So I’ve had quite an interest in nutrition my whole life and in particular the last few years of my swimming career! I was always looking into the latest way to fuel your body so that it could perform!

This year one of my year 12 subjects was Food and Nutrition. I had the exam today ew. I also learned a bit about nutrition in my Sport Science class last year too.  I learned some really cool things about nutrients and their effects on the body!

So firstly, my biggest change in my diet recently is that I have significantly reduced my sugar intake, and boy does it feel good! I still have treats here and there (today I had a toblerone to celebrate finishing Food and Nutrition, it didn’t make me feel good though, haha) but I’ve started to find new ways of curbing my cravings.

Secondly, recently I’ve been trying the LCHF diet (low carb high fat) just too see how this impacts my body. I was intrigued by this way of eating after watching the Cereal Killers documentaries one day when I was sick from school. One in particular looked at a guy who almost virtually cut carbs out of his diet for several months and he was closely monitored for all things heart related so he didn’t develop atherosclerosis (narrowed arteries). His exercise was to perform an 8 minute Tabata workout a few times a week. The end results showed that he dropped body fat (he only had 19% body fat to start) but gained weight (muscle mass). He had trained his body to burn fats for fuel instead of carbohydrates! The research is still being conducted about this way of eating (and don’t try it without seeking advice from a health professional) but I thought, it was work a shot just seeing what reducing my carbohydrate intake would do! So far I’ve been a bit slack as I’ve had exams so I’ve just eaten anything within reach, but I’m really going to put in a solid effort over the next few months and I will write a post about the results!

My typical day of eating is eggs and bacon and two of my mum’s homemade zucchini frittats for breakfast which generally fills me up and could last me through to lunch! But if I want a snack I’ll have some dark chocolate and raspberries or maybe some carrot sticks with hommus!! Then a burrito bowl salad for lunch. Possibly some homemade spicy nuts for lunch and then dinner could be anything from salmon, to steak or pork Larb salad!

I think it’s really important to play around with your diet to find what works best for you and gives you the most energy (while not overeating and from good sources) and the required nutrients to maintain an active healthy lifestyle. Don’t forget fruit and vegetable are your best friend!! (In particular cruciferus veggies like broccoli!)

Love Caite x