Fuel Your Performance With this Superfood Combo
When it comes to performance, the foods you eat are just as important as the actual training itself.
If you are not properly fueling your body, your training and performance will suffer.
Pairing up plants and dairy creates a “superfood” combination that helps ensure you are giving your body the nutrients it needs. I do not eat meat, so dairy is a high-quality source of protein for me. It also contains nine essential nutrients such as calcium, phosphorus, vitamin A and vitamin D, to promote strong bones.
Plants are high in fiber, as well as in antioxidants, so together with dairy foods, they are the perfect combination!
Dairy also helps aid in my recovery process after a hard training session and race. I love to recover with a tall glass of chocolate milk. Chocolate milk can help you refuel and rehydrate within the critical 30-minute recovery window after exercise. It contains the right combination of carbohydrates and protein to refuel and repair muscles, fluids to rehydrate, and electrolytes to replenish what is lost in sweat.
My other favorite post-exercise drink is a fruity dairy smoothie, such as a chocolate-cherry smoothie made with chocolate milk, pitted cherries and a frozen banana. Colorful plants are a good source of antioxidants and should be part of your nutritional plan throughout the day. Eating plants and dairy can help aid in muscle synthesis, recovery, oxygen transport within your body, and bone density.
When breaking down the day, we all should have three main meals (Don’t skip breakfast!) and 2-3 snacks throughout the day. Read about my food journaling and see a sample of my daily menu in my previous blog.
Here are some tips to incorporate plants and dairy into your diet:
Breakfast:
- My Favorite: Greek yogurt (1 cup has almost 20 grams of protein). I always add berries and fruit on top and some chocolate granola
- Organic oatmeal (plain rolled or steel cut oats) mix with milk, maple syrup, and fruit
- Whole grain bagel with cream cheese
- Cereal with milk and fruit
- Eggs with your favorite cheese and veggies mixed in
Lunch and Dinner:
- Add a glass of milk or chocolate milk to your meal!
- Enjoy yogurt as part of your meal
- A few slices of your favorite cheese to a salad or dish or just to snack on with fruit and veggies
- Cottage cheese and fruit
- A piece of fruit or veggies to dip in a milk-based dip
Snack Time:
- Fruity ice cream (the fewer the ingredients, the better)
- Individual Greek yogurt with fruit
- Cottage cheese with fruit or veggies
- Sliced cheese with grapes
- 1 cup of berries, such as blueberries, are rich in antioxidants (there are many kinds of berries that can be bought frozen to be added to smoothies and toppings to dairy!
Read more about Lindsay here.
