I've taken some time over the last few weeks to create a slightly different blog to usual. Its not what I get up to on the track or off it. Today is purely talking food!
This is not going to be a blog that tells you "what you should and shouldn't be doing", its simply what I used to eat, in comparison to what I eat now. I do have some background in nutrition, after I graduated I decided to start a post graduate degree in Sport and Exercise nutrition and graduated in 2014 with PGCert. I plan to finish and get a Masters at some point!
Many athletes talk about finding those 1%'s to improve performance. Well for me, nutrition has been more like a 5%! Over the last 7 years of hard work, getting the main 90% of work done, I've had to start to look at my self and see where I can improve. Whilst my training has got better year on year and we have brought more and more altitude training into my routine, my nutrition has always lagged behind. I never really thought it would be something I could tackle successfully - until 2015. Over the last two seasons I've made a conscious effort to take the advice I'd been given over the years, from nutritionists, to teammates or family. The changes in my diet have shocked me, this is why I thought I would start taking photos of my food, not for instagram (well occasionally) but to share and try to offer some help to other athletes or to any one wanting to improve their day to day diet.
Now lets get one thing clear, I am not perfect at all. You can ask any of my friends or teammates, I love a pizza after a tough day of training and would do anything for a Chinese takeaway at the weekend, but it is the day to day meals and snacks which have completely changed and so I don't feel guilty for enjoying my favourite foods when the time is right. Everything I buy is either from a supermarket or I pick up at my local cafe where they always have fresh local produce in everyday. One more thing, I haven't been endorsed by any of these food products I mention, unless mentioned, its simply what I've chosen. So lets get into it...
When I moved to Leeds Beckett University in 2009 I had basic cooking skills and chose microwaveable meals and cheese on toast if I felt adventurous!
We had some input from a University nutritionist who really helped and I quickly stopped those microwaveable meals. My hydration also improved quite quickly and drinking enough throughout the day has never been anything I've struggled with if its not coffee I now drink a lot of sparkling water with lemon in or a carbohydrate based "sport" drink or SOS Rehydrate who's support is awesome and I couldn't do without. Over the next couple of years my diet didn't improve at all. A day looked something like this: plain porridge (made with milk) in the morning with a sprinkle of brown sugar on top. Fruit for a snack in between training, lunch would be something like beans on toast, cheese on toast or a sandwich. Dinner would be at most spaghetti bolognese, steak and chips or at a stretch when I felt like it liver and bacon with mash and veg. That was probably the only meal I was proud of, which was only once in a while.
So here's the changes I've made. Feel free to steal any ideas you like the look of, after all thats all I did. I mixed all the ideas together and created what works best for me.
So lets start with breakfast. A standard breakfast for me is still porridge, however, with a whole range of extras. I add to my porridge local honey (which helps with the hay fever in the summer), fresh berries, sultanas, granola, cinnamon, coconut, Linwoods flaxseed. Over the years I added little by little to allow my stomach to get used to training on it all. I also have a glass of water with lemon (not pictured) a small black coffee and if I don't have a long endurance race walk that morning then some fresh orange juice.
Moving on to after my morning session, I have a smoothie or a home made greek yoghurt.
I have really enjoyed experimenting with what goes into my smoothies. After all, your food should be enjoyable, to make and to eat.
My NutriBullet has changed my life and it really was the beginning of my diet revolution. All my smoothies start off with some frozen berries to make sure it is nice and cold. They also always are milk and greek yoghurt based. As my stomach often cramps and has given me many issues over the years I make sure I get my protein in through natural sources as a protein shake is too much for my stomach to handle. In the smoothies below there is a mix of fresh berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries) Mango, spinach, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and flaxseed. I have also tried papaya fruit, kale, coconut, honey, cinnamon, banana and one of my favourites, pomegranate.
If I don't feel like a smoothie, then I still go along the same lines, however, just have a bowl of greek yoghurt, then mix in some granola, fresh berries, seeds, honey and cinnamon - its really tasty and a great treat for recovery. I also mix in to my yoghurt or my smoothie, some protein powder, if I don't have a big training session that afternoon. 
Moving onto lunch now, and these are my favourite meals. Quick, simple and really up my intake of fruit and vegetables. I aim to get 8-10 in everyday and if I do, it always makes me feel great. Every meal I have now I put a side salad to, just for extra. I get pre packed salad leaves and then add to it throughout the week with pinenuts, sweetcorn, tomatoes, cucumber, spinach and more.
My base for my lunch is often toasted brown bread (I never use white bread any more). Then stick some chopped up avocados on it, scrambled eggs or poached eggs, plum tomatoes, asparagus, peppers, then for extra protein, ham, chorizo or smoked salmon.
Have a look through some of the pictures I've uploaded, then we'll move onto my dinners!
Now you may be thinking to yourself this doesn't look like much to eat. Especially when I'm trying to consume 3500-4000 calories a day. What I'm showing you here is not my complete diet, but the main parts of it. For example I also have soup and bread, sometimes home made, with my meals. I have started to make my own calorie full flapjacks. I also love a certain type of "big brand" tortilla chip to snack on but to make my self feel a bit better about eating them I make my own guacamole which I've really mastered and is seriously tasty (if you want my guacamole recipe, message me on social media for it.)
So lets move onto the evenings. I struggle eating big portions in the evening as my stomach can be quite sensitive after a big day of training which can be any where around 30km.
I have started to use couscous quite often, add chorizo and a whole mix of vegetables. It takes less than 15minutes and you can have a nice big portion without feeling bloated. I'd strongly suggest putting plenty of seasoning in it, however, otherwise it can become quite boring. This is low in protein so I would have a yoghurt of some kind afterwards or even a small homemade milkshake. - I say small for me personally because of my useless stomach. If you're training late, remember that digestion of a lot of heavy foods can disturb sleep, well that's what I've found any way.
Quinoa (again spiced up and full of different seasoning) grilled chicken with mozzarella and mixed vegetables has become one of my favourite dinners. Also below is what is known as "recovery rice" with a salad. Diced Turkey, veg and of course rice is all mixed up, with ginger and lime all thrown together. It's simple, quick and very yummy too. Other dinners below include smoked haddock, couscous, veg and salad. One of my favourites also is a traditional spaghetti bolognese with chickpeas, veg and a salad along with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.
To finish off here and I must stress this isn't every week, but I do like to bake treats! Ask any of my endurance athlete team mates from the Rio Olympics and they will tell you (hopefully positively) about my Rocky-Road. I also love chocolate brownies, which I make and sometimes add walnuts too. My final picture is of the last remaining pieces of a batch of my Rocky Road. It again is so simple to make, with melted milk and dark chocolate, crushed up biscuits, golden syrup, marshmallows and glacier cherries. Mix it together and leave it to cool and then enjoy after you've really earned it of course.
I will leave you with one final bit of food for thought... I regularly check my iron levels and have been taking iron tablets to maintain a decent level. In early December I had my iron levels checked and for the first time in two years my iron levels have been "good" which filled me with pride, as I hadn't used the iron tables since the Olympic Games back in August. Meaning my iron intake from my diet alone, was now sufficient. Importantly I cannot slack off, I must maintain this intake and during intense periods of training the supplements will be very important to maintain my health but it was a fantastic sign of just how far my diet has come.
I will indulge this Christmas, don't worry about that, but then its back on it in the new year as we head into a very exciting year for athletics in Britain.
Merry Christmas and thanks for reading all about what I eat!
#TomWalksFast
www.tombosworth.com
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