EAT WELL,
TRAIN WELL, LIVE WELL
We believe that good nutrition is the cornerstone of a healthy life.
Eat fresh, nutrient-rich food and combine it with regular activity
and you are well on your way to great health and fitness.
This guide will help you improve your diet or adapt it to your
workout programme. It’s a fact that nutrition plus training is
more effective than exercise alone. You’ll reach your fitness
goals faster, and feel great in the process.
Our partnership with Soulmatefood makes goal-oriented nutrition
easy with gourmet fitness food that’s targeted to your workout
programme. You’ll find Soulmatefood to go and a full restaurant
service in selected clubs. You can also sign up to Soulmatefood’s
tailormade service, with healthy meals delivered direct to your
home or work.
EATING A
HEALTHY DIET
A healthy diet is nutrient-dense and low in processed foods.
It contains plenty of low-sugar fruit and vegetables, plus lean
protein, wholefoods and a variety of good fats.
Proper hydration is crucial. Processed foods are best kept to
a minimum: read nutritional labels for sugar content and trans
(hydrogenated) fats. And be aware that foods labelled ‘low-fat’
can sometimes contain hidden sugar.
KEEP A
FOOD DIARY
BE
REALISTIC
Before you begin a new healthy eating plan, keep a food diary
for three days. Record what you eat, when you eat it, where
and why. This will reveal not just your food preferences, but
ingrained habits, emotional eating patterns and what happens
when you eat on the fly. You can keep the diary going as long
as it takes you to form new eating habits.
Follow the 80/20 rule and you’re more likely to stay the course.
Stick to your diet plan closely for 80% of the time. The rest of
the time, you can be more flexible. Eat some of your favourite
foods or dine out. This approach is much more realistic and
will work with your lifestyle: you’ll make steady progress and
achieve satisfying results.
EAT
NUTRIENT-DENSE FOODS
MINIMISE
PROCESSED FOODS
Fresh, whole, unprocessed foods are the way to go.
Choose fresh fruit and vegetables, lean protein, high-fibre
foods like pulses and wholegrains, and good fats.
Processed foods tend to be nutrient-poor. So limit your intake
of refined carbohydrates such as cakes, pastries and biscuits,
sweets and chocolate, white bread and rice, sugar-laden
breakfast cereals and fizzy drinks.
Super-nutritious foods include dark green leafy vegetables
like kale, broccoli and spinach. Other great nutrient-dense
foods are liver, wild salmon, shellfish, eggs, potatoes, garlic,
almonds and blueberries.
Fast food and microwave meals often contain hidden sugars
and preservatives. Instead, cook from scratch as much as
possible using fresh, real ingredients. You’ll know exactly
what you’re eating, and it will be completely free of additives
and hidden sugar.
FILL UP ON
HIGH-VOLUME FOODS
CHOOSE
LOW-GI, HIGH-FIBRE FOODS
Vegetables and low-sugar fruit add volume to your diet without
piling on the calories. They’re a great way to fill up while keeping
your energy intake low. Pulses are another good, high-volume
food: take your pick of chickpeas, broad beans, haricot beans,
kidney beans and red, yellow, green and brown lentils.
The glycaemic index ranks carbohydrates on an index of 1-100,
according to how much they raise glucose (sugar) levels in the
blood. Low-GI foods (GI <55) convert carbohydrate to glucose
slowly, which helps to keep blood sugar levels stable.
They are complex carbohydrates, so are naturally rich in fibre.
Typical foods include berries, vegetables and root vegetables,
pulses and wholegrains like brown rice and oats.
MINIMISE
HIGH-GI, LOW-FIBRE FOODS
High-GI foods convert carbohydrates to glucose quickly,
raising blood sugar levels rapidly. Refined carbohydrates like
white bread, white rice, cakes, sweets and chocolates are all
high-GI foods. They’ll give you an energy rush, but blood sugar
levels will also subside quickly, leading to energy crashes and
hunger pangs.
ADD
GOOD FATS
Eat natural sources of fat and avoid trans fats – artificial,
hydrogenated fats which are often found in refined foods.
Your body needs a daily mix of unsaturated and saturated fat,
so include olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocados, eggs, meat and dairy
every day. Omega 3 is the king of fatty acids and is found in oily
fish, flax seeds and chia seeds.
KNOW YOUR
PORTIONS
EAT
MINDFULLY
Measure your portions until you can gauge quantities
accurately by sight. If you’re just eating healthily and not
following a plan, a serving of protein should be about the size
of your palm and vegetables the size of your fist. A fat portion
is roughly the size of your thumb, and a carbohydrate serving
should fit into the cup of your hand. If you’re trying to burn fat,
build muscle or are training regularly, see our Burn, Balance
and Build sections for guidelines.
Listen to your body’s hunger and satiety cues. Eat when you’re
hungry, eat slowly and stop when you’re satisfied. Savour and
enjoy your food without distractions – switch off the TV, leave
your phone alone and don’t eat on the run. Eating mindfully
will increase your awareness and control around food.
STAY
HYDRATED
Good hydration is essential. The British Dietetic Association
recommends that adults consume 1.8 litres of total fluids per day,
though this figure will vary according to your weight, the climate
and how active you are. Thirst is a good barometer, as is the colour
of your pee: it should be the shade of pale straw.
Drinking plenty of water will keep your body fluids at their
optimum level, flush out toxins and keep your skin hydrated from
within. It’s important to drink more while exercising, to replace
fluids lost through sweat and to keep muscles energised and
functioning properly. Make sure you’re well hydrated before you
exercise, and keep drinking during your workout.
If you’re training for over an hour, a sports drink will keep you
hydrated and lightly fuelled. Drink a 500ml bottle with a carb or
carb/protein mix. For endurance training, choose a drink with 40g
of carbohydrate. If you’re building muscle, choose one with 25g
of carbohydrate and 15g protein. And if you’re trying to reduce
body fat, avoid sports drinks altogether.
On hot days, electrolyte tablets can help maintain hydration
better than water alone. Pop the recommended dose in your
water and you have calorie-free hydration.
PROTEIN
Lean red meat, skinless poultry, fish, shellfish, liver, eggs, soya
beans, low-fat Greek yogurt, whole milk and cottage cheese.
LOW-GI, HIGH-FIBRE CARBS
Brown and wild rice, wholemeal pasta, oats, lentils, dried
beans, chickpeas and quinoa.
VEGETABLES & FRUIT
Fill your basket with a rainbow of vegetables and low-sugar
fruit. Include avocados, berries and high-fibre vegetables.
NUTS & SEEDS
Almonds, walnuts, brazil nuts and pecans. Sunflower,
sesame, pumpkin, flax and chia seeds.
OILS
Olive, groundnut, flaxseed, rapeseed, sesame,
walnut and coconut oils.
EATING TO
MEET YOUR GOALS
Tailor your nutrition to your fitness goals and you’ll
get there faster.
Over the following pages we give you some easy guidelines to
follow if you want to burn fat, maintain your weight while you
train, or build muscle.
Our partnership with Soulmatefood makes goal-oriented
nutrition even easier. Each meal we sell or serve in our health
club cafes carries a Burn, Balance or Build label.
Soulmatefood makes delicious, nutritionally balanced
meals, snacks and juices. Gourmet fitness food, it’s devised
by nutritionists and made in an actual kitchen with quality
fresh ingredients.
Soulmatefood was official caterer to athletes in the 2012
Olympic village, and has been recommended by sports bodies,
magazines including Vogue and Men’s Fitness, sportsmen
and women and celebrities.
You’ll find Soulmatefood to go in the Grab & Go concessions
in our health clubs. A full menu and restaurant service is also
available in selected Collection clubs.
SOULMATEFOOD MEALS
BURN Low-calorie, reduced carbohydrate, high-protein
BALANCE Balanced carbs, protein and fats
BUILD Calorie-dense, high-protein
BURN
LOSE FAT
To burn fat, you need to reduce calories to the right level
for you, so you expend more energy than you take in. Eat less
carbohydrates and more protein and vegetables. Protein will help
you feel full for longer and maintain muscle mass, and vegetables
add volume, not calories.
• Calculate your daily calorie expenditure
• Reduce carbohydrates
• Increase your protein intake and have regular protein snacks
• Increase vegetables
• Include two servings of good fats daily
Make any changes gradually. Measure your portion sizes,
plan your meals and avoid ad-hoc eating. Eat slowly and
mindfully, without distractions like the TV. A food diary will
help you identify any emotional triggers that lead to overeating.
And don’t be too restrictive, as feeling hungry and deprived often
leads to rebound eating.
NUTRITIONAL RATIOS PER MEAL
Protein 50%
Carbs 20%
Fat 30%
CALORIE EXPENDITURE CALCULATOR
Click to calculate
BALANCE
MAINTAIN & TRAIN
Active people need a healthy diet that maintains their weight,
supports training and helps the body recover afterwards.
If you’re working out regularly, you need to eat balanced meals
with protein, carbohydrates and fat. Protein rebuilds muscle and
repairs damage incurred by training. Carbohydrates fuel your
energy stores: essential for explosive exercise and endurance.
Good fats are another great energy source.
Eat before and after exercise to keep blood sugar levels stable.
Sports drinks or snacks will keep you fuelled when you train for
over an hour.
BEFORE
• Eat a small meal one to two hours before training
• Choose healthy, energising food that’s easily digestible
DURING
• F or training sessions over an hour, drink a 500ml sports drink
with a carb or carb/protein mix
AFTER
• Eat a meal one to two hours after training
• Liquid nutrition can replace a real meal if necessary
NUTRITIONAL RATIOS PER MEAL
Protein 35%
Carbs 35%
Fat 30%
BUILD
BUILD MUSCLE
To build muscle, you need to take in more calories and work out
regularly, with strength training essential for good results.
Choose calorie-rich foods like fattier cuts of meat, oily fish,
cheese, nuts and avocados. Eat dense carbohydrates like
pasta, rice and quinoa, and combine them with protein and fat
in each meal.
Add dairy or nut butter to vegetables, cream to coffee, sprinkle on
cheese or add sauces. And snack often: try nuts with full-fat Greek
yoghurt, protein snacks and shakes.
Dine socially to stimulate the appetite, and cook from fresh with
a gourmet mindset: if there was ever a time to indulge in good
food, it’s now.
• Increase calories
• Eat 5-6 times a day
• Combine dense carbs, protein and fat
• Add good fats to all meals
• Supplement with protein shakes if you need to
NUTRITIONAL RATIOS PER MEAL
Protein 30%
Carbs 50%
Fat 20%
NUTRITION
FOR KIDS
Children need a balanced, healthy diet that’s high in nutrients and low in sugar.
Choose whole, unprocessed foods and abundant fresh produce. Read labels and avoid
processed foods that are aimed at children. Set an example with your own healthy
eating habits and your kids will be on the road to good nutrition for life.
CHOOSE
• Unprocessed foods
• Fresh vegetables and fruit
• Beans, legumes, meat and eggs
• Grains, nuts and seeds
• Avocados and coconuts
• Unsaturated fats
LIMIT
• Processed foods marketed at children
• Foods and drinks with added sugar
All material within this document is provided for your information only and may not be
construed as medical advice or instruction. No action or inaction should be taken based
solely on the contents of this information; instead, readers should consult appropriate
health professionals on any matter relating to their health and wellbeing.
The information and opinions expressed here are believed to be accurate, based on the
best judgement available to the authors, and readers who fail to consult with appropriate
health authorities assume the risk of any injuries. In addition, the information and
opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of every contributor. Virgin
Active acknowledges occasional differences in opinion and welcomes the exchange of
different viewpoints. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions.
virginactive.co.uk/active-matters/nutrition