Smart training nutrition tips and my meals
Hi, friends! Is it really April already? Well, it’s also another Wednesday and another food post. As usual, today I’m sharing what a full day of eating looks like for me during the week, and I’m also sharing some nutrition advice I recently learned from a Registered Dietitian. It’s good stuff!
Before we get to that, if you haven’t already, check out my giveaway for a free entry to a fun group fitness event in a city near you. Les Mills group fitness is going on tour, giving instructors and participants the chance to experience the Les Mills difference at “Super Quarterly” events throughout the U.S. over the next few months. This giveaway is open to anyone, whether you’re a fitness professional or not, so check it out today.
Now let’s get to that good stuff …
Nutrition tips from Sarah-Jane Bedwell at the LUNA Chix Summit
Last Friday, I had the great opportunity to attend a portion of the LUNA Chix Summit held near me in Berkeley, and I promised that I’d share more about what I learned in the nutrition session called “Feed Your Strength” led by the lovely Sarah-Jane Bedwell. Although this session was geared toward those who are training for events, much of the advice is still applicable to those of us who are trying to live a healthy lifestyle and be active.
Here are some of the general nutrition tips we received:
- Rather than counting calories, make your calories count! (Love this thought!)
- Be consistent. Your daily eating plan should be consistent and likely include three square meals, with two small snacks throughout the day. Eat every three-to-four hours.
- Fats are good! Don’t be scared of healthy fats. In fact, fats are what keep your energy levels stable. Good examples of healthy fats include nut butters, chia seeds, avocados, salmon, olive oil, nuts and more. You need to have these healthy fats at every meal in order to help your body absorb the nutrients in your food.
- Pre- and post-workout nutrition is important. You should always eat a pre-workout snack, featuring a higher ratio of carbs to protein, about one-to-two hours before your sweat session. Then, you should always consume about 20 grams of protein and some carbs within 30 minutes of completing your race or workout. The sooner, the better!
- Be kind to all. Unless you’re allergic, gluten and dairy are just fine. Don’t avoid food groups if you don’t have to.
- Snacks are our friends. You shouldn’t enter a meal feeling completely ravenous, and smart snacking helps to keep your energy up and hunger levels at bay. Be prepared each day with a few healthy snacks on hand. (May we suggest LUNA bars?)
- Keep refilling the tank. For you endurance athletes out there, make sure you consume about 30 ounces of fluid per hour of activity, as well as extra carbs in the form of energy chews or whatever you can get your hands on during a long race or event. This will maintain your blood glucose levels and the steady-state energy levels of your muscles.
- Gear up for the big day. Leading up to a big race event, make sure to take in extra healthy carbs, extra water and consider adding some additional salt to your food. (If you want to make sure you are hydrated, check to see if you have a clear-ish hue to your urine. Somewhat indelicate of a thought, but effective.)
- Eat breakfast no matter what. If you’re running in a super early race, wake up extra early to have a big breakfast, then go back to sleep for a bit. This way you’ll still reap the benefits of the nutrition, yet can get in a few extra hours of rest. (I thought this was a genius idea!)
- Off days don’t have to be different. One of the biggest questions was not about training days, but rest days. And Sarah said that you should eat about the same as you would on a training day, but go by your hunger levels. While you won’t need a pre-or post-workout snack or shake, your muscles will still need to be refueled and repaired from previous days of training that you’ve been doing and will do, so don’t be scared to eat normally.
To sum up Sarah’s session: Nutrition is essential all the time. Not just on the day of a big physical event, but also during the weeks leading up to an event. You’ve got to fuel your body properly to perform, so choose the right foods and combinations of foods at every meal. According to Sarah, each meal you eat (breakfast, lunch and dinner) should consist of the following elements:
- 1 serving of a starch/carbohydrate
- 1-2 servings of fruit or veggies
- 1 serving of healthy fat
- 1 serving of protein
As I looked through my own meals, I realized that at times I didn’t always have the healthy fats (unless I include almond butter, avocado or chia seeds). So I’m aiming to make that happen from here on out. Nonetheless, I learned a ton and would love to dig more into the essentials of nutrition in the future. Thanks, Sarah and LUNA!
What I Ate Wednesday
Here’s a look at everything I ate on Monday of this week. After a fairly indulgent weekend, I was looking forward to some healthy meals, and every little bite is documented below …
Breakfast at 8 a.m.
Bowl of goodness. This week I’ve been back to enjoying my favorite overnight oats breakfast, topped with a banana. This was served with a mug of green tea, sweetened with cashew milk and stevia. I hadn’t made overnight oats in the past few weeks and have loved pulling this pre-made delight out of the fridge shortly after waking up each day. Oh and I had chia seeds in there for the healthy fat.
Lunch at noon
Ugly but delicious. This is a full plate covered in incredibly tasty items. Two fried eggs, roasted cauliflower and broccoli and two veggie burgers. You can bet I mixed all of this together in every single bite. Yummy.
Afternoon snack at 5 p.m.
Fuel for a workout. I enjoyed a LUNA bar, an organic gala apple and a Phenoh 7.4 beverage, to give me some energy to teach an evening BODYATTACK class at 6:30 p.m. I’m trying out Phenoh for a campaign and will share more about this new product soon. By the way, I came home from the LUNA event with tons of bars, so expect to see them appearing in my weekly food posts for a while.
Post workout at 7:30 p.m.
Recovery and hydration. Do you know how much I love drinking these Coco Libre Protein Coconut Water shakes? So many good ingredients and nutrition in each sip. And these beauties contain exactly the 20 grams of protein suggested by RD Sarah.
Dinner at 8:45 p.m.
Grilled perfection. This is a dinner that Dave and I have been having at least once a week – a grilled turkey burger on top of a toasted whole wheat bun. We fancied up the burger with tomato, salsa and avocado (hello healthy fats!) and enjoyed some roasted broccolini (which is quickly becoming my new favorite veggie) on the side.
That about covers it for the day, outside of a few swigs of cashew milk straight from the carton. (Shhh!)
Alright friends! This evening, I have a sub covering my BODYATTACK class, because Dave and I are going to a concert on a school-night at the historic and well-known venue, The Fillmore. It’s our first time seeing a show there, and I’m quite pumped! Have a wonderful Wednesday, and I’ll see you back here tomorrow.
More daily eating recaps
Each week, “What I Ate Wednesday” is hosted by Peas and Crayons for bloggers to showcase their eats to the world. If you want to see more food recaps, check out some of my posts from the past here:
- A full day of eating in pictures
- Another full day of my eats and drinks
- Real food isn’t always pretty
- Do you have a balanced dining out strategy?
- What I ate and drank all day
- Three meals, two snacks and a shake
- Food trucks and rest-day eating
- Plenty of protein at every meal
- Colorful fuel for a day of training
- Long days of training require a lot of food
- Making do on “What I Ate Wednesday”
- Healthy foods for a rest day
- Who doesn’t like pictures of food?
- A look at a full day of eating in pictures
- Snapshots from a day of delicious meals
- Pictures of food, because you like them
- Food pictures and the juice cleanse that wasn’t
- A look at what I really eat in a day
- What I ate in the Sunshine State
- My weekend eats and a little narrative
- Stories about food and yesterday’s meals
- A day of eating and some commentary
- Do you want to know what I ate yesterday?
- Healthy challenges and foods from my day
- Eating, napping and eating again
- Filling up on healthy food before the holiday
- A perfect birthday at home and my eats
- Top blog posts, reader stats and my food
- A different kind of training and my food
- Joining a healthy green movement and my eats
- Must-try veggie pasta tip and my eats
- Are you eating this sweet and satisfying fruit?
- What a difference a week makes and my eats
- On Wednesdays we look at pictures of food
- Food, drinks and a very hydrating giveaway
- Front-loading all the healthy this week
- MealEnders giveaway and back to healthy food
- Eating, drinking and sharing the pictures
- I don’t like bad people, I do like good food
Questions of the day
What did you have for breakfast today?
What’s something cool that has happened in your week?
Do you have a favorite veggie of the moment?
Follow along with me on Bloglovin‘, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.
Yummy eats! I would love to attend a Les Mills event.
Hi Jill! Thanks! And yes, the energy of the Les Mills events are so awesome! You should enter the giveaway! 🙂 Happy Wednesday!
So much deliciousness in this post- you know I’m all over your lunch ;)! How does the cashew milk hold up in tea? I find that almond milk curdles when I add it to hot drinks. Breakfast today was a banana, veggie flatbread made from chickpea flour & homemade coconut chutney.
Hi K! I haven’t had a problem with the cashew milk or almond milk in tea if I pour just a bit in, right before I drink it, then mix it around. No curdling from what I can tell. And your breakfast sounds divine, of course! 🙂
Your dinner looks delicious! I’m very excited because it’s finally warming up a little in the Boston area so we are going to use our grill this week. Grilled veggies are my favorite. I can’t wait!
Chrissy! Grilling is the best! I hope you get to use yours soon:) Happy Wednesday!
This morning I drank a vega one protein shake for breakfast. I have really been loving them lately since they help me get in some extra veggies before my day really even starts.
Hi Stacie! Yes that plant-based protein is full of good stuff. Nice way to start the day! 🙂
I love the title of your dinner as grilled perfection 🙂 it looks super yummy! I want to start eating more eggs, they are such a great food and I always forget about them! I love putting an egg in my hair too, it makes it feel so strong and shiny! 🙂
Now that is something I’ve never done. Egg in the hair?? How???
It’s super easy, just whip the egg with a fork and then put it through your dry hair with your fingers, then leave it for up to half an hour and then wash your hair as usual. I’d totally reccomend it, the protein and fat works as natures hair mask! 🙂
Those nutrition tips are great because they are realistic and linked to a healthy lifestyle – not just a certain look or specific goal. Awesome nutrition tips to live by! Nice job adding in more healthy fats – I have natural peanut butter a few times a day and eggs are my favorite lunch time food! I actually always have overnight oats for breakfast and eggs for lunch so your WIAW today looked very familiar!
Twinsies! heheh! Love it, Ruthie. Sounds like some good eats then! 🙂 Happy Wednesday!
I’m currently eating a whole grain waffle topped with Trader Joe’s peanut butter with flax and chia seeds with a small coffee. So good!
Thanks for sharing nutrition tips! I’m trying to learn more about the proper way to fuel and I’ve been reading a few books on the subject. Since I’m doing speed work for my run today, I’m having a high carb/protein breakfast. Hopefully it’ll help fuel me for later!
Hi Gretchen! Good combo for your breakfast! Coffee is good before a workout too, as long as you have water with it. Happy speed work! 🙂 hehehe
The making the calories count notion is a big one for me. With marathon training, sure you have a lot of play room, but that is also why I would get so annoyed with myself for just eating bags of chips rather than a meal–sure I needed the calories, but they weren’t going to get me anywhere!
Make them count! Such a great point is right. Food is fuel, Susie!! Hope all is well. Happy Wednesday! 🙂
Love that lunch! I’ve been eating turkey burgers this week with veggies. I should put an egg on it! So so good!
You should put an egg on EVERYTHING hehehe! 🙂 Happy WIAW, Megan!
Awesome tips, and that meal is not ugly at all – eggs and veggies and burgers, oh my!
Thanks, Alyssa! At least it’s colorful. Happy WIAW! 🙂
First of all- Broccolini? What is this magical vegetable? I must have some.Also you have some great tips. It took me so long to get to the point where I would accept fat can be a good thing. Now I use real butter, olive oil, and cheese without feeling bad.
Hi Carissa, I just found broccolini in the stores recently and have been buying it — the label says a mix between kale and broccoli. I have no idea how it’s made or grown, but it has a lovely taste! And yay for fats!! 🙂
Good looking eats all around, my friend. Overnight Oats are today’s breakfast of choice. And I’m going to have to check out that Coco Libre protein drink! For a while, I was really into those Coco Cafe drinks, but the sugar content was seriously frightening. Cheers 🙂
Hi Amy! I like the Coco Cafe ones too, but they are just full of junk. These Coco Libre drinks are all SOOOO tasty! I love them and JUST had one after a workout heheh:) Happy WIAW!
These are great tips! I especially love “make your calories count”. I think the biggest, most beneficial change I made to my eating was to focus on eating whole, natural, nutritious foods. It really has made me feel my best and I no longer worry at all about how many calories I am eating.
Hi Lisa! I’ve done that quite a bit too. I used to eat a lot of small packaged foods, which just weren’t good for me! Happy Wednesday to you!! 🙂
Those are my favorite kind of veggie burger! I love the tip on eating enough on rest days; I need to remember that even though I am not as active, my body still needs the nutrients to repair and rebuild!
Yes, ma’am Emma. And those are the Dr. Praeger’s ones, as you guessed. SOO good!
Everything looks great…Lots of broccoli on that plate!
I do love me some roasted veggies! 🙂 Happy WIAW Marissa:)
Great nutrition tips! I have always been a big breakfast eater, then I started some medication that took away some of my appetite, which is kinda a bummer – I love to eat!
Hi Sarah! Oh no! That’s too bad. Breakfast is so important. Happy Wednesday to you! Hope you’re having a great day! 🙂
Adding avocado to my burger is always a must! It takes it to a whole new level. 🙂 Looks like a great day of eats!
I could pretty much add avocado to anything and like it more! 🙂 hehehe Happy Wednesday, Ash!
Those tips are so interesting… I never know off-days should be basically the same nutrition wise! I’m all about a Vega shake after a tough workout too 🙂
Hi Cassie! Feed the beast at all times hehhee! 🙂 Happy Wednesday!
Love the tip about being kind to all and eating dairy and gluten if you are not allergic!
I know, Sarah! Why avoid food just because it’s trendy?? 🙂
Yes to the tip on going back to bed after an early breakfast! We used to do this all the time if I had an early race start. I’d prep the pancake mix the night before, then we’d wake up at 4am, throw down some pancakes, then go back to bed until we had to leave. Ahh, carb loading.
It makes perfect sense but nothing I had thought of before. Glad you’ve used that tip! Thanks, Emily! 🙂
Those are all really great tips! Thank you for sharing. I didn’t realize how important breakfast was before a race… so much so that you should wake up, eat and go back to bed if it’s a super early race! That seems crazy! I get it… but it seems kinda crazy!
I know, Mattie! Food is fuel. I thought that was a great tip too. Happy Thursday to you! 🙂
my favorite veggie is always kale. I can never get enough! Broccoli is a close second..
I like kale too, especially when properly massaged! 🙂 heheh
The one thing I cannot do, is eat before I train! It makes me SICKKKKKKK!!! But all your other tips – on point! 🙂
Really? Nothing? How sad. So do you always have to exercise on an empty stomach? Well, whatever works for you! 🙂 Happy Thursday, GiGi!
Great tips Ashley! xx
Thanks, Krissy! Happy eating to you! 🙂
I appreciated the tip that dairy and gluten are OK to eat unless you have a medical issue. I’m a dietitian and find that more and more people are eliminating these groups. Hopefully the fad will pass soon.
Hi Sam! I know, it’s quite common for people to give up these groups for no reason. I like it when people are focused on their diets and health, but only if they are making smart elimination choices. To each his own! 🙂
I love the ‘meal’ tip of veggie, carb, protein, fat. I subconsciously follow that (I think!) when I’m not downing cookies or random things for breakfast!
The lunch looks delicious- Im loving cauliflower right now but that’s standard.
Hi Arman! Are there any veggies you do NOT like? I don’t like lima beans. Eww. Happy Thursday and happy eating to you! 🙂
Excellent tips! As always, it looks like you have been having some delicious meals. My favorite tip was drinking 30 ounces of water per hour of exercise. I am a huge advocate of staying hydrated and love any quick tips I can get. Currently I don’t have a favorite veggie but I am really into basil! I just got a basil plant and have been putting it on everything I can!
Hi Jenna! So you have a green thumb? That’s cool you have a basil plant!! And a very happy and hydrated Thursday to you! 🙂
I’ve been bad today and did not eat breakfast but definitely looking forward to lunch. Not sure what happened to my morning but it flew by. Your food look really good. I am getting bored with breakfast need to come up with something else. #wowlinkup
Hi Diatta! Bad girl, hhehhehe, just kidding! Make-ahead breakfasts done the night before can be a game-changer when you’re short on time. Happy Thursday! 🙂
Ashley you are so right. I need to make more overnight oats to eat up quickly in the morning and get my smoothie ingredients pre-sorted and prepared in advance so all I have to do is dump in the blender. I always think I have time and then time gets away from me.
I had scrambled eggs and a turkey sausage. It was so filling I’m not hungry for lunch. #wowlinkup
Hey there! Not hungry for lunch? No way! hehehe! But that sounds like a tasty breakfast for sure. Hope you’re having an awesome and FIT day!