Nutrition is a big part of playing sports at any level, so we talked to the SRL's Technical Director, Stephen Whittaker, who also happens to be the Executive Chef at HK Ruokatalo.
Boots, gumshields,
training, set pieces: whilst all vital to the game that we play, they
are nothing if a player's nutritional functions are lacking.
We play 80 minutes of physically intense, hard rugby. We
train twice a week for 2 hours at a time, in addition to the gym, the
cycling, the running or The Wii Zumba that many do outside of rugby.
Correct
nutrition is vital to keep your body in check, to provide you with the
energy you need and set you up for the Saturday battle. With the right nutrition you will:
- have improved trainings
- have improved regeneration
- have improveimproved physical development
- minimalize injuries and illness
- maintain suitability and sustainability for your body shape.
To
be at its best your body needs equal amounts of practice, rest and
nutrition. When all 3 of these are balanced will you be in top form.
Carbohydrates:
The
cornerstones of an athletes diet are based on bread, from 3 - 10 pieces
per day (dependant on body type) this gives us the carbohydrate kick
which the body converts to energy. We should aim to eat bread containing
80-100% full fibre. Rice, pasta or potatoes can be used in
conjunction with consumed bread, depending on the energy levels needed for each individual. Other
options could be barley, wheat germ, spelt, quinoa or couscous. One of
these should be with every meal and at least 1/4 of the plate.
Porridge, muesli and cereals
are another source of carbohydrates and again consumed in accordance
with energy levels. Porridge is a slow release of energy.
Meat and meat products:
Recommended
meats to eat are, in majority, pork and poultry. Low fat red meat is also
good, especially game, beef and lamb. Full red meat should be avoided
before a game as it is slow to digest.
Fish:
Fish is a great source of oils
and should be eaten twice a week. Try to alternate the types of fishy you eat;
oily fish such as salmon, ranibow trout or mackerel and then low fat which
includes many white fleshed fish.
Milk products:
These provide
us with energy and protein. ½ - 1litre should be consumed per day,
preferably the low fat varieties.
Vegetables
provide us with the vitamins and half a kilo per day should be the aim, with
every warm meal, as part of your side salad and on top of your bread.
Fruits and berries: again the vitamins and nutrients - 2-3 pieces of fruit per day.
Oils, mainly olive and rapeseed should be a part of our diet, aiming for 40-80g per day.
Coffee and tea can be consumed
but in healthy amounts. i.e 3 double espresso in a day is not
considered wise and certainly won't help before a game or training.
Athletes need to eat regularly to ensure the body stays constant and blood sugar levels don't fluctuate. We look to eat 5 -7 times per day.
Meal timetables should be based on your training schedule.
When training in the morning and early evening, the following could be applied:
0800 breakfast
0900 training
1030 snack
1200 lunch
1500 snack
1600 training
1830 snack
1930 dinner
2200 evening snack
a
late evening training (note: this guideline doesn't apply when trainings don't start until late, for example until 2130):
0730 breakfast
1000 snack
1200 lunch
1430 snack
1630 snack or light dinner
1900 training
2130 snack
2230 supper
day training
0900 breakfast
1030 trainings
1330 snack
1400 lunch
1730 dinner
2100 snack
Sample meals:
sample lunches are dependant on activity
Endurance sports or ball-orientated (rugby, football etc.)
full wheat spaghetti 2/3 of a large plate,
minced meat and vegetabel sauce, example Bolognese 1/3 plate
1 small side salad consisted of grated vegetables and 2 spoons of dressing
3 pieces of bread
1 glass of milk, 1 glass of juice, 1 glass water
Speed, strength and wrestling lunch
full wheat spaghetti ½ plate,
meat and vegetable sauce ½ plate.
½ plate of grated vegetables and salad, 1 spoon of dressing
2 pieces of bread with margarine
1 glass of milk and 1 glass of water
Acrobatic or precision sport
full
wheat spaghetti 1/4 plate,
meat and vegetable sauce 1/4 plate,
½ plate
of salad and grated vegetables with 1 spoon of dressing
1 piece of bread with margarine
1 glass of milk and 1 glass of water
Liquids:
Liquids are 100% vital to ensure we're at the top of our game. Hydration enables us to keep going.
An example of a drink regime for someone training twice in one day:
breakfast - 4dl water and 2 dl juice
1 hour of training - ½ l water
morning snack - 2dl water and 2dl other liquid
lunch - 2dl milk and 2dl water
afternoon snack - 4dl water, 2dl other liquid
2½ hour training- 2l of isotonic sports drink
restoration liquid, after training - ½l water and ½l other liquid
dinner - 2dl water and 2dl milk
supper - 4dl water
Drinks in between meals can be increased and with meals decreased to ensure that the stomach doesn't fill up on liquids.
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