FITNESS
fuelTIMEFORA CHANGE?
Whytrya newdiet?Maybeyoudon’tthink
you’remanagingyourweighteffectivelyfor
yoursport,orperhapsyouhaven’tseenan
improvementin yourfitnessin months.It’s
worthquestioningwhetheryou’reeating
well,asdatain theBritish
JournalofSportsMedicine
showstheconsequences
ofinsufficientfuelmay
includedecreased
enduranceperformance,
reducedmusclestrength,
increasedinjuryrisk,poorer
coordinationandevenshoddier
concentration.Indeed,formost
athletictypes,thetopreasonfortrying
a newdietis toimprovesportingability.
‘Manyathleteswilltypicallylookfora
performance-enhancingbenefitfrom
a newdiet,’saysDrMatthew
Cole,seniorlecturerin sport
andexercisenutritionat
BirminghamCityUniversity.
WHAT’SRIGHTFORYOU?
However,populardietshaven’tbeen
createdwithsportyfolkin mind,soit’s
crucialtoconsiderwhichdietis right
foryou.‘Oneofthemostimportant
matterswithinsportsnutritionis
thatthereis no“one-size-fits-all”
approach,’explainsDrCole.
‘Thereis nosuchthingasa “diet
forrugby”,forexample,asthe
physiologicaldemandsofa scrum-half
anda proparevastlydifferent.’
H
ow would your performance change
if you switched up your diet? Would
ditching dairy, trying intermittent
fasting or going gluten-free give you
a competitive edge? Some of the
biggest names in sport attribute part
of their success to a change in nutrition: pro cyclist
Chris Froome cut back on carbs for more protein
and went on to win multiple Tours; Lewis Hamilton
switched to a plant-based diet and reportedly felt
‘better than ever’; Novak Djokovic turned gluten-
free and later won several Grand Slams. There are
countless examples of champion athletes who have
boosted their performance by changing their diet- so is this the right approach for you?
Fortunately, there are some general rules
you can follow. ‘We encourage athletes
within certain groups to adhere to different
principles,’ adds Dr Cole. ‘Those who are
engaged in regular resistance training
would typically have an increased protein
requirement because they cause more
muscle-damage than those
participating in endurance
sport.’ Additionally, if
you do a high volume
of training – you’re
a marathon runner,
triathlete or distance
swimmer, for example –
carbohydrate consumption, fluid
intake and meeting your overall
energy requirement should be top of your
dietary concerns. With that in mind, here’s
everything you need to know about some
of the most popular diet plans today.PLANT-BASED DIETS
More people than ever before are choosing
to follow a vegetarian, vegan or pescatarian
diet. A 2018 survey shows that 3.5 million
Brits are now vegan, and another study
reports that a third of people have stopped
or reduced their consumption of meat.
Plant-based diets are those where the
majority of ingredients come from fruits,
vegetables, nuts, seeds, oils, wholegrains,
legumes and beans. This includes
vegetarian and vegan diets, but also
extends to meat-reduction and flexitarian
diets. The benefits for everyone are
significant – research indicates that