Here nutritionist Laurann O’Reilly and owner of Nutrition by Laurann guides us through what SAD is and some lifestyle and nutrition strategies to get you through the winter months.

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For many professional athletes, Covid has definitely shaken things up as a result of many of you now working from home, changes in eating habits, energy expenditure,  training regimes and events.

Rest with the right nutritional strategy you'll come back stronger than ever.

1) The Importance of Maintaining a Nutrition Strategy During Covid

• Maintains Athletic Performance
• Optimises Training 
• Improves Endurance
• Increases Strength
• Improves Recovery
• Prevents Fatigue
• Avoids Injury

2) The Key to Your Sports Nutrition Strategy 

(i) Size: Your Requirement & Portion sizes

(ii) Type: The Food You Choose

(iii) Timing: When You Eat

Size - Your Nutritional Requirements

Your requirement depends on your age, weight and level of activity. Keep in mind that your energy expenditure may have likely decreases significantly during lockdown.

Your energy or calories are composed of a combination of your macronutrients - carbohydrates, protein and fat

Requirements (adjust lower or higher depending on level of activity)

• Carbohydrates: 5-10g/kg bodyweight/day
• Protein: 1.2-1.7g/kg bodyweight/day
• Fats: 25-25% of total energy intake and no more than 10% saturated fat

Type & Timing 

We can often underestimate the functions and abilities of foods. By utilising and understanding the how our macronutrients work we can manipulate and utilise them to allow us to function and perform at our best

- Carbohydrates 

- Are our main source of fuel and are broken into quick release and slow release, this is called the Glycaemic Index (GI) or sugar index

- The GI refers to the rate at which sugar or glucose gets absorbed into the bloodstream

- High GI carbs - Are quickly absorbed the bloodstream, causing a spike in our blood sugar levels (foods high in refined sugar, white bread & pasta)

- Low GI carbs -  Are slowly absorbed into the blood stream, causing a steady inflow (brown bread, brown pasta, brown rice, wholegrain foods)

The Glycaemic Index (Timing)

When it comes to performance, we want an continual supply of fuel

• Consume your quick release/High GI Carbohydrates immediately prior to training (banana is my go to pre training High GI food) - this provides you with an immediate sources of fuel
• Consume your slow release/Low GI Carbohydrates 1-2 hours prior to training - this will kick in when your High GI runs out

- Protein 

• Required for recovery, repair and building new cells
• Proteins are made up of different ‘building blocks’ called ‘amino acids’
• Different combinations of these amino acids provide different functions
• It is important to include good quality protein in each meal as well as getting eating wide variety of different types of proteins be it plant or animal based to optimise your performance, strength and recovery

When to Take Your Recovery Protein Supplement (Timing)

- It is generally recommended to take your protein supplement within 20-30 minutes post training for optimum

recovery

Types of Recovery Protein

- As your training intensifies it's important to preserve your muscle stores and increase strength.  It may be necessary to take a recovery protein supplement post training

Whey Protein

Provides a wide spectrum of amino acids (essential & non essential)

• Easy uptake into the muscle

Casein Protein

• Provides a wide spectrum of amino acids (essential & non essential
• Slow uptake to muscle
• Great for late night training and those with a high metabolism

Plant Based Protein Supplements

(Rice & Hemp)

- This combination provides the full spectrum of amino acids when taken in the right quantity (15g of each is one serving)

- Other plant based protein supplements also include soy and pea protein for instance which are also good sources

- Fat

We need a small amount of fat in the diet for the absorption of our fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E & K)

• Avoid

- Saturated & Trans Fats found in fatty

Sources: Meat, lards, margarines & processed meats

- Little nutritional value

• Include

- Mono Unsaturated Fats

Sources: Nuts, avocados, olives, olive oil

- Polyunsaturated Fats

Sources: Oily fish (Including salmon, mackerel, herring, trout & tuna), walnuts, flaxseed, sunflower based spreads - These include your omega, 3, 6 & 9 fatty acids which are important for your joints and circulation

When to Eat Fats (Timing)

• Fats slow your gastric emptying time (the rate at which your stomach empties 
• This can slow the release and availability of nutrients to the body and can irritate the stomach during training or an event
• The Exception: There is one type of fats called Medium Chain Fatty Acids or MCTS which are more quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and which bypass the stomach - found in coconut oil which are an efficient form of energy.

3) Meal Planning

Based on your requirements above you can now begin to plan your meals and snacks for the week ahead, keeping in mind your quantities and timings and factoring these into your training.

• Plan your main meals & make a list of ingredients required
• Plan your snacks and add ingredients to the list
• Set your meal prep day (mine is usually Sunday)
• Cook up in batch (this can include chicken, turkey and fish for salads and sandwiches too)
• Divide into tupperware boxes
• Place those you'll have within the next 2 days in the fridge and the remaining in the freezer
• Defrost as needed.

3) Set Up Schedule

As lockdown may find many of you working, training and eating at home, you may find that these aspects of your life have become unbalanced.

Work/Study - It's hard when working or studying from home to set the work/study, life, eating and training boundaries. For this reason it's important to set a schedule of your working hours so they don't flow into other areas of your life and affect your training and nutrition strategy.

Eating - The body also loves routine, and by having your meals at the same time every day, it allows your body and digestive system to synchronise.In terms of your eating schedule, This also your designated time for taking a break from tasks and focusing on your meal or snack, allowing you to properly digest and savour your foods

Training - By understanding the type and timing of foods discussed above, you can now implement this into your daily routine through scheduling your training and eating into set times. This will help you get the most out of your nutritional strategy, maintain your fitness and strength.

4) Hydration – Establish Your Fluid Rehydration Strategy

With training and matches on hold, now is the optimum time to master another aspect of your nutrition strategy, hydration. The importance of hydration is often underestimated

Hydration is Important For

• The transportation of nutrients and oxygen to the muscles thus helping muscle repair
• The removal of lactic acid build up
• Regulation of body temperature
• Improving your response time

Your Basic Fluid Requirement

35ml x kg body weight

Fluid Rehydration Strategy

Millilitres (ml) = Kilograms (kg)

• Weigh Yourself Before Training
• Weigh Yourself After Training

- Weight Lost = Fluid

- Example: Weight Loss = ½ kg = 500ml

• Do this 3 times for each type of training (cardio, strength and events when they return) and take the average for each training
• This will prepare you as to how much fluid you need prior to your big event (pre-hydration), during an event and after the event

5) Maintaining Your Fitness

To maintain your strength, fitness and endurance throughout lockdown, it's important to continue training by including a combination of different types of training and to build your nutrition strategy and schedule around these.

• Cardio - Such as running and HIIT training
• Core - Such as pilates, yoga and HIIT training
• Strength training - Such as weight training

6) Sleep 

Do not underestimate the importance of sleep as it provides us with the energy needed to train efficiently, allows us to repair, for our body do rebalance including our hormones.

• Screentime: We have seen a huge increase in the amount of time spend on our computers and phones as a result of covid. These devices emit a stimulating blue light which can suppress the production of our melatonin (sleep hormone). This hormone is meant to increase throughout the day gradually preparing us to sleep at night as it gets darker. To ensure that you get the best night sleep try to have a 'technological sundown' and avoid using these devices close to bedtime.
• Night time eating: Avoid eating  complex meals too close to bedtime (within 2-3 hours) as your body is meant to go into a state of starvation when we sleep. We are meant to be repairing and not digesting
• Set Your Sleep Target: Aim for a minimum of 6-8 hours sleep per night
• Sleep Schedule: I discussed your study/work, training and eating schedule above, it's important to include your bedtime and wake time in this also. This helps your body function like clockwork and ties everything together.

Laurann O'Reilly - Nutritionist

For more information contact me here at info@nutritionbylaurann.ie or 085-7337432

Here Laurann O’Reilly, a qualified nutritionist and Managing Director of Nutrition by Laurann provides us with some of her top immune boosting tips and strategies which include foods that you may have in your cupboard at home, common foods that you can easily purchase as well as some extra nutrition tricks and lifestyle strategies to give your immune health that extra boost.

Read the Article

Your Christmas Countdown

Nutrition Guide

The last few months have been quite turbulent for many, with huge changes in our work, family, fitness and social lives. These changes may have had a huge impact on our overall health, from adapting to new routines, increased stress and a reduction in our physical activity levels. Nutrition can play a huge role in successfully adapting to these changes.

Laurann O’Reilly, a qualified nutritionist and Managing Director of Nutrition by Laurann explains the process behind how we may have gained weight and most importantly, practical strategies on how we can lose weight and regain our health for in time for Christmas. Laurann says, “Our first instinct is to go into survival mode when faced with something like the pandemic, a natural human instinct when faced with something unfamiliar.

The ability to plan, stay positive and remain motivated can be can also challenging during these times and a result people can gain weight quickly. She continues, “Like every game changing plan, with the right strategy we can gain back control of our health and wellbeing. Using these 14 strategic nutrition tips, you can create your own six week strategy and get yourself prepared for a healthy Christmas. In addition you can also download your free meal planning guide here

Read the Article 

In my nutrition workshops I talk a lot about the topic of mindful eating. In fact many of us are guilty of the opposite, ‘passive eating’ which is little or no attention on the food we’re eating as we are distracted at our work desks, watching tv or a movie. This can have a huge impact on our bodies.

Eating is a Sensory Experience

What's important to understand is that eating is a sensory experience involving smell, taste, touch and sound. The smell of food helps us to perceive food aromas and flavours. The taste of food helps us to identify the individual flavours. The texture of  food can influence perceptions of everything from the taste to the freshness of food. Whilst the sound of food  is often considered to be our forgotten flavour sense, which stimulates the anticipation of food. 

Distraction

When we're distracted such as eating whilst working, watching television or our on our phone, our senses become distracted and can result in

- Still feeling hungry - disruption of your satiety centre

- Digestion issues - you may not chew your food properly or you may eat too quickly

Mindful Eating

This is the practice of deliberately paying attention to the process of eating and allows us to engage with our senses.

It helps us gain a greater understanding of

- Internal & external cues that play a role in our eating habits 

- Our satiety (fullness) and hunger systems

- Our body's digestive process

- The flavours and sensations of food

-- What foods provide satisfaction and the proper nutrition

How Eat Mindfully

1) Sit at a table whilst eating and remove any distractions such as phones/television/laptops

2) Appreciate the aromas, flavours, textures and colours of the meal

3) Try to identify individual ingredients (this is a sensory exercise)

4) Learn to enjoy cooking and experiment with different ingredients and recipe

5) Remember to slow down and to chew your food!!

6) It should take approx 20 minutes for your satiety (fullness centre) to register that you're full

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions,

Laurann O'Reilly  - Nutritionist

Nutrition can play an important role in optimising your recovery post training or event. A proper nutrition strategy is essential in helping to speed up the rate at which the body restores and recovers.

1) Immediately Post Training/Event

• Rehydration

This should begin immediately post event. For those who use a fluid rehydration strategy, you will know that weighing yourself before and after training or events can provide you with your total fluid loss.

After a high endurance event you can begin rehydrating with 150% of the fluid lost over the following 4-6 hours. For example, if 1kg of fluid is lost, you can try rehydrating with 1.5L of fluid.

It’s also important to replenish your electrolytes (salts) after training sessions and events exceeding 1 hour and within which a high sweat was broken. Whilst sports drinks such as Gatorade and Powerade do a good job of delivering electrolytes (and fluid) during the marathon, don't rely on them solely afterwards.

Coconut water also an excellent and natural form of electrolyte replacement as it contains five key electrolytes sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus

Another good electrolyte replacer is ‘Dioralyte’, aim for a minimum of

1 sachet Dioralyte x 700ml of water

• Protein Supplement/Shake

We want to replenish the muscle fibres as quickly as possible to improve muscle recovery. Look for whey protein or vegan protein blend with a good amino acid (protein building block) profile

• Recovery Snack

The body is most effective at replacing carbohydrate and promoting muscle repair and growth within the first 60-90 minutes post exercise, however this will continue to occur for another 12-24 hours.

This is due to the rate of muscle glycogen resynthesis being highest during the initial 1 hour post training or event. It has even been suggested that consuming carbohydrates within 1 hour post exercise can increase the rate of glycogen resynthesis by as much as 45%

Your Recovery Snack could Include:

- Greek yogurt, granola and a banana

- Lean meat/egg/low fat cheese sandwich, banana and sports drink

- Granola Bars, raisons & mixed berries

• Recovery Meal - Within 1-2 Hours 

Your post workout meal should contain complex carbohydrates as well as a source of protein as these accelerate the recovery process

-Carbohydrates – Your level of carbohydrate ingestion post training/event can influence your rate muscle glycogen synthesis and repletion

You should aim for approximately 1.2g of carbohydrate x kg body weight/hour

- Protein – Muscle recovery and repair is dependent on a positive muscle protein balance

You should aim for approximately 0.4g/kg/hour

2) Post Event Nutrition - 1 week

The focus for the week post endurance event is to rebuild, restore and refuel the body and we can do this though consuming

• High quality carbohydrates - such as rice, oats, pasta and potatoes
• High quality protein (animal/plant based) – such as lean meat, eggs, oily fish cheese, nuts and seeds

As the body will be in a state of inflammation it’s also recommended to include plenty of anti-inflammatory foods such as

• Fruits and vegetables
• Nuts & seeds
• Other Natural Anti-inflammatory foods – such as turmeric (curcumin), ginger, cinnamon, garlic and red peppers (I love making an anti-inflammatory omelette with all of these ingredients)

3. Additional Tips for Enhancing Recovery

• Caffeine – The combination of caffeine and carbohydrate is an effective method for enhancing muscle glycogen resynthesis. Consuming the following level of caffeine can increase the rate of glycogen synthesis by as much as a 66%

1g of caffeine x kg bodyweight x 4 hours

*Please note, that individuals with certain medical conditions or taking particular medications must take caution with consuming caffeine

• Sodium Bicarbonate – It is highly important to alkalize the body after an intense training session or event as the body goes through a natural process called metabolic acidosis as a result of increased lactic acid production. The recommended dosage of sodium bicarbonate (this is ideally taken pre-exercise) is

0.2 x kg bodyweight + 1 Litre of Water (flavoured if required)

*It is recommended that if you take sodium bicarbonate prior to an event that you test it well in advance as it may cause stomach issues in small amount of individuals

• Rest – Remember the vast majority of your recovery will happen whilst you sleep so ensuring a good night sleep particularly after a high intensity training or event is vital to your recovery. Also it’s important to give adequate time for the body to heal after endurance events. For instance for marathons or triathlons it is recommended to wait a minimum of 1 week before taking part in high level exercise as we need to consider the cumulative physical and mental fatigue these may cause over the following week.

I hope you found this helpful and please feel free to contact me here if you have any questions

Laurann O'Reilly - Nutritionist 

Protein supplements can play an important role as part of your sports nutrition strategy. However, there are a lot of protein supplements out there so it's important for us to understand what they are, what they do and if we need them?

What Are Protein Supplements?

Protein Supplements help us to meet our protein requirements where our diet doesn't meet these needs.

Protein supplements should never be used as a meal replacement but purely supplement our dietary protein.

You should never have to pay a subscription for a protein supplement or any nutrition supplements as you dietary needs are constantly changing.

Protein supplements extremely valuable for athletes and recovery from illness or injury

What to Look For in a Protein Supplement

Amino Acid Profile - Amino acids are the protein 'building blocks', the greater spectrum of amino acids (the amino acid profile), the better the protein supplement as it can carry out a wider range of functions.

The Absorption Rate - Different proteins absorb at different rates (uptake into the muscle, tissues and cells). This is particularly important as people have different training goals, different metabolic rates and train at different times of the day

Types of Protein Supplements

Whilst there are many types of protein supplements, these are the most common

BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids)

When Taken - Pre WorkOut

• Contains the essential amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine in their concentrated forms
• They decrease the activity of the protein breakdown pathway
• Reduce fatigue
• Increases oxygen intake
• Improves mental performance
• Improves physical performance
• Increases protein synthesis by 145%
• Improves recovery - reducing delayed onset muscle soreness

Whey Protein 

When Taken - Post Training

• Wide spectrum of amino acids (essential and non essential)
• Quick uptake into muscle
• When taken post training it improves recovery

Casein 

When Taken - Post WorkOut

• Wide spectrum of amino acids (essential and non essential)
• Slow uptake into muscle (great for late night training and those with high metabolisms)
• When taken post training it improves recovery

Vegan Protein Blends

When Taken - Post WorkOut

• Wide spectrum of amino acids (essential and non essential)
• Quick uptake into muscle
• When taken post training it improves recovery

Note: In the right quantities brown rice protein and hemp protein can provide the full amino acid (building block) spectrum