Eat like an athlete with these pointers from Denise Lewis.
Denise says, 'Although it’s not easy sometimes, you definitely are what you eat so try to incorporate as much of your five a day as possible, keep your fluid intake quite high, and it's so important to have healthy snacks so find something you like - NOT crisps and chocolate.
'A lot of people miss breakfast, but you must have something to get yourself going in the morning. I try to do what I did as an athlete during the day and eat little and often.'
What does your typical daily diet consist of?
Breakfast: I try not to miss breakfast and like to make sure I keep my days varied, so in the morning I typically have porridge, fruit and yoghurt or eggs. I don’t usually have cereals as they can have a high sugar content.
Lunch: If I’m working, I’ll have sushi, a sandwich or a salad. I love spicy food so I'll add harissa to it if I have some. I also usually have a peppermint tea to keep me hydrated throughout the day.
Snacks: As I have three kids I always try to keep handy snacks with me, so if I’m on the go I have something healthy for us to eat. Today I had some almonds and carrot sticks with hummus but not every day is so healthy. We like our treats too.
Dinner: I love cooking hearty meals; Caribbean dishes are a favourite with the whole family. A typical meal will be Caribbean chicken with spring onions, brown rice and side of vegetables. For dessert, we’ll have apple pie with custard, yum!
How do you stay in shape?
I have a different relationship with exercise and my shape now. I had to train very intensely before, as that was my job, but I train differently now. I do a more diverse range of sports now. I love playing a bit of tennis, golf and I particularly love my cross trainer because I need something I can do for a short amount of time that gives me a good work out. I also love cycling; I don’t run very well these days as I get sore feet from old injuries so cycling is a great way to get some cardio without the impact.
Olympic gold medalist, Denise Lewis, is working with Dettol to support the launch of the new Dettol Power and Pure range: www.facebook.com/missionforhealth
