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This vs That - Glass of wine versus a bottle of wine
Low carb it may be, but every gram of alcohol in your wine provides 7 calories. Meaning if you drink a bottle of wine on the regular you’re adding an extra 500kcal to your energy intake. Thats the same as 100g or chocolate or 2kg broccoli.
Fuelling an Everesting Attempt
Thinking of doing an Everesting? Deciding to climb 8848m on the bike in one ride is no mean feat. Beyond the mental and physical challenge, ensuring that you are well fuelled and hydrated to support your efforts is a key factor in your success. Here's an insight into the nutrition planning that went behind fuelling an Everesting attempt for me.
Cheese as a source of protein
Do you use cheese as a source of protein? While a standard serve of cheese is approximately 30g, to get at least 20g of protein you need to eat over 80g providing more than 300kcal in energy.
One day or day one?
Day one or one day? There's no perfect time to start. You don't have to be 'doing it perfectly' right from the get go. You just have to start.
6 reasons why you should work with a cycling coach
Want to get better cycling results next season? Perhaps it’s time to start thinking about working with a coach. Without a doubt, I think it can be one of the most worthwhile investments you can make as an athlete for optimal performance gains.
Plant based sources of calcium
Whether due to a dairy intolerance, cows milk allergy or personal choice to follow a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, getting enough calcium from plant based sources alone can be difficult to achieve. Difficult, but not impossible.
With some careful planning it is possible for vegetarians to use plant based sources of calcium to achieve their calcium needs.
10 reasons why you should see a sports dietitian
You don't have to be an elite or professional athlete to benefit from nutrition support and advice. Here's 10 reasons why you should see a Sports Dietitian to get the most out of your cycling and triathlon training.
Small changes = big results
How many things are you currently trying to overhaul in your life?
Maybe it’s getting more sleep, stretching, strength, exercise or nutrition habits you want to work on. How many are you trying to change all at once?
All too often I see people trying to make too many changes at the same time and not being able to stick with them in the long term when life gets crazy.
This vs That - Halloumi portions
Spot the portion difference between the halloumi salad on the left (1/2 a pack) and the right (full pack). It may not look it, but there’s almost a 350kcal difference between the two!
Training all the time but not losing weight?
"I'm training all the time, but I'm not losing weight. Where am I going wrong?" Getting the right balance as an athlete can be a challenge when trying to improve body composition and your power to weight ratio.
Finding routine in chaos
With COVID-19 shaking our lives up, we are all having to find new routines or create our own routine when working from home. Here’s some of the ways that I use (and am currently reminding myself about) to find and maintain routine amongst chaos.
Should you eat before training?
Some say you should always eat before a training session, others praise the benefits of fasted cardio. Is there a best approach and should you eat before training?
Does your mental health need a check up?
What’s the state of your mental health right now? Could you do with a bit of a mental health check up?
Weight loss tips for cyclists
Optimising your body composition to improve power-to-weight ratio is a common challenge faced by cyclists. Finding the balance is tricky. Here are some of my top weight loss tips for cyclists wanting to improve their body composition.
Reviewing a sports dietitians 7 day food diary
One of the first steps I have all clients do before we start working together is to complete a thorough food, mood and training diary of their current nutritional intake to establish a baseline.
Peanut butter as a source of protein
Peanut butter is NOT an effective source of protein. Peanut butter is delicious, but it is not smart to use it as your main source of plant protein unless your goal is to gain weight.
How to fuel for a long ride
Getting your nutrition right during long rides can be a tricky balancing act at times. Don’t eat enough and you might run out of energy and bonk, overeat and you could end up with stomach troubles. To make it more complicated, the more trained you are improves how efficient your body is at using fat stores as fuel. You may find you’ll be able to ride further without eating as much after a few years of cycling compared to when you first began.
Why body fat percentage is a waste of time
When measuring their body composition, many athletes are keen to know what their body fat percentage is (and how to reduce it). In my experience as a sports dietitian, body fat percentage is a waste of time when it comes to monitoring your body comp. Here's why.
What's the best diet for athletes?
What’s the best diet for athletes? It depends. No two athletes are the same and subsequently a one size fits all approach isn’t going to provide the best results.
This vs That - Potato vs Sweet Potato
Why are sweet potatoes considered 'good' while the humble white potato gets a bad rap? Sweet potatoes contain more vitamin A and have a higher carb and sugar content (as the name implies) but overall nutritionally they are very similar when you look at the bigger picture of what you eat on a daily basis.