These surfers’ nutrition rules can be applied to any surfer girl. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been surfing for years or have just gotten started. Every surfer girl needs to support her love of surfing with a healthy diet in order to be able to surf with energy, recover between sessions and improve over time. There are 5 rules for surfers nutrition that can benefit anyone who loves surfing and wants to do it as much as possible.
Surfers Nutrition Rule 1: Don’t skip meals
For stable energy you need stable blood sugar. If you let your blood sugar get too low between meals you’re going to feel tired. However, this can get tricky! As surfers, we avoid eating too close to the time we paddle out. Many surfers also enjoy dawn patrols and don’t eat breakfast beforehand. So what’s the solution?
Make sure to have healthy snacks on hand when you get out of the water. This can be as simple as a piece of fruit with some nut butter. Get that in your system within 30 minutes of surfing if you can’t eat a full meal right away.
For the morning session you could have a small snack like a piece of toast with jam, a small smoothie or a piece of fruit. But this is optional. For your morning surf, it’s important to make sure you have enough stored energy from the evening before. Be sure to include complex carbohydrates in your evening meal along with some healthy protein and lots of veggies!
Surfers Nutrition Rule 2: Don’t worry about the sports nutrition gimmicks
A healthy consistent diet is way more valuable to your surfing than any sports drinks, protein powders, supplements or performance enhancers. I’m not saying never use protein powder or drink Gatorade. I just mean don’t make them the foundation of your diet. Use real foods. Drinking a protein shake made from powder and water for breakfast every morning isn’t the same as eating whole foods.
When we get whole foods we consume the fiber that helps us absorb nutrients, digest the food and strengthen the gut. Whole foods are also living foods, grown from the earth, and we absorb that energy!
Surfers Nutrition Rule 3: Use the power of habits to your advantage
Things that are automatic become much easier to follow through on. What habits do you need to incorporate into your routine as a surfer that will help you consistently eat healthy, nutritious meals? Once you identify what you need to work on or add into your diet, build a habit around it. Check out this blog for more ideas on how to do that.
Surfers Nutrition Rule 4: Eat as many plants as you can.
Seriously. Plant foods cover ALL your nutritional needs. Plus they contain special components that aren’t found in meat, dairy or eggs. When you base your diet heavily around plants you not only get super nutritious meals, but you also get additional benefits. These are things like polyphenols, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory components, and fiber. Plants also help correct imbalances in the gut such as bloating, gas, constipation and diarrhea. Download this free recipe bunde of simple plant based meals for surfers.
Surfers Nutrition Rule 5: It’s ok to break the rules… sometimes
Everyone has special circumstances sometimes. Is it better to rely on protein shakes than to skip meals, probably. I can’t tell you for sure. What I can say is that the best thing you can do for your nutrition as a surfer is listen to your body. Eat mindfully, observe the signals your body is sending you. Don’t rush your meals or eat when you’re stressed. Enjoy your food, and eat on purpose, with purpose.
For more support join the Her Surf Nutrition Community on Facebook for live workshops, challenges and more tips.
Still have unanswered questions about your diet? Want to go deeper into some solutions? Book a Pay What You Can nutrition consultation and get started with a Holistic Nutritionist, totally risk free!