Friday Feast – The Launch

Over the last year or so, I’ve posted blogs on Fridays related to nutrition, and now I’m turning this into a regular occurrence. Each Friday you’ll find a post here related to endurance sport nutrition and healthy eating.

Some Fridays I will share recipes of healthy meals. Some posts will be race or training nutrition tips. You’ll also see guest posts from nutrition experts. I’m really excited to be able to share great content about healthy eating and sports nutrition with you!

I encourage you to leave comments with questions on nutrition or topics you’d like to see covered here.

Today we’re going to start at the beginning. Most people, if not all, have at least one thing they want to change about their eating habits. But it can be extremely overwhelming figuring out what to do. There are tons of “diets” out there, websites, links being posted on social media, eat this, don’t eat that… what to do?

As an endurance athlete, you have an even tougher time because not only are you trying to eat healthy, you have figure out how to eat for performance and recovery.

Here are a few tips on how to grasp all this.

1. Write down your nutrition goals. Eat more fruits and vegetables? Kick the soda habit? What ever your goals are, write them down!
2. Don’t get sucked into the fads. There are lots of eating fads/diets out there. Before embarking on one, ask yourself, is this something I can sustain long-term? If the answer is no, it’s probably not a good idea. The best “diet” is natural foods: Vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, healthy fats. There are tons of delicious ways to prepare natural foods, and you will learn ways here!
3. Make small changes. Look at the extreme case of someone who eats only fast food trying to convert to a no processed foods diet. I guarantee they will fail if they try to change all at once. But if they make a change at breakfast and do that for a week, then then change a snack to a healthy option and keep with that, over the next couple months, they will have much greater success changing their eating habits.
4. Review your goals daily. Review your nutrition goals first thing in the morning. If you have a “troubled time,” where you tend to reach for that snack you are trying to replace with a healthier option, send yourself an email or text reminder to do the right thing. (Put it on your calendar!)

Please share in the comments what changes in your nutrition habits you are trying to make, or any tips you have when you have been successful!