SKIING SUPERFOODS

It can seem like all you can buy to eat on the mountain is cheese, bread, fries and burger. It would be fair to say that these don’t really appear in many athletes diets and are not considered superfoods. Making sure you are fueled for the day and eating healthy should be a priority if your skiing from first to the last lifts. To help we have made a list of skiing superfoods that you can easily find in the mountains.

SKIING SUPERFOODS: BREAKFAST

Oats are a great source of Carbohydrates that digest slowly releasing energy over a long period of time. It is packed full of fibre protein and unsaturated fats all of which will help you ski for longer. Porridge has long been a standard offering at the breakfast ski table for these reasons.

Another staple of the skier’s breakfast has been the humble egg. The egg provides the body with Vitamin D and protein as well as essential amino acids. It is amino acids that are crucial in aiding your body’s ability to repair its self which your muscles will need after a long session on the slopes.

Milk has similar properties to eggs and is great at providing the energy needed to help muscles repair after exercise. It is also full of calcium that helps to keep your bones strong and healthy which in turn can make you ski for longer, be more resistant to damage and increase your balance.

SKIING SUPERFOODS: SNACKS

The Banana is natures portable treat and in the UK we eat over 100 a year per person. The yellow fruit contains potassium which is great for helping your muscles work harder. The banana is also full of quick releasing carbs which is perfect for when you’re at the top of a hike and need an energy boost for the return turns.

Nuts are good but walnuts are the superfood for riding all day. Not only do they taste great but they are a good source of Vitamins B & E, fibre and protein. The other bonus of snacking on a walnut is that contains Omega 3 that can act as an anti-inflammatory aiding your daily recovery.

SKIING SUPERFOODS: MEALTIMES

Spinach is full of Iron and that is an important nutrient of your looking to be active all day. Iron will help metabolise your energy keeping it at a higher level throughout the day. It also plays an important part in helping oxygen circulate around your body and when working hard your muscles require a lot of O2.

If you’re looking for a carb alternative to keep you moving all day maybe put some Sweet Potato in your belly! Not only does it have the energy you get from traditional carb sources it also has the added bonus of containing a load of vitamins and minerals.

We talked about recovery after a day on the slopes and how Omega 3 is essential to that process so why not have a nice slice of Salmon to boost your it. Salmon is a fatty fish that is full of Omega 3 making it the perfect apres ski dish!

A super food list wouldn’t be compleat with our mentioning Kale. If you’re looking for an ingredient that will provide all of the above then look no further than this green god of a superfood. Hidden in the unappetising leaves is protein, fiber, Omega 3, Vitamins K & C, magnesium and calcium. Essentially you could survive on kale alone but you wouldn’t want to.

Pasta is easily available in the mountains and is an option in most restaurants. It can give you vital energy reserves to enable sustained exercise throughout the day. If you have the option go for whole wheat pasta as that has a lower GI score and will release the energy from the carbohydrates over a longer period.

DRINK LOADS OF WATER

Eating all this super food is not going to be worth it if you allow yourself to dehydrate as the body needs the fluid to help extract the good stuff from your food during digestion. In the mountains and especially when skiing or snowboarding you will dehydrate much faster than normal so you should make sure you are regularly drinking water throughout the day.