Creatine vs Protein for teenagers who want to bulk up

If I had a most Frequently Asked Questions section, creatine and protein for teenagers would be right at the top. It would most likely be asked by a teenage boy who was trying to bulk up for basketball, football or just for the beach. Or it might be their mum, dad or coach asking. The desire (or pressure) to gain muscle for young active males is increasingly prevalent. Whether it be for performance, aesthetics or a bit of both, the strategies introduced via food and supplements can literally make or break a young person. But how much protein is necessary for teenagers and is creatine really worth the hype?

Why do kids want to put on weight?

Concerns about body image and appearance are inextricably linked to the teenage years. The rise of social media and things like the new Looksmaxxers trend don’t help, and while traditionally the appearance focus for boys has been lean and toned, there is currently an increased focus on bulking up - fast. Aesthetics is one thing, but the type of teenagers I see in clinic who want to gain muscle are usually also interested in performance benefits. It may be that a teenager is feeling too light to compete - they are looking for a performance advantage over their peers or just want to keep up with the average. This is a particular problem for adolescent boys - they all grow at different rates and body shape and comparison of size and strength within an age group is a futile activity. Those who hit puberty earlier are going to be bigger and stronger - it’s just facts. But this gap creates urgency for young kids playing sport and rather than allowing natural development, the race begins to attempt to force muscle growth.

The Quick Fix

How can I get big fast? The natural tendency is to look for a magic solution. Some do want to work on their training and diet, but the allure of legal enhancement via supplements is increasingly appealing. There’s also the illegal enhancement options, however we’ll park that one straight away in discussions around adolescents (while acknowledging this is an option that some individuals look to pursue). Nutrition can be the next step, but I am pretty sure many teenagers miss the ‘eat well’ part and head straight to the protein powders and creatine without getting food right first. A suggested order of introduction for teenagers wanting to fuel and perform well and support muscle development:

Eat well - start with that.

Protein powder - rarely required.

Creatine - no, absolutely not.

Start with food

If a child or teenager is truly eating well to support growth, training and general energy expenditure the benefits are significant. With some tailored planning, most kids can meet their daily protein needs. The part that can be more challenging is the calories. Active teenagers can find it difficult to find enough time and appetite to eat and drink enough to meet their elevated needs, and often kids have no interest in scheduling their life around snacks! It’s usually not extra protein they need (although some do need strategies to assist) - it’s extra energy. Yes, meet base protein needs via food and drinks, and bolster these with additional calories. Protein powder not required. Instead of the protein shake, make a fruit smoothie with the lot that provides the protein along with all the extra nutrients and energy.

Protein powder

There aren’t too many situations where a teenager needs a protein shake. Saying that, occasionally for convenience or for vegetarians there could be a place to add it to dietary intake, but usually there’s no need for expensive powders as a daily supplement. There are plenty of foods that contain protein and that are also rich in other important nutrients for kids (see link to my article at the end for more on protein). Many typical protein powders are just protein with no other nutritional value.

Creatine

It’s quite staggering how popular creatine has become and somehow it seems to be sneaking into the lives of an increasing number of teenagers. Creatine is a well-researched supplement, however it’s not well-researched in bodies that are still growing. When kids can achieve amazing progress with their development when supported by age-appropriate training and nutrition, there’s no need to mess with that process. There are risks of trying to force weight gain, especially in a growing adolescent who is also training hard, and without proper research we don’t really know the entirety of risks we may be exposing kids to.

When the creatine gummies become more of a priority than eating breakfast and snacks with protein, we have an even bigger problem. Creatine is not going to work without the baseline nutrition and training in place - a complete waste of time and money and not without potential risks.

What works?

If teenagers really want to build some muscle then they have to get serious about their nutrition. The amount and timing of protein is important but perhaps not as important as total energy (calorie) intake. It’s a myth that elite athletes all take supplements like protein powder and creatine. If some of the best athletes in the world focus on the fundamentals of nutrition, training and sleep to support performance, why would we experiment with kids who are still growing? Muscle growth and development in teenagers are often related to stage of puberty, so it’s critical to stop comparing and focus on the things that will help you reach your potential, safely, and at a developmentally appropriate pace.

Interested in this topic? More articles on my website below:

Back to basics protein - foods that contain the most and best protein for recovery and training

Why junior athletes are not small adults when it comes to body composition

Recovery smoothie recipe

I also have my book Super Food for Performance in Work, Sport and Life in printed and ebook format on sale here.

Fluids for junior basketball – why, what, when and how much?

Anyone else’s kids get home at the end of the school day with a water bottle that has barely left the school bag?  The same child who then only has about an hour at home before heading off to training?  Starting training or games dehydrated puts you well behind before you even step on the court.  On the other hand, starting hydrated provides an advantage that many other kids in junior sport won’t have.  

Here’s why it pays to get through the drink bottle (with maybe even a top up from the tap!) during the school day:

Why hydration helps?

Starting training hydrated means setting yourself up for: 

- better passing and shooting accuracy

- improved concentration and judgement

- improve co-ordination and speed

- ability to keep running hard, right up until the last minute of the last quarter

- makes training feel easier, so you feel better and can work harder

You are always going to sweat and become more dehydrated once exercise starts, so arriving  hydrated and continuing to drink while training are going to help you perform at your best – and win games. 

Best fluids for training

For most junior sports, including basketball, water is the drink of choice and totally adequate.  For a typical junior game, kids don’t need sports drinks or electrolytes.  The only time I’d say you might potentially need a sports drink is during prolonged training beyond 2 hours, or in hot and humid conditions and maybe during tournaments.  These are times where carbohydrate as fuel and electrolytes for hydration can be useful and a sports drink provides an easily consumed form. There’s also the question of whether sports drinks or electrolytes are more important – you can find more info on this here Hydration is important but what is the role of sports drinks and electrolytes and who needs them?

The marketing and accessibility has us fooled - most of the time sports drinks are a waste of money for juniors.  The sugar combined with acidity is also not great for kids’ teeth.

Even during the day at school, water should be the main drink.   Milk-based options are also a terrific option for children, and research shows that as children and teenagers get older, milk intake drops.  Plain milk or milk-based fruit smoothies are perhaps the best options for a nutrient-dense, calcium-rich option.  The chocolate milk thing is still doing the rounds as a recovery option, however a smoothie type drink would actually be much better - providing good quality protein, carbohydrate, vitamins and minerals from the milk but also added anti-inflammatory and recovery nutrients from the fruit.

How much do I need to drink?

You have probably heard that you need ~2 litres of water per day to stay hydrated. This may be a reasonable estimate of total fluid needs for the average adult, however kids’ needs can vary significantly. This relates mostly to growth and development.  Younger children don’t sweat as much, and due to their smaller body size won’t need as much fluid as a larger teenager who is well-progressed through puberty.  This however also makes young children more susceptible to heat illness – sweating is a cooling mechanism, so great care should be taken with kids training and competing in the heat and appropriate policies and cooling strategies applied.

Other factors in addition to growth, development and body size that will impact fluid needs include weather (temperature, humidity) and the amount of training on any given day.  Sweat rates differ between individuals also.

Often we talk about using thirst as a guide to needs, however kids and teenagers often need some planning and prompting to ensure they drink enough.

How do you know if you are drinking enough?

Try the pee test. Pale yellow to clear is a good indicator that you are hydrated.  No need for it to be crystal clear but you don’t want it to look orange either. (the urine colour test doesn’t work if you take vitamin/mineral supplements because these often cause urine to be darker in colour).  Look out for other symptoms of dehydration also, such as fatigue, headache, light-headedness, and  infrequent toilet stops.

In professional sport we have equipment that can measure the concentration of urine to determine hydration, however the pee test is still a pretty good indicator! Professional athletes may also check fluid loss by measuring weight before and after training or games, however this is usually not necessary for junior athletes participating in a single training session or game (and unless under the guidance of an accredited sports dietitian as junior athletes should not be subjected to weight measurement in their sporting setting for any reason).

Individual fluid needs vary significantly due to a number of factors.  Work out how much you need and the best fluids for you for different scenarios, and ask an accredited sports dietitian if you need some help working it all out. The average body is made up of over 60% water and your body doesn’t function at its best without it.

Lisa has worked with NBL teams Melbourne United and South East Melbourne Phoenix over 10 years and currently works with Basketball Victoria junior high performance programs. She also has two very active children who play a lot of sport, including basketball.

Almond Butter Balls

I tried a few different combinations of these balls but this mix seemed to work well for taste and texture, without needing to add extra sugar (the dates provide plenty of sweetness!).

The recipe combines ingredients in a food processor, however you can also grate ingredients finely then combine if you want a bit more texture and crunch. Totally up to you.

This makes a good base recipe that you could then adapt and adjust with different nuts/seeds/nut butters to suit your tastes.

With all of the nuts, seeds and nut butter, these treats contain healthy fats, as well as fibre, vitamins and minerals from the raw ingredients. They are lower in sugar than some other ‘bliss ball’ recipes, however any snacks that are packed with nuts/seeds/dried fruit will be nutrient-dense, but also energy-dense. Great as a small snack at the end of a meal, or something to go with a cup of tea (as an alternative to a sweet biscuit perhaps), but not necessarily suggested as a handful as a snack on their own. If you are an athlete with high energy needs however, enjoy liberally.

Another thing to note - don’t be fooled by similar recipes out there for ‘protein balls’ - the shear size of these snacks means that even though the ingredients contain protein, consuming 1 or 2 serves is unlikely to provide significant protein and the quality of protein is likely to be low (you would have to add a lot of protein powder otherwise, and this is usually not possible). Check ingredients and portion sizes carefully. There will usually be more efficient ways to get your high quality protein in. So although this recipe contains plenty of nuts and seeds, there is no way they could be referred to as protein balls! But nutritious and tasty all the same, and nice for something different!

If you are looking for some pre-workout snack ideas, you will find some in my blog article Best Snacks for Before Exercise to Perform at Your Best.

Almond Butter Balls

Makes ~20

Ingredients:

¼ cup sunflower seeds

¼ cup sesame seeds

½ cup dates

¼ cup coconut

½ cup oats

½ cup almond butter

Method:

Combine sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, dates, coconut and oats in a food processer until well combined.  Mix through nut butter.  Using a teaspoon, roll into small balls and place on a lined tray.  Allow to firm up in the fridge, then store refrigerated in an airtight container.

Banana, strawberry and yoghurt muffins

Image above is ‘Banana Muffins’ - the recipe below but minus the strawberries!

Recipe makes ~18 medium size muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup wholemeal SR flour

1 cup SR flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon cinammon

¾ cup natural yoghurt

½ cup milk

1 egg

1/3 cup olive oil

2 medium ripe bananas, mashed

½ cup chopped strawberries 

 Method:       

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C.  Line muffin pans with patty cases or grease with some oil or butter.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients, flours, sugar and cinammon and whisk to remove any lumps.  Combine yoghurt, milk, egg, olive oil and bananas in a separate bowl then add to the dry ingredients. Combine gently until just mixed through, then fold through the strawberries.  Spoon mixture into muffin pans to 2/3 full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 180 degrees C. Leave in the pan for 5 minutes before cooling on a wire rack

Lose the lollies - why lollies should not be seen at kids’ sport

Lollies are for parties. 

They were when I was a kid anyway.

How confectionery has become part of post-game culture at junior sporting venues has me bewildered.  Somehow, the practice of elite endurance athletes, who are known to use simple forms of sugar as fuel during prolonged training and events, has transcended to kids’ being handed a bucket full of colourful jellies as primary recovery food following a 36-minute basketball game.  Why?  Or why not should be of greater concern for parents across Australia who are effectively the gatekeepers of the regular post-game sugar fest.

How did this happen?

Jelly lollies have become popular with endurance athletes as a convenient, portable and enjoyable carbohydrate source for lengthy training sessions.  Long rides or runs, where it may be difficult to consume adequate solid foods, make lollies an easy choice for a quick energy boost.

A typical junior sporting event usually takes less than 1 hour.  I am talking typical team sports here, in particular the ones I attend on a regular basis - basketball and footy.  Every time I attend a game, at any venue, I almost always spy lollies or chocolate in some form (ok, Saturday 8am basketball perhaps less likely, but not completely unexpected…).

This concerns me……a 10 year old does not need a quick acting carbohydrate immediately before, during or after a game, especially if they have eaten well beforehand.  Yes, kids do get hungry after sport, and recovery may also be a consideration for particularly active children.  Give the child some proper food to eat.   There is absolutely no need for lollies post-game. 

Why am I so angry!

Lollies and junior sport should not be used in the same sentence and here’s why:

-        Feeding children lollies after a game creates the perception that lollies are an everyday food, or even worse teaches kids that lollies and sweet foods are a reward for effort.

-        During and after sport a child’s saliva production is reduced and teeth are vulnerable to attack (so my wonderful dentist thoughtfully reminds me) – introducing a sticky, sugary sweet is asking for trouble.  Want a massive dental bill – keep giving your kids lollies (and sports drink) every time they run around a court.

-        There are SO many better choices out there to help kids recover, feel good and fill them up after sport. 

Sure, it may just be a jelly snake here and there and you may think I am over-reacting, but kids get enough opportunities to eat lollies at other times.  Keep the lollies where they belong – in beautifully packaged little bags handed to guests as a birthday celebration thank you.  Not in the sports bag.

Why I joined the team at Chris Hemsworth’s 'Centr' fitness app

Image courtesy of Centr

You would not be alone if on first impressions you thought Chris Hemsworth’s new Centr health and fitness program was just another celebrity program with plenty of hype but not necessarily substance.  Celebrity programs have received much criticism for their lack of evidence-based content, however not all online health and well-being programs are the same…..some take their nutrition seriously - and they do it well.

That’s why when they asked me to join the team of experts, to provide dietary advice, I decided to say yes. And for all of my friends, no I didn’t get to meet Chris…yet.

Centr for example uses a range of experts to provide exercise, nutrition and lifestyle advice.  I know first hand that all of their nutrition content, which includes recipes, articles, nutrition tips and meal plans, are carefully planned, created and reviewed by the nutrition experts and the team at Loup (a complete digital business that produces online health and fitness programs) which includes an Advanced Sports Dietitian (me!).   Loup are super passionate about health, nutrition, food (and food enjoyment), and provide ongoing support and expertise to the Centr program (in addition to other programs such as Tiffany Hall’s TiffXO and Emily Skye Fit). Great care is taken to provide nutrition content that is based on science, and anything that needs clarity gets checked off by me prior to publishing.    

Centr DOES provide meal plans, but with significant flexibility built in, and a focus on food enjoyment and listening to your body rather than counting calories and macros. Recipes incorporate seasonal, nutrient-dense wholefoods, to help nourish our bodies and brain rather than promoting a  ‘diet’ approach.  Yes, there are some issues with prescriptive meal plans in general, but Centr provides meal plans as a starting guide - in fact many, if not most, members do not follow the meal plans to the letter, but use them for recipe ideas to suit their food preferences and lifestyle.  The overall nutrition program aims to educate and empower individuals to actively change habits for a positive impact on both physical and mental health and well-being.    Clear recommendations are provided to seek individualized advice from an Accredited Dietitian for those with specific needs.

Online programs and meal plans are often criticized, and I admit a few years back I was one of those criticizing, but the feedback from Centr speaks for itself – individuals making better lifestyle choices and creating new habits leading to improvements in health, well-being, body composition, energy levels, confidence and happiness.  Thousands of individuals, from vegans (Centr has the most amazing vegan recipes!), to pescatarians to those who enjoy all foods.  The potential benefits for participants seem to far outweigh any perceived negatives.

Of course online programs are not for everybody – there will always be an important role for individualized advice and private consultation with dietitians like myself.  But if an online program can have a positive impact on individuals by providing credible and accurate nutrition information, delicious recipes, and practical meal ideas, this can only be a positive.

I am also available for individual consults online, regardless of where you are in the world - head to the Get in Touch or Book an Appointment page if you think your nutrition could do with an upgrade. Or check out my book Super Food for Performance in Work, Sport and Life for nutrition tips, snack and meal ideas, and recipes.

10 of the best restaurant meal choices for athletes

Sleep, train, recover, eat, work/study, eat, train, recover…..the life of an athlete can be super-structured and this repetition can also apply to meals and snacks. Some athletes feel it is too difficult to eat out at restaurants when they are trying to meet their performance nutrition needs, so end up avoiding eating out, or find it quite difficult and stressful to make choices when they do venture away from home.    

But looking after yourself doesn't mean you have to lock yourself in an altitude tent for a month and live on steamed chicken, broccoli and rice! There are a feast of nutritious eating out options around that contribute to athlete health, nutrition and performance goals. Here are 10 of the best choices to help you enjoy eating out with friends and family, while keeping your training goals on track:

• Eye fillet steak with vegetables

Dinner at the pub should never be a problem - you can always find a grilled steak on the menu. Order with steamed vegetables and baked/roast/sweet potato instead of chips for a meal rich in lean protein, iron, zinc and vitamins. You may need to add some extra carbohydrate to help meet your training needs.

• Thai beef or chicken salad

With plenty of fresh herbs, garlic, chilli and fresh vegetables for vitamins and antioxidants, a Thai salad is terrific choice. Vermicelli noodles will provide some fuel, while the meat or chicken provides high quality protein and minerals.

• Prawn and vegetable stir-fry

Seafood is a great eating out option, but it’s often served deep fried. Prawns in a stir-fry give you extra vegetables, and by ordering the rice or noodles separately you can vary the amount of carbs to your needs.

• Poke bowl

You can get just about anything in a bowl these days, even smoothies (which I still don’t quite understand!). Poke bowls originate from Hawaii but are now widely available and traditionally contain plenty of fresh vegetables, rice, pickled vegetables, seaweed, edamame, rice and raw fish.

• Steamed fish and greens

Most menus these days will offer a grilled or steamed fish options, and it will often be served with green vegetables and soy/ginger/garlic/chilli style sauce. Check out my Instagram for some examples of these, it’s one of my favourite choices when I go out for dinner!  If you don't eat much fish at home, choosing it when you are out will help to boost your omega-3 intake.

• Grilled haloumi and vegetable stack

For a vegetarian option, grilled vegetable stacks can be a great choice, just make sure there is a decent source of protein like haloumi or ricotta cheese or tofu.

• Fajitas

Fajitas are the perfect Mexican dish to share with friends. Everyone can pick their own favourite fillings - lean meat or chicken, plenty of vegetables and soft tortillas make for a well-balanced and filling meal.

• Lamb Greek salad

Protein, minerals, healthy fats, vitamins – lamb and Greek salad are the perfect match.  Like many salad meals, you may need to serve with some bread, rice, quinoa or sweet potato for extra energy, depending on your goals and needs.

• Vietnamese Pho

Asian-style vegetable/noodle soups are a great eating out option, containing lean protein like beef or chicken, plus fresh herbs, vegetables and noodles.  Soup is hydrating and assists with recovery and fuelling. 

* You may have noticed some common elements to all of these meals - vegetables, herbs, good quality protein, healthy fats and adjustable carbohydrate according to individual needs.  Go for nutrient-density and quality for health and performance benefits                 

* Of course, if you don't eat out too often and are heading out for a celebratory dinner you can throw all this advice out the window and just choose what you really feel like! You never know though, it could still be one of the options above.....

If you are interested in more sports nutrition info, recipes and tips, please add your details for my free newsletter, at the bottom of any page on my website.  You can also follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and look out for my new book Super Food for Performance available for pre-order now, due to arrive in December 2017!

Six of the best carbohydrate foods to improve your training and performance

Not all carbohydrate foods are equal.  For athletes, it’s not just about eating mounds of rice and pasta.  The quality of your carbs counts.  Smart carb choices can help athletes to feel great and perform at their best.  You can get more nutritional value from your fuel foods with selective choices.  It could be as simple as wild or brown rice sometimes instead of white all the time, or choosing a wholemeal pasta.  Or a wholegrain mix such as the one pictured above. 

Here are 6 of my favourite carbohydrate foods for athletes, to boost nutrition, health and performance.

Sweet potato

Sweet potato is a terrific carbohydrate source for training and energy levels.  Sweet potato has a lower glycemic index than white potato (remembering white potato is still good for you too!).  Sweet potato contains more carbohydrate than white potato, but lower in carbohydrate than rice, pasta, and many other grains (for example, the carbohydrate content of white potato is ~12g/100g cooked, sweet potato ~15g/100g cooked, brown rice ~30g/100g cooked). More benefits - fibre, vitamins such as Vitamins A (beta-carotene) and C, and taste!

Barley

Not a fancy expensive ancient grain, and when you think of barley you may be reminiscing about your grandmother’s lamb and barley soup!  But barley is now back in vogue and for good reason.  Barley is a low GI wholegrain, packed with vitamins, minerals and fibre.  Barley, like oats, contains beta-glucan, a soluble type of fibre applauded for its heart health benefits. 

Super versatile, barley goes well in soups, casseroles, breakfast dishes, cold in salads and great in risottos – there is a great Barley Risotto recipe in my book Eat Right for Your Life.

Sourdough rye bread

If you love to eat bread, make it sourdough.  Research is showing that sourdough bread, although it still contains gluten, can be more easily digested than regular wheat-based breads.  Try to select fresh baked sourdough from a local bakery and experiment with the different varieties to see what works for you – rye or spelt are terrific options for nutrition and low GI energy pre-training.

Bananas

A banana is the perfect portable pre-training snack – just enough carbs to fill that space in your tummy and give you an energy boost for the session ahead.  On their own, or part of a recovery smoothie or fruit/yoghurt/granola mix, bananas are a winner.

Sweetcorn

Sweetcorn is a sneaky source of nutritious carbohydrate, also packed with nutrients and fibre, and a similar carbohydrate content to white potato at ~13g/100g cooked.  Great in salads, soups, main meals or a cob of corn as a snack.

Oats

One of the cheapest and best carb options around are oats.  A small amount goes a long way and can keep your engine running for hours.  Rich in fibre and nutrients, and with a surprising protein content, you can find more detailed info in one of my more popular blog posts Oats vs quinoa for health, energy and performance.

Sorry if I’ve missed your favourite, there are plenty of great carbohydrate-rich foods out there!  Performance isn’t just about carbs though - plan your meals and snacks to meet your day-to-day, training and performance nutrition needs.

For more performance nutrition info, check out my blog page.  You can also leave your details at http://www.lisamiddleton.com.au/thoughts-index/ if you would like me to send you freeperformance nutrition updates and recipes, plus you can fllow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Best fluids to hydrate at work (including coffee!) and why you don't need 2 litres of water per day

 Are you someone who carries a water bottle with you everywhere you go?  Or do you struggle to gulp down a few mouthfuls of water in between coffees? If you are not hydrating well it can impact on your concentration at work, energy levels, motivation, general well-being and the results you achieve through training. It’s not just all about water though!

How much do I need to drink?

You have probably heard that you need 2 litres of water per day to stay hydrated. This may be a reasonable estimate for some people, however individual fluid needs vary quite a bit. A petite female is unlikely to need as much water as a 100kg+ active rugby player.   If you are not drinking a 2 litre jug of water every day don’t despair, you may not need that much (or you may actually need much more).

Is water the best drink for hydration?

Although water should make up a fair volume of your daily fluid intake, it’s not the only drink that will hydrate well. Other nutritious fluids such as milk, tea, coffee, blended fruit smoothies and soup all help (for more about the hydrating qualities of soup and smoothies check out my posts Best Fluids For Hydration - Look No Further Than Soup and Why Juice is Not as Bad as You Might Think - Tips For Making a Top Choice). 

Tea vs coffee

Yes, even coffee can help with hydration!  If you work in an office, it’s pretty common to be drinking several cups of tea or coffee per day. Coffee CAN have a diuretic effect, so it’s not as effective in helping your body to hold onto your daily cup full as some other fluids, but it doesn’t make it all go straight through either!  It all comes down to how much you drink. Black tea has far less caffeine (<20mg per cup) vs coffee (>80mg per cup, depending how it is made), so if you like both, tea may be better for helping hydration. 

‘I don’t like water’

If you don’t love plain water, try adding ice, sliced lemon and lime, frozen berries, fresh chopped fruit or herbs and spices to give water a fresh flavour, or choose bubbly plain mineral water for a taste and texture change. 

How do you know if you are drinking enough?

Try the pee test. Pale yellow to clear is what you are looking for. No need for it to be crystal clear but you don’t want it to look like the colour of beer either. (the urine colour test doesn’t work if you take vitamin/mineral supplements because these often cause urine to be darker in colour).

So drink up, and remember that the average body is made up of over 60% water and your body doesn’t function at its best without it.

If you are active, you might also be interested in the best fluids for training in my recent post Hydration is Important, But What is the Role of Sports Drinks and Electrolytes and Who Needs Them.

If you would like me to send you nutrition updates and recipes direct to your inbox (I won't bombard you, only once a month or so!), please leave your details on my Thoughts page and check out some of my other blog posts while you are there.  You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram.