Talking Food

[MacH 32]

This week we are going to be talking about something that we all know and love food. Who better to ask about diet than a professional athlete, so we sat down with Mac Hooper of the Minnesota Storm to talk about his favourite foods and how he keeps his diet as healthy as possible for his hockey career. To begin with he has a relatively simple diet for the majority of his life, this ensures he is getting all of the right nutrients giving him the best food to fuel his sport. 

He starts the day with cereal with some fruit, usually a banana or an apple this gives him enough fuel to power him through his morning allowing him time to wake up and get on with his daily routines. Followed by a nice healthy salad for lunch with some nuts and a little more fruit, sometimes he will enjoy a coffee at lunch time as well though he has been looking to completely cut out caffeine in the near future. After his workout, games or training he will end the day on a rice or pasta based meal with vegetables and a nice source of protein such as tofu or lentils, depending on his mood.

Alongside his regular healthy eating he makes sure that he is drinking enough water to keep himself hydrated something that he struggled with in the past was making sure he drinks enough water, Mac found it all to easy to forget about drinking his daily required amount of water however he has been improving this recently and it is starting to become a habit that he can't forget. He also enjoys fruit juice from time to time and more importantly fruit smoothies sometimes with oats added other times with just plain fruit.

Obviously he enjoys a treat every once in a while usually resulting in some biscuits with a cup of tea, healthier ways that he likes to treat himself is trading out his usual meal for a wrap consisting of the same ingredients but adding a little more flavour with a nice hot sauce. Another of his favourite treat meals is a pizza, he usually loads it with jalapenos, peppers and other veggies of course he also prefers it with BBQ sauce not the usual tomato sauce for some reason he finds tomato too bland. 

Mac has stated that the main thing he struggles with at the moment is getting a nice balance with his portion sizes regularly eating a little too much and sometimes not eating at all, while he is sure that it all balances it in the long run he would like to get a more consistent routine with his eating, making sure to eat at the same time every day as well as keeping his portion sizes to a decent amount, giving himself enough to fuel his daily antics as well as  a little extra to make sure he is still building and growing at a strong and consistent rate.

[Elmebeck 378]

Add protein for balance.