3
THE POWER OF FOOD
Introduction
For rowers at any level fuelling your body correctly is as fundamental as putting the right
fuel in your car. There is no shortcut to eating well and turning to supplements as a quick
fix is certainly not the answer. ‘Food first’ should be your approach and a well-organised
rower should be able to plan to fuel optimally from food alone.
If you think you can’t win medals without supplements then think again. This is what Moe
Sbihi and Katherine Grainger have to say on the matter:
Moe Sbihi – 2012 Olympic Bronze medallist (M8+) and World Champion (M8+,
2015, 2013; M4-, 2014):
“As a development athlete, it is easy to get drawn into taking
supplements because it is perceived that that is what is needed
to take you to the next level. However, healthy eating and
regular habits are paramount and this includes avoiding
supplements where necessary. Even now, as a full time athlete,
I do not take supplements. I was able to get myself into a
routine and make it become a habit. Organising your food in
advance removes the worry of where you are getting your
much-needed nutrition after training or racing.
A healthy diet will give you more than what any supplement
has to offer and a common mistake is to use supplements as a
substitute for food. This will not only affect your body and
your performances in rowing, it will also increase the risk of
contamination with a banned substance.”
Katherine Grainger – 2012 Olympic Gold medallist (W2x) and three time
Olympic Silver medallist (W2-, 2000; W4x, 2004, 2008):
“As an athlete you spend a huge amount of your time trying to
improve the tiny margins that might make the difference
between a good performance and a great one. In nutrition it's
no different, and it might be easy to think that supplements will
give you the edge. But I've personally never used supplements
and if I ever did then I would think I've failed. And believe me I
hate to fail! All the nutritional advice we have ever been given
has shown that the best things for my health and for my
performance come naturally from food. Knowing how to shop
for food, what meals to make and forward planning menus is all
part of becoming the best athlete you can be ”
©Copyright
Peter Spurrier, Intersport Images
©Copyright
Peter Spurrier, Intersport Images