Right, big topic here. There is a claim that what you eat can affect how you run; it turns out this claim is true. Believe it or not, having, say, pasta and chicken every night will be more beneficial than eating a Big Mac with large fries and a chocolate milkshake. Outlandish I know, but true.

I was told a few years ago that athletes should eat small and often instead of big and infrequently. I use this idea when I plan my meals and what I eat. It ensures that I don't get hungry very often and I'm always topped up with food for energy or recovery. Being at uni has helped me become more strict with my diet because back home my mum buys a lot of crap for my little brother and sister, and I end up eating it. Over here I buy the food myself so I only have myself to blame if I don't get the fruit, veg etc. I know some people don't like to eat healthy stuff but fortunately I don't have a problem with it and can pretty much eat anything apart from fish. So Mark wants to know what I eat everyday. here's how I try to structure it:

Breakfast (at about 8am)- 3 Weetabix, two slices of toast with jam and some sort of fruit.

Lunch (at about 11 am)- Two wraps with some meat and salad inside. A personal favourite of mine at the moment is chicken and spinach. With that I may have a bag of crisps or some fruit or vegetables.

Post lunch (somewhere between 2:30 and 3:30)- some pasta. May add some cream crackers in there or nuts at the end if I'm peckish.

Dinner (around 7pm)- A good meal, combining meat, some sort of carbohydrates and vegetables. Fruit afterwards.

Post training (could be any time)- Banana and cereal bar (at least!)

Also I do nibble on some things in between these meals, like nuts, biscuits or cereal bars.

This isn't the structure I have everyday due to varying training times. But this is what I keep to on Tuesday, when training is in the evening at 6 and an easy run in the morning. On a day like Monday when the structure is a bit different I just rearrange a few meals, eat earlier or later, or adjust the amount I eat if training is coming up. Now putting up a schedule like this isn't really much help when it comes to specifically what I eat, the above is just a brief outline. When I go to nutritional talks they always tell you roughly what you should eat but not specifically what you should eat. So I'm going to put up what I have in my cupboard, fridge and freezer to give people an idea/example. I must emphasise that this isn't a perfect example of what to have, this is just what I have. I had no help from a nutritionist when deciding what I should eat, just a little common sense from Mrs Maria Sharp. 

Fridge- Chicken, cucumber, carrots, onions, strawberry jam, spinach, milk, cheese

Cupboard- bread, pasta, Weetabix, wraps, mixed unsalted raisins and nuts, cereal bars, cream crackers, Lucozade Sport Body Fuel powder, crisps (some special soya-protien, low in cholestorol ones), rich teas, fruit digestives, rice, cooking sauces, hot chocolate (I don't drink tea or coffee and it get's cold in my house sometimes), potatoes, bag of raisins

Freezer- cauliflower, brocolli, sweetcorn, peas, chicken, beef mince, garlic bread, chips (I haven't touched them in weeks, honest)

Fruit bowl- oranges, kiwis, bananas, plums.

This is what I have stocked up at the moment and is obviously subject to change due to what's going cheap in Sainsbury's. My meals are then just a combination of these things which I have available to me. Also notice there aren't many drinks on that list, as I mainly, pretty much only, drink water, it works out cheaper this way.   

Feel free to comment and ask questions on this. If anyone can see some potential great recipes from that food list please do shout them out. Also, any tips on food that has special properties let me know eg, apparently onions help thinnen the blood, kiwi has the most vitamin C of any fruit (courtesy of Phil Wickes that one), spinach makes you like Popeye etc.

Eat healthy and run hard,

Goolab xxx