What Does a Triathlete’s Diet Look Like?
If you’re going to dedicate the time and energy to train for a triathlon, you should also be thinking about what goes into your body. In order to operate properly and efficiently, a triathlete’s body needs to run like a well-fueled machine. Your body can’t give its best effort running off of poor quality fuel. To get the most out of your body, day in and day out, you have to put the right stuff in. A triathlete’s diet choices can be just as important as the training component. Pro triathlete Heather Jackson shares her diet staples for training and competing.
Heather Jackson: Triathlete Diet Fundamentals
#1. Vegetables
Heather makes sure that she includes a lot of vegetables in her diet. Try filling your plate with a variety of different colored vegetables to get a wide array of vitamins and minerals for your body to run on.
#2. Lean Protein
Typically, Heather will eat a lean protein at night. Some great sources of lean protein include fish, chicken, eggs, and turkey. Of course, you don’t have to limit the lean protein to night. Based on your protein needs, you can enjoy these any time of the day.
#3. Carbohydrates
Heather chooses carbs that are packed with nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. For example, instead of eating bread or white rice, she chooses sweet potatoes. Quinoa, winter squash, and buckwheat are some other options to consider.
If you’re eating unhealthy foods, you can’t expect to go out later that day or the next day and get the most out of your body. Try to avoid processed foods and choose whole food sources instead. Throughout training as you get closer to race day, your dietary needs will most likely change, but it’s always important to look at how what you put in will affect your performance.
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