“We are what we eat”.
Last Sunday, I was reading an article in the newspaper written by the AFLW Adelaide Crows co-captain, Erin Phillips (Sunday Mail, 26 February). It was titled “We are what we eat, and we take it seriously”. I must say I was really impressed by the article, as I have been with the new AFL Women’s football league. The standard of competition has been fantastic and the style of play is refreshing. My wife, Vivian and I have taken the girls to both home games and really enjoyed the day. And by the way, we would pay for the tickets if we had to.
In the article, Erin commented that as an elite athlete she is regularly asked what she eats and drinks leading up to games. She said that having been a professional sports person for a long time, that she has a very good understanding of her body. Following a mainly plant based diet, she does not eat meat or dairy. Erin claims that this has led to her recovering faster and her body dealing with inflammation more effectively. She also noted she gets fewer colds and believes that she sleeps better (when her kids allow it).
Then Erin proceeded to provide us with a sample of her meal plan for the whole week, prior to and including game day.
It read something like this:
“Monday: Recovery day.
Breakfast – smoothie, whole grain toast with peanut butter.
Snack – nuts/fruit.
Lunch – salad sandwich (hummus, avocado, tomato, cucumber and beetroot).
Snack – fruit.
Stretching, pool recovery and ice bath.
Dinner – veggie burger in a whole grain wrap with salad.
Tuesday: Light day.
Breakfast – muesli with soy yoghurt and chopped apple.
Snack – fruit.
Lunch – salad, crackers and protein shake.
Snack – muesli bar/fruit.
Skills training, run, weights (upper body).
Dinner – baked sweet potato with vegan cheese.
Wednesday:
Breakfast – smoothie (coconut water, frozen berries, banana, raw almonds and kale).
Lunch – salad wrap.
Snack – protein shake.
Dinner – vegetarian stir fry.
Desert – fruit.
Thursday: Main training day
Breakfast – two poached eggs, avocado and wholemeal toast.
Lunch – toasted sandwich (avocado, tomato, beetroot, pineapple and barbecue sauce).
Main training session and weights (legs).
Dinner – minestrone soup/salad (light).
Friday:
Breakfast – smoothie.
Snack – fruit.
Lunch – omelette.
Snack – 30 gm nuts.
Weights (upper body) and skills training.
Dinner – baked sweet potato.
Saturday: Travel day.
Breakfast – muesli or smoothie.
Light run and stretch.
Lunch – salad sandwich and peanut butter on crackers.
Dinner – vegetarian linguine.
Sunday: Game Day.
Breakfast – two poached eggs, avocado on toast and fruit.
Pre-game snack – crumpets or toast with banana and honey.
Post-game meal – player’s choice. This was where the players got to indulge in whatever they liked. Erin usually had pizza or a veggie burger with a few fries”.
And by the way, sports drinks, which contain high sugar levels were limited to training and game time. (Alcohol was not mentioned).
When I read this, I thought this is great. Erin is really speaking my language. But, there is no reason why this kind of diet should be limited to elite sports people. This is where we have gone wrong. This kind of diet should be the norm for everyone. I’m not suggesting everyone become a vegetarian or a vegan, because I myself am not. However, I do follow a mainly plant based diet and I always make sure I consume as much raw fruit and vegetable as I can. This type of diet will provide you with the necessary vitamins and minerals you need and ensure you do not consume too much carbohydrate or unhealthy fats. Not all protein needs to be from animal sources, but if it does, make sure it is a lean meat and not high in saturated fat. Protein can come from oily fish such as salmon; it can also be found in eggs, nuts, soy foods, broccoli, lentils, quinoa, chia seeds, beans, green peas and chickpeas as well.
If you want to do the best you can to live a long healthy life and avoid today’s common lifestyle diseases such as heart disease, certain cancers and type 2 diabetes, a great way to start is to exercise regularly and take a good look at Erin’s weekly meal plan. I think it’s a great example of what to eat, even for us amateurs.
A great summary blog response Mark! I struggle with these “lean” diets as Im on the run with a busy lifestyle and eat out 50% (yep, fact).
Do you have any extra tips for someone like me, who eats well mainly, but out?
Ps I avoid bread and no seafood too!
Hey Charlie,
I suggest you prepare something fresh before you go to work, either in the morning or the night before. Buy yourself a small esky bag and an ice brick and carry that with you to work with your salad, fruit and nut snacks etc. It does require a little extra thought but once you are in the habit of doing this it won’t seem so hard. All the best with it and I’ll catch you soon.
Mark.
Hi Charlie,
I started by making a choice – will this benefit me now and in the long-term. Once I made that choice I committed to it. The routine I have rigorously adhered to is from Monday to Friday, the weekend I leave open for an opportunity to reward myself.
I can do breakfast in a zombie-like slumber……Smoothies every morning consisting of unsweetened almond milk, protein shake powder, fruit, some walnuts or pecans, frozen blueberries and mixed salad leaves (especially spinach and beetrot leaves). Some mornings I’ll substitute a boiled egg instead of the smoothie.
For lunch it’s a salad of those leaves, carrot, cherry tomatoes, celery, avocado, baby cucumbers and some kind of canned fish – salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel. You could substitute chicken..
Whenever I feel like a snack, I have a few nuts (pecans, walnuts, roasted almonds or peanuts). They are always on my desk, ready to share with anyone who drops in for a chat.
Drink water often, even if you are not thirsty.
For dinner, it’s a normal meal with a little…ummhh, alcohol.
Combined with the regular sweat session with Flatout Fitness guru Mark, I can say that for my age, I feel pretty good.
I hope this helps.
You have both helped. I think the routine thing stumbles me. I am much better with salad for lunch and dinner and aim to do this as much as possible. Im hopless with breakfast. Winter is easier as its porridge season.
Ill keep trying.