2. Changing the rules means changing
habits
• It takes:
•A desire to change = the
‘want to’ change
•A strategy to change = the
‘how to’ change
3. Changing the rules means changing
habits
• The “want to” is governed by you
• It’s YOUR choice!
• The “how to” is where we come in
to help!
4. 10 Rules of Good Nutrition
These rules are based on the ‘Triple S’ criteria:
Simplicity – Keep it simple. If it isn’t easy to follow, it
probably won’t get followed
Science – is the rule grounded in scientific principles? If
not, then we probably shouldn’t be making it a rule
without sufficient evidence
Success – Have the rules actually worked before?
5. 1. Eat Often
Try to eat something every 2-3
hours, if possible.
This doesn’t have to be a full
meal. Snacks should be
considered as ‘mini meals’, set
them up exactly as you would a
meal.
6. 2. Eat protein with every meal and
snack
Protein is essential to increase weight
especially muscle mass. Protein also keeps
you feeling fuller for longer, which will help
prevent you reaching for poor snacks.
The two main roles of protein are to repair
the muscle following training and games
and to maximise adaptation to training.
7. 3. Eat vegetables and/or fruits with
every meal
“EAT A RAINBOW OFTEN!”
In addition to eating complete proteins,
vegetables or some fruit should be included
every time you eat.
Fruits and vegetables provide essential
vitamins and minerals which play a vital
role in keeping you healthy.
Aim for AT LEAST 5 portions a day
8. 4. Earn your carbohydrates!
Carbohydrates are important for fuelling training
sessions and promoting recovery.
It is important that we get the balance right. Too
many unnecessary carbs over time can lead to
increasing unwanted body fat.
Carbohydrate portions should be adjusted based on
the training session intensity and duration – an easy
session won’t require the same amount of carbs as
a very tough session.
On the other hand, not eating enough to fuel recovery can
result in decreased performance and possibly illness.
10. 5. Love Healthy Fats
Healthy fats are present in foods such as
eggs, avocados, oily fish like salmon, nuts
and some oils.
A good mixture of different type of fats in
the diet can improve health and help with
body composition.
Aim for natural sources as opposed to the
fats found in fried foods, crisps and many
sweets.
11. 6. Focus on Whole foods
‘Where do we get the good components of a
meal from?’
We encourage a food-first approach, the
closer to source you can get the food, the
better quality it will be. While often the more
convenient option, processed foods rarely
deliver good quality nutrients in the right
amounts.
Fresh cuts of meats, fresh fish and fresh fruit
& veg should be your go to!
12. 7. Hydration
Without adequate fluids you can feel tired
and not alert
Dehydration leads to poor performances.
Always carry a large water bottle, have it
with you at training, at school, during study
times, keeping it topped up and this will
help you stay on track.
14. 8. 10% Rule
The 10% rule allows you to
‘break the rules’ from time to
time. To keep you sane!
Every food has a context; it’s
knowing when is the best time to
have them!
Finding the optimum balance is
key.
IT’S YOUR CHOICE!!!
15. 9. Food Preparation strategy
Consider:
1. The Sunday ritual (planning
your week ahead)
2. The Breakfast ritual (cooking
for the day ahead at
breakfast)
3. The Supper ritual (cooking
for the following day before
bed)
Have a plan!
Today we’re here to speak to you about Nutrition and the aim is to lay down what we believe are the ‘10 rules’ of good nutrition which will help in promoting recovery, enhancing adaptation and ultimately improving performance, as well as being an all around healthier athlete. Sick athletes can’t play! So let’s set this up
Changing habits can be quite difficult and it takes two things: A desire to change, which is controlled by you and a strategy to change, which is ‘how you’re going to change the habits’, success requires planning. We remember this quote from Aristotle
The want to is your own personal desire, you know what you want more than anyone else the how to can be the tricky bit and that’s where we come in to give guidance. We want to talk to you today about a few concepts and give you guidelines, or ‘Rules’ to help keep your nutrition plans on target. Getting nutrition right can lead to improvements in mood, sense of well-being, quality of sleep and of course your performance on the pitch! And getting it right now makes it easier to break through in the future.
When thinking of these rules, they’re based on the ‘Triple S’ criteria:
Simplicity – Keep it simple, stupid. If it isn’t easy to follow, it probably won’t get followed
Science – is the rule grounded in scientific principles? If not, then we probably shouldn’t be making it a rule without sufficient evidence
Success – Have the rules actually worked before? When you get given information, think, does this agree to the three rules?
Try to eat something every 2-3 hours, if possible. This doesn’t have to be a full meal. snacks are fine, and should be considered as ‘mini meals’, set them up exactly as you would a meal.
We’ll see how to set our meals up next..
A lot of the time we see players who are under-eating protein on a daily basis. Protein is essential to increase weight especially muscle mass. Protein also keeps you feeling fuller for longer, which will help prevent you reaching for poor snacks.
The two main roles of protein are to repair the muscle following training and games and to maximise adaptation to training.
In addition to eating complete proteins, vegetables or some fruit should be included every time you eat.
Fruits and vegetables provide essential vitamins and minerals which play a vital role in keeping you healthy.
Good practice is to eat a rainbow often- different colours of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. Aim for AT LEAST 5 portions a day
Carbohydrates are important for fuelling training sessions and more importantly, fuelling recovery. However, it is important that we get the balance right. If we eat more carbs than we need, over time we can start to hang on to unwanted body fat. On the other hand, not eating enough to fuel recovery can result in decreased performance and possibly illness.
Carbohydrate portions should be adjusted based off the training session, things like intensity and duration – an easy session won’t require the same amount of carbs as a very tough session.
Carbohydrate sources should come primarily from pastas, rice, bread, oats & sweet potatoes.
When most people hear the word fat, this is what they think of….
Healthy fats are present in foods such as eggs, avocados, fatty fish like salmon, nuts and some oils. A good mixture of different type of fats in the diet can improve health and help with body composition. Aim for natural sources as opposed to the fats found in fried foods, crisps and many sweets.
So we’ve looked at the different components of good meals, but now we need to figure out ‘where do we get them from?’ We encourage a food-first approach, the closer to source you can get the food, the better quality it will be. While often the more convenient option, processed foods rarely deliver good quality nutrients in the right amounts. As well, knowing where your food comes from ensures only quality ingredients go into your meals. By cooking/making your own food, you know exactly what you are putting into your body.
Simple things like getting meat from a butcher counter as opposed to pre-packed goods can pay off greatly. Added to this, if you establish a link with your local butcher, fishmonger or green grocer he may be kind and do you some deals
A really important aspect of nutrition is your hydration. Without adequate fluids you can feel tired and not alert. Dehydration leads to poor performances.
A simple solution; always carry a (large) water bottle, have it with you at training, at school, during study times, keeping it topped up and this will help you stay on track.
One of Wasps’ most successful players – who came through the academy, like you guys – is very professional and takes his nutrition very seriously.
It can be really easy to reach for a sweet or fizzy drink when thirst strikes, but remember, these drinks are full of sugar and unwanted calories. Some of these are obvious, but some other, less obvious, often touted as ‘healthy’ options are fruit juices, which can be just as high in sugar as fizzy ones. Even coffees with flavoured syrups add up.
The best bet is to go with water and if it’s after training milk is great for rehydration and has some good carbohydrates and protein for refuelling
However there is a time and a place to have sugary drinks, 10% food
The hardest part of eating well is sticking to the rules we’ve talked about; it’s vital you have a plan! This comes back to one of our first slides; changing habits, creating good habits, making good decisions, becoming better people
Set aside some time on a Sunday, or any day of the week where you know you have some free time. During this time, think of the week ahead. You have activities planned, so you’ll need to be prepared to fuel these activities, right? Think of the different breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks you will need. If you can do something to prepare some of these at this time, then do! Some things may require preparation closer to the day however.
Some people prepare the breakfast ritual. Seeing as they’re already preparing and cooking breakfast, they feel it’s no extra effort to cook lunch and some snacks for the day ahead whilst they’re there. This requires some more precise time management but it can be done
This last one is my favourite and one I’d use the most. This is simply consulting my plan from Sunday and seeing what meals I need to prepare the night before.
To all of this I’ll add, but some lunch boxes or Tupperware, they make food transport so simple – just be careful nothing leaks!
Don’t be a Tiger Woods!
Plate with a whole meal (carbs, protein, fats, veggies etc.) A smoothies – showing carbs, fats, protein etc. Too much anything is still too much
Talk about inter-relatability of nutrition – it’s all linked
