Written on September 4, 2011 at 10:51 am by tennisip

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Tennis Nutrition : An Open Letter to Andy Murray – Part 3

Filed under Tennis Advice, Tennis Nutrition, Tennis Tips {no comments}

In Part 1 & Part 2 I looked at Andy Murray’s new eating plan and gave him some ideas for breakfast, the meal he was having most difficulty with.

The main point I was trying to make is that variety is of utmost importance in a tennis player’s diet. To eat as many different foods as possible each day means you have to re-think everything you have been taught about portion sizes, especially for vegetables.

So, why is quantity such a problem for so many tennis players?

Well, you know how we’re always told about having a portion size of this and a portion size of that? Have an apple or a banana? How many times have you declined the ‘nutritious’ foods as eating a whole portion size did not appeal but you would have said yes to a bite or two?

The fact is, as an athlete, it’s extremely difficult to get into you all the nutrients you need if you’re not super diligent. The easiest way is to eat as many different foods as possible in any given day. So don’t repeat foods you’ve eaten earlier in the day; cut an apple in quarters, have only 2 slices of red pepper, etc. Eating the recommended portion sizes will always limit your nutrient intake because the sizes are simply too large. You will either decline eating that particular food or eat it but not have the appetite to eat the variety of foods you need.

So, here are your tennis nutrition takeaways

· Eat less of one food,

· Eat more different foods,

· Have at least 6 foods per meal,

· 3 or more per snack (any part of a fruit and 2 different types of nuts or hummus and 4 different raw vegetables, etc.),

· Aim for 25 different foods a day (hey, it’s doable! 3 meals with 6 different foods is already 18 foods. 3 snacks with 3 different foods is another 9…see?!)

So you see, Mr Murray, breakfast need not be boring nor troublesome. But it must be as nutritious as all of your other meals that make up your tennis diet.