How to fuel your body like an athlete

Devising an 'energy plan' involves considering how to use food as fuel to meet the demands of your life, and choosing meals and snacks that leave you bursting with energy for work and play.

It’s a fundamental shift on how you think about nutrition – to proactively fuel your body to meet the day's demands – not just eating what you are used to based on old habits.

What to eat to improve daily performance

The meals you eat each day can positively or negatively affect your energy levels and the results from your training. We may eat up to 1,095 meals each year, so it’s important to have a simple process to build each meal, depending on our needs.

The process which athletes use is one you can acquire and use for meal-planning throughout the day too, from when you're queuing in the staff canteen at lunchtime, to browsing the supermarket aisles or looking through the cupboards at home. It's based upon what your body requires, not what you are used to doing, because you aren’t simply working towards having a meal – you are building a 'performance plate'.

Performance plates provide a simple solution to following the right principles at the right times. Athletes, like most performers, don’t need to be weighing food or counting calories at each meal. Ensuring these principles are followed for each meal delivers what they require with minimal effort.

Nutrient know-how to build your meals

Putting together your own performance plate is a four-part process. At the football clubs where James has worked, they set up the restaurant so that players pass each food station in the same order, adding a serving of each to their plate. This is something that can easily be replicated when meal-planning and building your plate at home.

1. Protein

Your muscles are constantly breaking down and rebuilding over a 24-hour period, and protein is our best aid for this.

Protein foods include:

• chicken
• turkey
• beef
• salmon
• tuna
• eggs
• tofu
• quinoa

2. Low-GI carbohydrates

Fuelling foods, in the form of low-GI carbohydrates, come next, and how much is required (or whether it's required at all) depends on training demands and your goal.

Low-GI carbohydrates foods include:

• oats
• wholegrain rice
• wholewheat pasta
• buckwheat
• lentils
• sweet potato
• quinoa
• bulgur wheat

3. Micronutrients in fruit, veg and healthy fats

Micronutrients in vegetables and fruit, as well as healthy fats, are the third component of your plate.

These foods include:

• a variety of vegetables
• fruits
• healthy fats such as extra virgin olive oil, nuts and seeds

4. Hydration

Hydration is the fourth and final element to consider, and the amount required is likely to increase pre- and post-training, to prepare and rehydrate.

What to eat when

Before and after exercise

Before and after exercise we want a meal to support our two most important nutritional needs – pre-training fuelling (to give enough energy to meet the demands of training) and post-training recovery (to help our muscles to adapt and replenish diminished glycogen stores). This meal is also an important tool to support energy levels during the working day.

To ensure you get the right nutrients in this meal, it's helpful to think of your plate divided into thirds to give:

• 1 portion of protein
• 1 portion of carbohydrate
• 1 portion of vegetables/fruits and healthy fats

Your hydration needs will also be greater before and after training so your fluid intake is important with this meal too.

Recipe ideas for exercise days:

Mexican beans & avocado on toast
Cajun blackened chicken with supergreen quinoa
Thai prawn & ginger noodles

What to eat on lower activity days

On days when your energy requirements are lower – for example, your evening meal on a day when you haven't exercised after work – your body will have different performance needs. This meal provides a larger serving of protein along with a larger serving of vegetables, while the serving of carbohydrate is removed.

Look to build your plate with:

• 1.5 portions of protein
• 1.5 portions of vegetables
• 1 portion of healthy fats

Recipe ideas for lower activity days:

Crab & asparagus omelette
Melting tomato & basil omelette
Moroccan-spiced tuna with Asian-style greens

What should I snack on?

If meals are your foundations, snacks are the supporting structure, there to lend a hand to get you through the day. It’s important that every snack has a function, rather than being something you eat to avoid getting too hungry. While snacks do play a supporting role to meet a need, they shouldn't replace meals, cause spikes in blood sugar levels or provide unnecessary extra calories.

Use maintenance snacks (protein-based), in order to:

• Support ongoing muscle growth and repair (including overnight, following hard training)
• Meet increased protein requirements alongside a training programme
• Increase protein intake during an energy deficit (when trying to reduce body fat)
• Offset hunger mid-afternoon before dinner

Examples include seeds, nuts, low-fat Greek yogurt, edamame beans or a protein shake.

Use training snacks (with both carbohydrate and protein) at strategic times:

• Pre-training: 1-2 hours before a training session such as mid-morning for a lunchtime session or mid-afternoon for after work.
• Post-training: a quick option to refuel and repair the muscles before your next mealtime such as finishing a class mid-afternoon.

Examples include an open sandwich with smoked salmon, or low-fat Greek or natural yogurt with banana and nuts.

Ready to put these principles into action? Try our three-day meal plans tailored specifically for the time of day that you exercise – whether that's in the morning or in the evening – plus discover five top tips to boost your energy.

This article was updated by Katie Hiscock on 8 July 2024.

James Collins is recognised as a leading Performance Nutritionist through his work with Olympic and professional sport. Over the last decade he has worked with Arsenal FC, England and France national football teams and Team GB. Previously elected President of the Royal Society of Medicine’s Food and Health Forum, he has a private practice in Harley Street where he sees business executives, performing artists and clients from all walks of life: jamescollinsnutrition.com.

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