Nutrition for Skiing, something I have thought long and hard about.
Most people think that preparing for the ski season is about strengthening muscles and increasing fitness, however these are only part of what is needed to get the most out of the winter season. In order to ski to your maximum ability and avoid injury, your nutrition is as important as exercise or your kit.
My Top Tips
Preparing for the Ski Season/Making the most of the mountains
Injury can be lessened or prevented by ensuring you have some good nutritional foundations in place. The most significant of these is a good store of the 9 essential amino acids, found in ‘full proteins’. A good balance of these in your daily diet pre-ski season can strengthen your bones, muscles and joints, which can help to prevent serious injuries when accidents happen.
It is also wise to consider improving your immunity pre-ski trip as we all know someone who gets ill as soon as they arrive at the hotel/chalet. This is an actual scientific term called “the let-down” effect. It occurs when the body is used to operating daily at high levels of stress. The stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol suddenly decrease and when this happens the immune system is weakened. Ergo, a day of travel can result in contracting colds or flu that would normally bounce off. This ‘let down’ can also impact muscle fatigue and repair. So before you go, find your favourite source of vitamin C, eat healthily, do some exercise, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, get some early nights and full nights sleep, try to wind down the stress gradually rather than suddenly stopping.
Pre-Season
5 Nutritional Tools to Use to Improve Your Nutrition Pre-Ski
Try to incorporate one of these habits into your routine each week and see if you notice any difference. Health is not a quick fix it is formed by consistent habits.
Start every meal with two mouthfuls of full protein. Full protein contains all 9 essential amino acids that the body needs to heal, repair and grow.
Increase your water intake and make sure you drink 2 litres daily.
Chewing each mouthful of food for longer (20 seconds) increases your digestive enzymes which will break down your food quicker so that it is digested, absorbed and used by your body quicker.
Increase your daily intake of vegetables by an additional 2.
Vegetables are the best source of vitamins and minerals that your body cannot get anywhere else unless in synthetic form. The fibre found in vegetables is also essential in preventing energy spikes which are then followed by energy slumps.
Leave 4-5 hours between each meal, try to make sure that you are hungry when you next eat and not snacking for the sake of it. If you feel hungry have a drink of water. If you’re trying to lose weight for your holiday your body cannot burn fat whilst it is still coping with the insulin response from your last meal, you need to give it a break.
Increase your immunity by increasing your intake of vitamin C. This can be found in many vegetables including broccoli, spinach, garlic, and ginger but also in citrus fruits.
2. In-resort nutrition
To make the most of your ski trip.
Recommendations for breakfasts
Start your day with nature’s own electrolytes. While you wait for your morning tea or coffee down a glass of water with a couple of Himalayan salt rocks to replenish your overnight dehydration and to top up those essential minerals, add a squeeze of lemon or lime for vitamin C to boost your immunity and increase your antioxidants. This is a great way to start the day in the mountains.
Buffet Breakfast?
Do you want to know what to choose from the hotel buffet if you don’t want to put on those lbs and do want to feel full and forget about lunch until lunchtime?
I suggest you look for protein in the form of boiled eggs, omelette and/or lean meats, complemented with complex carbohydrates such as granary, oats or wholegrain bread. If that all sounds too heavy try some fibrous fruit and berries with yoghurt, limit intake of fruit juice, always go for the full fruit.
Lunch
Similar to breakfast, identifying the complex carb options to keep you energised and feeling fuller for longer. Basically, the nearest food to Whole Foods would invariably be the dish of the day, or meat/fish with a vegetable option for adults. Children would require extra carbohydrates for extra energy if they have been skiing all morning, something like a pasta dish would be a good choice for them.
Post-ski, pre-dinner (for the kids)
Maybe a recovery snack
For example, hot chocolate made with whole milk or plant milk, or some homemade trail mix with nuts, seeds and chocolate chips or dried fruit. This will provide more protein/amino acids than a slab of cake and may rein in any hyperactive overexcited behaviour during the evening meal (children or adults). It will also reduce muscle fatigue and balance out insulin levels if they are dipping by this point, keeping everyone calmer when it is bedtime.
Dinner
What should you choose to eat for dinner to ensure overnight muscle recovery? If you want a good night's sleep at altitude consider what on the menu is going to convert into the most glycogen to give you energy the next day so that you can be on that first lift with a big smile. My choice would be something with complex carbs and meat or fish with a big side portion of salad or vegetables. My favourite is La Braserade with dauphinoise potatoes and chef salad at Pizzeria Chez Pierrot in Flaine, it is one of the best thing about my regular ski resort, Flaine.
Summary
Nutrition is as important as fitness to get the most from the ski season. Not all of these tips are for everyone, and it is important to find the right balance for you.
If you want to improve your overall health and well-being, so that you can make the most of your mountain experience Nutritional Therapy is a personalised approach, whatever your level from learner to off-piste ski tourer. As a qualified nutritional therapist, I highly recommend you undertake a full health assessment to form the basis of your personalised recommendations for nutrition, lifestyle, and supplements this will also help identify any appropriate testing to establish what will work best for your physiology.