

Runner's Trots

Runner’s trots, runner’s tummy, jogger’s bowels (I may have made that one up…) – whatever you want to call it, the issue of bowel disturbances as a consequence of running (and indeed other forms of exercise) is something that troubles a lot of runners – up to 70% of regular exercises have reported problems with diarrhoea, bloating, cramps, flatulence and nausea.

The extent of the problem can vary dramatically between people, from a touch of nausea after a run in some, to I Must Find a Toilet THIS INSTANT! severe diarrhoea in others. It can ruin training, scupper races and put people off being active.

So what causes it, and what can you do about it?

Identifying the cause of a problem is the first step in finding a solution. And in the case of exercise induced gastrointestinal disturbances, there can be several causes.

Potential cause number 1: The Gut

When you undertake sustained activity - typically 60 minutes plus, several things happen that can affect the way your gut works.

Firstly, when you start exercising, the way the blood flows through your body changes. The oxygen demands of the working muscles increases, and to meet this demand blood flow to the gut is reduced. And the longer you are active for, and the more intense the exercise, the greater the degree of the reduction in blood flow to your gut – some research has indicated that the reduction can be as much as 80% of the normal blood flow.

When blood flow to the gut is reduced, the motility (movement) and rate of absorption from with the intestines is affected. Movement through the gut becomes more sluggish, and ingested foods/drinks are more poorly absorbed than would be normal. This can cause GI symptoms including cramps, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea – the typical problems we call Runner’s Gut (I may have made that one up too…).  

Secondly, exercise can cause dehydration. Dehydration further reduces the flow of blood to the gut which can further exacerbate GI symptoms.

Thirdly, you get hot (even in British summer conditions!), and this - guess what! further reduces blood flow to the gut .  

So lots of things going on in the way the gut is working.

When you consider putting something in to be digested – a gel, jelly babies, malt loaf, pork pies (or whatever your refuelling snack of choice happens to be) there's obvious scope for exacerbating tummy trouble in a system that’s functioning well below the optimum.

However - and here's a key thing to remember - one of the best ways to increase blood flow to the gut and to reduce some of the problems of dehydration, is to keep stomach volume relatively high. The more there is in the stomach (up to a point - you don't want to be gorging yourself!) the greater the flow of blood. The easiest way to keep stomach volume high and to reduce the effects of heat stress and dehydration is to drink. Water with added electrolytes as a minimum, but adding some carbs in will obviously help to keep energy levels up (either a sports drink or gels/dilute fruit juice/similar along with some water). If you do want to take on carbs - recommended for activity lasting 90 minutes or more - then you need to practise and train the gut to tolerate whatever it is you do to refuel.  

Potential cause number 2: Diet

The foods we eat are an obvious area worthy of investigation when it comes to tummy troubles. There are some usual suspects, but the effect they have on people will vary – so some detective work is needed. The easiest way of doing this is to keep a food and symptom diary. You should soon be able to see a pattern if your symptoms always occur after eating a particular food.

So – the likely culprits:

Fibre

Fibre is good for you. It typically comes in nutrient rich foods – wholegrain cereals, nuts and seeds, fruit and vegetables, it helps you to feel full, can help to lower blood cholesterol, and it’s good for the bowels.

But you can have too much of a good thing.

When you combine a fibrous diet (which gives the bowel a lot of work to do) with activity that reduces the efficiency of the bowel, then you’re almost setting yourself up for a problem. This won't apply to everyone - some people seem to be immune to tummy problems - but others will do well to avoid high fibre foods, particularly if you already have a history of conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Don’t cut fibre out altogether – see above for the health benefits! – but avoid high fibre meals in the 2-3 hours before training, and for a couple of days prior to a race if you are suspicious of fibre and its effects on your bowels. It’s certainly worth experimenting to see if there’s an improvement in symptoms.

Caffeine

Caffeine is well known for its pharmacological stimulant effects, but it’s perhaps not as well known that these effects extend to the stomach and bowels. As well as being a stimulant it is also an irritant, and it is quite common for people with IBS to be advised to reduce caffeine consumption. You don’t have to cut out caffeine altogether, but try avoiding it in the few hours before training and racing.

As an aside, caffeine is often consumed in the form of hot drinks, typically tea and coffee. Hot drinks are known to increase the speed of gastric transit – the speed at which things pass through the gut. Which is to be avoided if you have issues with diarrhoea!

Lactose

Lactose is the sugar found in dairy products: milk, cheese, yoghurt, butter, etc. It is digested by the enzyme lactase, which is produced within the small intestines. Some people are deficient in lactase, and develop symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating and diarrhoea after eating foods containing lactose. Most people can tolerate small amounts of lactose, even if they are lactose intolerant – it takes a little trial and error to work out your own tolerance level. If you are sensitive to lactose, avoiding it before training and races is recommended.  

FODMAPs

Not a term that most people are familiar with, FODMAPs (Fermentable, Oligo-, Di, Mono-saccharides and PolyolS) are forms of carbohydrates that some people have trouble digesting. They pass through the intestines and are fermented in the large bowel, causing typical symptoms of bloating, cramping, flatulence and diarrhoea.

FODMAPs are found in a wide variety of foods, including apples, pears, stone fruits, honey, wheat, onions, beans, as well as in artificial sweeteners such as sortibol and xylitol, found in chewing gums and mints. It’s not advisable to restrict your intake of all of these without medical supervision – you’re likely to end up missing out on a lot of essential nutrients. Keeping a food and symptom diary can help you to recognise if particular foods are causing your symptoms, and you can use this to carefully amend your diet. It can also help a professional advise you on how to sensibly and safely control your symptoms and maintain a healthy balanced diet.

Drinks sweetened with high fructose corn syrup can be particularly troublesome for some people – check food labels and avoid if you can and if you suspect this may be a source of your symptoms.

Fizzy drinks

Carbonated drinks can promote gas within the stomach and intestines, and this can obviously contribute to bloating, cramping and flatulence – best avoided if you suffer from GI complaints!

Spicy food

Well known for causing tummy troubles regardless of activity, some people are susceptible to the effects of hot and spicy foods. Best avoided, especially in the days preceding race day!

Potential cause number 3: Mechanics

Another thing to consider is the mechanical 'jarring' that comes from running. Some people seem to be more susceptible to this than others, and there's a school of thought that proposes having a strong core can 'buffer' the intestines. So lots of planks and the like may help – it certainly can’t hurt!

Potential cause number 4: Stress

The psychological stress of training and participating in races can have an unexpected effect on the gut: you may not consciously feel stressed, but it can show itself in the bowels. This may be made worse if you’re anxious about previous experiences of Runner’s Gut and are worried about the problem reoccurring.

Resolving this cause of diarrhoea/GI complaints is more complicated than simply avoiding a food – you need to relax! Find a way of avoiding the pre-event jitters that suits your lifestyle, and try not to stress about having to find a toilet or the problem will become self-perpetuating!

General hints and tips

1. Avoid eating in the couple of hours preceding a race. 
2. Try to regulate your bowels – the term ‘bowel habit’ is used for a reason. We can exert some control over where and when we go to the toilet, so having a routine of opening your bowels can prevent unexpected urgency! As peculiar as it may sound, give yourself time to sit on the toilet and relax without fretting! 
3. Have a warm drink and exercise lightly to stimulate the bowels before your training session or race. Once you’ve been to the bathroom, head out and go for gold!
4. Experiment with training at different times of day if you have the flexibility to do so. Training in the evening when you bowels have accumulated the day’s food and drink may make the symptoms of exercise-induced GI problems more likely to occur. Try training in the morning, or timing a training session after you usually empty your bowels.
5. Avoid foods you’ve identified as causing symptoms.
6. Stay hydrated.
7. Stay positive – if you’re new to exercise it may take some time for your body to adjust. If it’s a long-standing problem, try some of the suggestions and try not to fret too much about it, it’ll only make things worse.
8. Locate a toilet! If all else fails, knowing where you can access a toilet can alleviate the worry of having to find one in an emergency.

You may decide to try an over-the-counter anti-diarrhoeal medication, and these may certainly offer some relief from your symptoms. But take caution – regular use of such medications can promote dependence. Not in the sense of addiction, but in that your bowel will start to rely on the presence of the drugs and not function well without them. If you take them pre-emptively they can cause constipation. Medication is an occasional remedy, not a long-term solution!

A Rule To Live By!

If nothing else, please take this on board – do not try something new on race day. No new gels, no new sports drinks, sampling unusual delights from the breakfast buffet, whatever it is: DON’T DO IT!

Putting something unfamiliar into your stomach is a Very Bad Idea. If you want to use gels, sports drinks or the like, find a brand that you like and use it in training. You’ll soon know if it likes you back, or if it has you cramping and running for the toilet. A bit of experimentation is essential if you want to avoid problems on race day. Trying something new for the first time before or during an event is just asking for trouble.

If you know that an event uses a particular brand, test it in your training. If you like it, great. You’ll know that you can grab a bottle/cup from a drink station and not suffer any ill effects. If you don’t get on with it, take your own fluids/gels with you.

Finally – consider getting a check-up with your doctor. If you have a change in your normal bowel habits, or are concerned about any of your symptoms, it’s always best to get yourself checked by a doctor. This topic isn’t something to feel embarrassed about – be sensible and look after yourself!

Introducing The Food Whisperer...

It’s difficult to go anywhere without finding yourself surrounded by food options, cleverly marketed and often making all manner of health claims. And with information about diet and nutrition frequently in the news, it’s not surprising that it can be difficult to make sense of contradictory headlines, to pick through the advertising and to know what the truly healthy options are.



Everyone knows that diet and health are connected, with weight being the most obvious factor affected by what we eat. But did you know that your risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers, stroke and osteoporosis are strongly influence by your diet? And that diet has a role to play in eye function, blood formation, mental health, healthy ageing, conception and achieving a healthy pregnancy?

It will probably come as no surprise that diet-related health problems are on the rise. More than a quarter of adults (26%) are classified as obese (having a body mass index (BMI) of 30kg/m2) in the UK, and rates of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke are increasing too.



The good news is that in most cases all it takes to reduce your risk and protect yourself against these conditions it to make a few lifestyle changes, and The Food Whisperer is there to help you take those steps towards a long and healthy life.



The Food Whisperer takes a personalised approach, working with you, your likes and dislikes, and your lifestyle to find a way of helping you to achieve your goals. All advice given will be based on the highest standard of scientific evidence, whether you want a pro-active approach to dealing with a current concern or hints and tips to avoid future health problems.



In addition to general health and treating medical complaints, The Food Whisperer can also advise on all aspects of sports nutrition. Whatever your challenge, whether you’re aiming to complete your first half marathon, sculpt muscle or tackle an endurance challenge such as a marathon or an Ironman distance triathlon, knowing how to apply the science of nutrition to your training plan can enhance your performance, aid recovery and help you to achieve your best.

​

The Food Whisperer doesn’t advocate restrictive diets, promote the latest celebrity fad or ban foods. There’s nothing wrong with the occasional piece of cake or drink with friends! Instead the focus is on a balanced approach to eating and enjoying food.

Find The Food Whisperer on www.thefoodwhisperer.co.uk