We know that lots of cycling fans like being outdoors and being active, and that many of you will be worrying about your fitness during the current Covid-19 restrictions that many of us have found ourselves under.
With that in mind, we have teamed up with Deceuninck – Quick-Step nutritionist Marije Jongedijk to bring you some top tips on how to manage your nutrition during an extended period at home.
TIPS
Big Volume & low in Energy
Choose nutrition that is low in energy but very high in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that boost your immune system, for example a wide range of vegetables like cucumber, salad, broccoli, and tomatoes. Taking something like vegetable soup as starter or as snack during the day can help to quickly satisfy your hunger.
Another example is fruit like blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and watermelon. Binge eating blueberries and strawberries is much better than binge eating with chips/nuts!
Manage intake of energy-dense nutrition
When you do eat nutrition rich in calories, for example olive oil, nuts, and peanut butter, try to manage the intake to the following
►1 tablespoon olive oil/dressing/sauce per meal
►1 handful nuts a day
►1 tablespoon peanut butter a day
Some ways to manage this are:
►Don’t take the nuts on their own as snack because it is hard to manage the intake. But add the nuts to you breakfast granola bowl or in a salad
►Make sauce based on vegetables instead of based on cheese, butter or oil
►Manage your intake by making a meal plan for every day and write your intake down in a food diary
►Make a structural plan when your mealtimes will be
Protein/fiber and volume are key to achieving a satiety feeling
For example, 250 normal yoghurt contains 25 g protein and 160 calories BUT 600 g skimmed yoghurt also contains 25 g protein and 190 calories.
The volume is more than twice so big with almost the same nutrient content! Choose wisely!
Another example 250 g cooked whole wheat penne versus 150 g cooked white spaghetti. There is a big difference in volume (but same calories) and more fibre in whole wheat pasta give a bigger satiety feeling!
Drink water and take your time!
►Try to drink 1.5 liter of water every day. Drink a glass of water each time before the meal. Be careful with drinks rich in sugar (e.g. soda drinks, smoothies, etc)
►Make enough time to eat your meal at the table instead of in front of the television. You should be focused on your meal. When you eat in front of the television you will be distracted and it can be that you will do an overload. And take time to eat! Don’t hurry. Only after 20 minutes you can feel satiety
►Try to avoid cooking pots and pans on the table. Just give yourself the portion you had in your plan and that’s it. Still hungry? You can ALWAYS take extra vegetables!
Photo credit: ©Sigfrid Eggers