• About The Patch Expedition
• Climbing in Aid of Unicef
• Meet The Team
  • The Patch Team
• Corporate Sponsors
  • Become a Corporate Sponsor
• Training for Everest
  • Technical
  • Physical
  • Mental
  • Nutrition
• Climb Your Own Everest
• Climbing Everest
  • Everest Facts
  • The Gear
  • The History of Everest
  • The Route
  • Altitude and Illness
    • Our Bodies and Oxygen
    • Altitude and Oxygen
    • Acclimatisation
    • The Death Zone
    • Supplemental Oxygen
    • Sickness on the Big Hill
• FAQ's

 

 

Nutrition

What we eat and drink will affect our weight, stamina, long term health, body composition and recovery time. To ensure optimum sporting performance during training, nutrition will need to be a core part of our regime.

Having sufficient energy is important when exercising and too little can result in fatigue, injury, illness, loss of muscle mass and brittle bones. Therefore, in order to maximise our performance we have planned a nutritional programme according to our training requirements and bodies.

Carbohydrates, protein and fat are the three main energy sources required for exercise. In order to maintain energy levels when training we try to ensure our diet consists of 50 to 60 percent carbohydrates, 15 – 25 percent protein and 25 to 35 percent fats. However, we are currently experimenting with this to see how our bodies function with different combinations.

Carbohydrates

These are the most efficient form of energy for the body and act as a fuel for intense periods of exercise. Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose which is stored in the muscles as glycogen, fuelling our muscles during exercise. As the body can only store limited levels of glycogen it is important to ensure that we consume sufficient carbohydrates before, during and after training sessions to enhance performance and recovery time.

Examples of carbohydrates are; bread, cereal, pasta, potatoes, rice, beans, peas, lentils, fruit and low fat dairy products. A grazing eating pattern is considered the most effective method of consuming these carbohydrates during the day. (Great excuse to eat all the time!) However, we will also drink specialist sports drinks during and following exercise as they are quick and easy to digest. Therefore, fruit juices and sugary foods are an effective addition to the diet when high levels of energy are required for training.

Depending on what time we are planning to train we’ll try to consume the following carbohydrates:

2-4 hours before session:

• Crumpets/muffins/toast with jam/honey and some fruit.
• Fruit salad with yogurt and honey.
• Baked potato and baked beans.
• Cereal with fruit and low fat milk.
• Lean meat/Quorn with vegetables and noodles.

1 hour before session:

• Milkshake
• Cereal bar
• Banana
• Sports drink

During session:

Raisons and sports drinks are the easiest method of increasing carbohydrates during exercise.

After session:

This is an important time to consume carbohydrates in order to maximise muscle recovery as storage rates are improved within the first two hours. It can be difficult to eat straight after exercising and so a milkshake or isotonic drink can be a better option. Fluids are more easily absorbed than solid foods and the body’s increased blood flow after exercise can be used to enhance nutrient delivery around the body.

Protein

Its main function is to repair and build muscle tissue, particularly following a training session. A healthy diet should contain a sufficient amount without the need for additional supplements. Complete protein contains the essential amino acids for all body cells. This is found in animals and their dairy by-products. Other sources of protein are incomplete and it may be necessary to combine them to ensure sufficient amino acids, e.g. beans combined with rice.

Examples of foods that contain protein are; lean meat, fish, eggs, pulses, nuts, Quorn, Tofu and low fat dairy products. Many protein rich foods are good sources of iron which is essential for transporting oxygen around the body and for maintaining a healthy immune system.

Fats

It is necessary to have a small amount of fat in our diet. They provide essential fatty acids, keep our skin supple and are also a source of fuel. It is better to cut down on saturated fats such as fried foods, confectionary and butter and to replace these with healthy fats such as olive and rapeseed oils, nuts, seeds and oily fish.

We have found that the following factors have been useful when planning our meals:

Hydration - It is vital to ensure that we remain adequately hydrated. The human body is approximately 70% water and it is therefore vital to remain hydrated and replace lost fluids and electrolytes, especially when exercising. Feeling thirsty is a sign of dehydration and even a small amount of dehydration can significantly impair performance. We tend to snack on salty snacks such as pretzels on long distance walks to replenish lost salts and make sure that we drink enough water. Fruits which replenish potassium and fluids are also beneficial and easy to consume whilst exercising. We are particularly fond of celebrating a summit with an orange! Hardcore!

Graze - Many recommend adopting a grazing eating habit. Rather than consuming the traditional three meals a day it is considered more useful to eat five or six equally sized meals or snacks every three hours. This stops us from becoming too hungry or full and provides our bodies with a regular, balanced intake of nutrition thus providing constant energy. Therefore, on days when we are out in the hills for many hours we try to snack on a regular basis. This has been a surprisingly easy habit to adopt!

Fruit and Veg – Fruit and vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals and fibre and should be included in every meal. They can reduce the acidity in your blood preventing loss of muscle mass and are far more effective than taking supplements. We make sure we eat a large variety of fruits, vegetables and other foods which increases our chances of consuming all the required nutrients. It’s also more exciting than eating the same meals day in, day out. However, we have found we need to plan our meals on a weekly basis otherwise we are prone to grabbing the same old foods every time we rush around the supermarket.

Know your Glycaemic Index (GI) - In basic terms, the GI ranks food based on the speed at which they raise blood glucose levels. Foods with a high GI release glucose very quickly and foods with a low GI break down slowly. During the day we try to eat foods containing a low GI so we can maintain constant energy levels without spikes in our blood sugar levels. Generally foods with more fibre take longer to digest and generally have a lower GI. Eating some protein or fat which take longer to digest combined with a food with a high GI will lower the total GI of the meal.

Remember the 90% rule – No-one's perfect! We try to stick to our nutrition plan 90% of the time. Allowing the odd unhealthy snack or meal during the week seems to prevent us from getting fed up and giving up!

Example meal plan:

Breakfast
Porridge with honey,

Mid morning snack
Apple and an orange
Handful of nuts

Lunch
Salad and chicken/Quorn sandwich with wholemeal bread.
Banana

Mid Afternoon snack
Fruit scone
Cereal bar

Immediately prior to a session we nibble on a few raisins and during the session sip an isotonic sports drink.

Dinner
1 large baked potato
Plenty of vegetables
Fish / Quorn
Fruit and yogurt

When we first started examining our diet we found that writing down what we were eating made us more aware of the changes we needed to make. It also highlighted the amount of junk we were eating and made us feel guilty enough to cut down! However, there will always be a place in our hearts (and stomachs) for chocolate!