Heather Fell: I love food. I also love the topic of nutrition. However, I realize it can be a
complete minefield with experts of various opinions on various ends of the spectrum.
Myself, I'm not an expert. I am just a passionate consumer of nutrition. Today,
I have a selection of foods that have undeniable health benefits and are easy to incorporate
into a diet for an athlete. [music]
I'm sticking with whole foods today. I'm going to start with probiotics,
which you can actually take in supplement form but there are plenty of delicious foods that
contain these healthy gut bacteria. A healthy gut can actually have a really positive impact
on your physical health but also your mental health. In modern-day life, sadly, the gut health
is quite easily overlooked and as athletes, we are definitely guilty of neglecting it.
Think of an Ironman and the amount of refined simple carbohydrate that we expect our stomachs to
digest whilst pushing our bodies to our physical limits. It's no wonder that GI issues are rather
common among triathletes. You've got plenty of foods to choose from but a few of my favorites
are sourdough, kombucha, I absolutely love. Then you've got sauerkraut, kimchi as well. I would
maybe suggest not having them all together. These are only going to make small changes,
but it's a good idea to start looking at your food choices overall as their effect on your
gut health as well as their nutritional value, and these small changes will start to add up and
make a difference. [music]
I personally don't know anyone who doesn't enjoy avocado on toast. Hands up, yes,
I am a millennial, but I'm very glad that I get to experience avocado on my toast as opposed to
the color of my bathroom as per the 1980s. Well beyond its popularity on cafe menus and
brunches across the world, avocado does have an incredible amount of health benefits. This
rather insignificant-looking pear-shaped fruit has such a long list I'd be here all day if I
went through everything, but the few that jumped out to me are, it's high in antioxidants, helps us
to digest fat-soluble vitamins, helps balance our cholesterol levels, it's high in fiber,
it has plenty of healthy monounsaturated fatty acids, and it's high in potassium.
Don't worry if you're not a millennial and you haven't yet enjoyed the avocado. It's
not too late, and you don't need to limit it to toast. It's wonderful in mayonnaise, in puddings,
in smoothies, and even in salads. [music]
I personally use garlic in pretty much any savory cooking I do, mostly for its flavor,
but I do gather it does more than just keep the vampires away. I'm not exactly sure of its health
benefits but I've been told there are plenty. I have childhood memories of adding ample amounts of
garlic powder into the horse's feed, so I know it's got to be good for us. I've had to look
up exactly what it does. It boosts our immunity, it's an anti-inflammatory which is really vital as
athletes, and it improves cardiovascular health as well as helping to reduce blood pressure.
Considering it's so easy to add to our food, it seems a no-brainer. Maybe a less obvious
use for garlic is to treat athlete's foot. No, it's not eating it, it's actually soaking your
feet in garlic water. Not one that I'm going to try today and I think there's not quite so much
science behind that. [music]
Oily fish includes the likes of salmon, trout, sardines, mackerel, pilchards, anchovies, and
a few more. I expect you've heard that they are good for you and you might have noticed some
campaigns around heart health. Well, it's actually the omega-3 fats that are found in these that are
doing the work here. They are essential for a healthy heart and for your blood circulation.
If you want the details, it's EPA and DHA that help protect the heart and the blood vessels by
improving circulation, preventing blood clots, lowering blood pressure,
and helping the heart maintain its rhythm. The benefits go beyond omega-3 fats, though.
Oily fish are also a strong source of vitamins A and D, plus some B vitamins such as calcium, zinc,
iron, and selenium. [music]
Mushrooms. I'm talking obviously about the safe and legal variety here.
They can split opinion on their taste but there is no denying their nutritional benefits.
They can help support the immune system, thanks to their B vitamins
and the antioxidant selenium. Then there's the unusual property being a source of vitamin D.
Do check though that they've been exposed to UV-B light when they've been growing as that increases
the concentration. Mushrooms have also been proven to help lower cholesterol so they can help with
blood pressure and circulation. Don't forget that they contain protein and plenty of fiber.
[music] The kiwi. The humble hairy fruit
that packs a punch well above its understated appearance. The kiwi is full of vitamins C, K,
E, folate, and potassium, as well as antioxidants and fiber. One cup of kiwi provides about 270%
of your recommended daily allowance of vitamin C. It can also help in digestion in part from the
fiber, and if you want to eat the skin then even more so. Also, due to an enzyme it contains called
actinidin that helps to break down protein. [music]
Back to antioxidants again. They are great antidote to inflammation,
something which as athletes we experience quite a lot due to the amount of stress we put on our
bodies. Some of the plant compounds found in berries can also help as an anti-diabetic
effect. When it comes to berries, the darker ones such as blueberries are actually relatively
low in sugar and calories as fruit goes, and then as the lighter they get, so you get up
to raspberries and then strawberries, they get a little bit sweeter and as a result,
tend to have more calories in them. [music]
Spices and in particular, I'm going to be focusing on turmeric and cinnamon. Turmeric
is known for its bright orange color, and its staining properties,
if you're not careful. It actually works as a digestive aid and in the past has been used
as a wound healer. Unsurprisingly, it's its anti-inflammatory properties that as athletes,
we can benefit from the most. Cinnamon is high in antioxidants and can have a positive effect
on our blood glucose levels. Sprinkle it on your porridge and you'll find that your
food naturally tastes sweeter so it also acts to reduce your sugar intake in certain instances.
I've just realized that this list feels like it's focused around breakfast. As I've been
writing it I've actually been thinking of various breakfast recipes that I love. You've got avocado
on sourdough toast, obviously, the most obvious of all of them. You've got porridge which you
could have with berries and cinnamon. You could have some sauteed mushrooms with a bit of garlic,
or maybe make a smoothie with some berries, some kiwi, and even add some turmeric into that.
I'm getting hungry at just the thought of all of it but I would say it's maybe best to wait
till later in the day for your oily fish and maybe for your sauerkraut, but who am I to say
what you can eat and when. [music]
Before you leap to the comment section and start telling me all of the foods that I
have actually left out of this video, please go and check out our previous superfoods vid where
I included the likes of whole grains, cherries, dark chocolate, plus eight other health-packed
options. I know there are still so many foods out there that are really good for us
and I am an advocate of having a balanced and a varied diet with plenty of fresh fruit and veg.
All this talk of food, I'm getting a little bit peckish and breakfast is now an all-day affair,
isn't it? I think it's time to go and have some avocado on sourdough toast, one of my favorites.
Hopefully, you've enjoyed this, it's given you some good food ideas. Give us a like if you have.
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