Nutrition: Why all MTB riders should be eating 5-a-day
If you think carbs and protein are your sports nutrition heroes – think again!
Words: Zoe Wilson
Photos: Mike Blewitt, Tim Bardsley-Smith
Often the focus of nutrition is on carbohydrates and protein for fuelling and recovery. However, the choices you make about what else to put on the plate has a big impact on performance, too. So, if you’re not eating the recommended five serves of veggies a day, here’s why you should!
Why 5 a day?
The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend we eat a wide variety of foods from the five main food groups every day. However, most don’t manage this! In fact, the ABS suggests only 9% of Australian adults are eating the recommended five serves of vegetables each day and most eat only about 2.5 serves at best. This means many are missing out on nutrients we need, and likely getting too much of the nutrients we don’t need like saturated fat, sugar, and salt from processed foods.
What is a serve?
According to the Australian Dietary Guidelines, a serve of vegetables is:
- ½ cup cooked green or orange vegetables (for example, broccoli, spinach, carrots, or pumpkin)
- ½ cup cooked dried or canned beans, peas, or lentils (preferably with no added salt)
- 1 cup green leafy or raw salad vegetables
- ½ cup sweet corn
- ½ medium potato or other starchy vegetables (sweet potato, taro, or cassava)
- 1 medium tomato
So, to get five serves a day, you could eat 2.5 cups of cooked veg, five cups of salad or a mix of all. It might seem like a lot when you think of the five serves all at one. But a bowl of salad at lunch, a cup of cooked veg and a potato at dinner and suddenly, it’s quite easy!
Why vegetables are performance boosters
Vegetables are nutrient powerhouses. They’re low in calories and are a good source of minerals, vitamins, dietary fibre and a range of phytochemicals which are important for overall health and longevity. Different coloured veggies contain different types of nutrients so eating a variety of colours will help to get the nutrients you need. For athletes, there are few specific nutrients vegetables can provide to support the body when its being pushed to the limit.
Key minerals for performance
Athletes have increased iron requirements compared to the regular Jo. Iron is a key nutrient for athletes as it carries oxygen in red blood cells to muscles working during exercise. Green leafy veggies are a good source of plant-based iron. To increase the absorption of iron from green veg, eat them with fruit or veg that are a source of vitamin C (think capsicum, tomato kiwi or citrus), avoid overdoing the tea, coffee, or wine (to avoid excess tannins) and avoid eating dairy at the same time as calcium inhibits iron absorption.
Veggies are also great sources of electrolytes like potassium and magnesium which play an important role in muscle contraction. Potassium and magnesium are lost in sweat during training and racing and therefore need to be topped up daily when training needs are high.
Key vitamins for performance
Vegetables are packed full of many vitamins, but the key vitamins for athletes are vitamins A, C, E & K which help to support the immune system. High training loads can lead to a compromised immune system, putting athletes at risk of illness which then impacts training and hinders performance. Red, yellow, and orange vegetables are great sources of vitamin C and A so include tomatoes, capsicum, red beans, and carrots regularly. Green veggies are good for vitamin K which is also important for bone health and wound healing, particularly relevant for MTB riders!
Other nutrients
Nitrates are found in a range of vegetables and can help boost performance due to their ability to increase blood flow to working muscles. More blood flow equals more oxygen delivery and therefore greater exercise output. Root vegetables like beets and dark green leafy veg like spinach are great sources of nitrates.
Finally, let’s not forget vegetables can provide fuel! Starchy vegetables like potato, sweet potato and taro are good sources of carbohydrate which fuel training and offer an alternative to pasta, rice, and bread. Sweet potato is an excellent go-to due to its lower GI which means a more even release of energy during the day.
Easy ways to get your 5-a-day
Eating five serves of veg a day doesn’t have to be a chore. Try this:
- Add a handful of baby spinach to your smoothie in the morning
- Pop some salad on your sandwich at lunch
- Snack on some cherry tomatoes
- Expand your roast potatoes to include Brussel’s sprouts, sweet potato, and swede
- Add sliced capsicum and carrot sticks to the cheese platter
- Whip out the frozen veg to eat with dinner when time is tight
- Add mushrooms or shredded spinach to your omelette
- BBQ sliced capsicum, broccolini and corn cobs when you do the steak
- Use the dying veg in the bottom of the fridge to make a soup or casserole
- Throw a can of beans or lentils into your family’s favourite spaghetti Bolognese.
Get more nutrition tips here!
