Is nutrition important?
The food that you eat is the fuel that your body needs to function. If the fuel is exactly what the body needs the body can perform optimally, if the fuel doesn’t provide everything the body needs it may not function as well.

Because different sports have different nutritional requirements, and people have differing metabolisms, your optimum nutrition can be very individual. Nutritional requirements may also change as the phases of training change throughout a year.

What does a consultation with a Nutritionist involve? The first thing to establish is how well your body is currently being fuelled. This will involve establishing the levels of carbohydrate, protein and fat consumed, as well as assessing the levels of other nutrients your body requires.

The requirements of your particular sport are then assessed and recommendations can be made to suit your sport and training situation.

Doesn’t a well balanced diet give me all that I need?
A well balanced diet goes a long way to providing what is needed, however most of the studies that assess the way we eat have come to the conclusion that not many people approach this.

It is also becoming apparent as more research is being conducted that various supplements and/or vitamins and minerals can potentially help optimise both the fuel used by the body, and the recovery after activity to improve results.

What if I am not an athlete?
A large number of studies have been published over the last decades that have implicated inadequate nutrition as being a major predisposition to developing many diseases. Most people can fuel their body more efficiently.