Gold standard for great diets
TO WIN an Olympic ympic gold medal takes greatreat genes, hard work and d bags of determination – plus a seriously good diet.
And while Rio is out of reach for most of us, lookingng at our top athletes’ food choicesices could prove useful for our own health.
With a study revealing ealing Olympians live forr 2.8 years longer on averageage than the rest of us, we look at five Team GB B stars’ daily food diaaries for inspiration,n, with the help of antitiageing and fitness nutritionist Rick Hay.
He says: “You don’t need to count caloriesies and macros like a sports star but it’s good to take tips from their balanced glycemic-loadoad meals.
“It’s quite easy to re-create at home if you’ve gott fibre and wholefoods in your diet. Healthy snacking and ditching processed foods is also important.
“Finally, athletes f uel themselves regularly and we can definitely learn from that. You don’t have to starve to get in shape.” Breakfast: Special K cereal and a crumpet. Lunch: Beans on toast. Dinner: Tuna pasta bake Snack: Cereal bar. Rick says: I like her beans on toast at lunchtime because she’s having plant-based protein. Recent research has linked a small increase in plantbased proteins with a longer, healthier life. The beans are full of fibre, keeping regular is so important. For dinner, the tuna gives essential fatty acids, great for hair, skin, nails and moods. A cereal bar is fine for Laura as she’s exercising but for the average person a piece of fruit and handful of nuts might be a betteretter option. Breakfast: Granola with yogurt and pumpkin seeds and a coffee Lunch: Ham salad ad brown bread sandwich.ch. Dinner: Teriyaki salmon stir-fry. Snack: Cereal bar. Rick says: This is a great breakfast to get you going. I’m not against having a coffee in the morning. It can help with fat burning and cognition. Granola (make sure it is a healthy granola) will give you energy and yogurt will give you protein for an ongoing feeling of fullness. Lunchtime is best for a sandwich so you can burn off the carbs in the afternoon and salmon stir-fry is perfect for dinner. Jessica is getting a nice protein hit and essential fatty acids with the salmon, to help her skin and nails, mood and energy. Breakfast: and toast. Lunch: Barbecued meat. Dinner: Steak, cooked vegetables, followed by a pudding. Snack: Flapjack. Rick says: Flapjacks can be really sugary so you have to be careful which one you buy. But I’m not averse to a healthier, oatbased one one. Breakfast is quite good – although Nutella isn’t as healthy as nut butter, it is still a n nice protein hit, and por porridge gives you slo slow-release carbs. Alistair is having ba barbecued meat to up Porridge with Nutella his protein levels. Protein will fuelf lean muscle, help with toningt and keep him full. I don’t mind some meat but wouldn’tw recommend it in two mealsmea a day. I’d opt for plantbased proteinp instead. Breakfast:Break Frosties. Lunch:Lunch Chicken with rice and veg. Dinner:Din Tomato soup and bread roll.ro Snack: then). Rick says: I wouldn’t recommendre a sugary- based cerealcer for breakfast, it will cause your blood sugar to spike. Nicol Nicola is probably getting away with it because she’s exercisi exercising so much. But her lunch provides a carb hit with t he rice (brown is best) and she’s getting some nice vito- nutrients with the vegetables. Soup is always good if you’re on are a weight-management campaign but add some protein – chickpeas, lentils or beans. As for an occasional treat, enjoy it. If you’re constantly thinking about that muffin but you’re never having it then all you’re doing is overloading on adrenaline and making it harder to metabolise fat. Ice cream (now and