Samantha Charlton
The Commonwealth Games gold-medalwinning Black Sticks hockey player is a qualified nutritionist who values healthy eating for sporting performance and in everyday life.
What are you expecting diet-wise at the upcoming Women’s Hockey World Cup in London? It shouldn’t be too much of a challenge after playing in such countries as Argentina and India. We’ll have access to many of the same foods as in New Zealand. However, the UK is known to have heatwaves at this time of year. If that happens, we need to increase carbohydrate and electrolyte intake for training and games. One of my focuses during winter is on avoiding colds and the flu. I have to be careful with taking supplements, so I try to boost my immune system with food. I’ve been focusing on gut health by eating probiotic foods such as sauerkraut and drinking Yakult [fermented milk] and kombucha [fermented tea].
Do you have a special meal before competing?
Yes. I’m a big believer in routine and that includes what I eat. I always have an oat-based cereal with natural yogurt and sliced banana. That’s a pretty common choice among the Black Sticks. I always pack two or three bags of bircher muesli in my suitcase.
What do you eat for breakfast? Today, I had a brekkie salad: chopped spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, basil and boiled eggs with salt, pepper and chilli flakes and a slice of sourdough bread.
What about lunch? Pumpkin soup from last night, with chopped spinach and pre-prepared roasted broccoli, cauliflower and capsicum. Each Sunday, I roast a huge tray of vegetables, then I either add these to leftovers or serve them with eggs for lunch during the week. It saves me a heap of time. What’s a typical evening meal? It’s hard to go past a good soup in winter. My current favourite is pumpkin, red onion and garlic. I have it with halloumi cheese as my protein source.
What about snacking? I avoid packaged snacks and have either fresh fruit and vegetables or homemade snacks. My favourites are apple with nut butter, carrot and natural hummus, homemade seed crackers, banana loaf or egg and vegetable “bread”.