Off Season Nutrition Tips

The off-season doesn’t mean that you have to pile on the pounds. Quite the opposite, in fact. Here are some nutrition tips for the Winter months.

Written By Pip Taylor
When you’re training hard and getting ready to race, you become accustomed to eating a certain amount, which is necessary fuel to get you through long and intense workouts. When training tapers off, though, your energy needs are reduced. It can be difficult to reduce your energy intake proportionally. This is because we get used to eating by habit, whether because the clock says it is mealtime or because we get used to a visual picture of what the food looks like on our plate or because others around us are eating. When you get up in the morning and pour your cereal, it is likely to be the same volume whether you have just had a flogging at morning Masters swim practice or whether you hit the snooze alarm and are just stumbling out of bed.

Here are some strategies to keep yourself sated and satisfied and still remain in the zone.

The trick is to consume nutritious foods that give you maximum bang for nutritional buck. Generally real, whole foods will fit the bill. What you can afford to cut back on are the excess calories that come from sources such as soft drinks, sports drinks, gels, bars (they are called sports training foods for a reason), but also from processed foods and starches which are calorie dense but not nutrient dense. White bread, pasta and rice, sugary cereals (and yes even the whole grain varieties) might be great when you are training and provide essential carbohydrates, but these types of grains and cereals should be limited when you are not training as hard.

Instead, concentrate on getting in as many vegetables and fruits as possible; these will provide adequate amounts of carbohydrate while delivering many more nutrients. Also look for foods that will be filling: foods high in fibre (fruits, vegetables, legumes and more nutritious grains such as quinoa and bulgur) and high-water-content foods (soups, salads, fruits, vegetables). Research shows that we eat food by volume rather than by caloric content, which is why soups and salads are great high-volume, low-calorie foods. Just watch out for dressings and toppings.

While you are less active, experiment more with vegetables and legumes to meet your reduced protein requirements. Cutting back a little on meat and animal products will help reduce your saturated fat and overall caloric intake. Use chillies, spices and herbs to add flavour, interest and variety. Not only will these provide compact nutrients but will also reduce your palate’s desire for salt—something else you could probably afford to cut back on in the off-season. Tasty and interesting food is more satiating, so you will probably eat less than if you had the big bland bowl of plain pasta. As a bonus, all these nutrient-rich foods will help your immune system fight off winter colds, help in your recovery and recuperation in addition to having you ready to rumble once the season rolls around, without building an insurmountable winter coat to try to burn off.

One last off-season nutrition must: Get a blood test and find out if you have any deficiencies. Then work with your doctor or dietitian at correcting this through diet (and supplementation if necessary). Never self-diagnose. This will help you get started on the right foot when you are ready to start training hard again.

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Paul Moore

Paul Moore is the Online Editor for Triathlete Europe. When not glued to a computer he can be found writing books - most recently Ultimate Triathlon: A complete training guide for long-distance triathletes which you can buy on Amazon

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