By: Angela Bentley
Date: April 2016
FUTURELIFE® Fun Facts:
- Sports nutrition can be very expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. Requirements can easily be met with everyday groceries and FUTURELIFE®
- The meal you choose before you start exercise plays a very important role in making sure that you are properly fuelled and that any discomfort is minimised during exercise.
- Using basic ingredients all requirements can be met at a cost of between R24.35 and R56.96.
Walk through the aisles of any sports nutrition retailer and you could very easily be forgiven for thinking that proper sports nutrition needs to cost A LOT of money. The truth is that you can reach all of your sports nutrition requirements with relatively inexpensive foods that you can purchase at your local grocery store and FUTURELIFE® is always there to lend a helping hand.
My goal in writing this article is to show you that you can easily get everything you need to fuel for and recover from 3 hours of intense exercise for under R50, as opposed to the hundreds that sports nutrition retailers would have us believe.
BEFORE EXERCISE
The meal you choose before you start exercise plays a very important role in making sure that you are properly fuelled and that any discomfort is minimised during exercise. For more information around what and when to eat visit: http://www.futurelife.co.za/pre-endurance-nutrition/.
Here are 4 cost-effective options that I picked. Portion sizes are chosen to fulfil the requirements of a 60kg athlete, but can easily be adapted.
| Food choice | Grams of carbohydrates/protein | Price |
| 75g FUTURELIFE® HIGH ENERGY Smart Food™ + 1 large banana (136g) | 63g/ 15g | R7.62 |
| 75g FUTURELIFE® Smart Oats® + 100g low-fat sweetened yoghurt | 65g/10g | R7.75 |
| 3 slices of FUTURELIFE® Smart White Bread with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter (32g) and 1 tablespoons of Jam (20g) | 65g/20.5g | R5.10 |
| 50g FUTURELIFE® HIGH ENERGY Smart Food™ + 1 cup low fat milk and 200g fruit salad | 61g/17g | R9.90 |
DURING EXERCISE
During exercise, nutrition is very important for longer sessions. Glycogen (energy) stores are quickly depleted and need to be replaced in order to keep you going. 30-60g of easily digested carbohydrates per hour should do the trick for this athlete. Where within the 30-60g range one should fall will depend on intensity among other things. For more information on during-exercise nutrition visit http://www.futurelife.co.za/nutrition-exercise/.
| Food choice | Grams carbohydrate/ g per hour | Price |
| FUTURELIFE® High Energy Smartbars™ + 75g jelly sweets + 500ml sports drink | 129g/43g | R27.20 |
| 75g jelly sweets + 500ml sports drink | 107/36g | R19.50 |
| 2 slices of FUTURELIFE® Smart White Bread with 2 tablespoons of honey + 1l cordial (already diluted with water at ratio 1:3) | 90g/30g | R9.45 |
| FUTURELIFE® High Energy Smartbars™ +1l cordial (already diluted with water at ratio 1:3)+ 75g nougat | 106/35g | R23.15 |
AFTER EXERCISE
Nutrition after exercise should be rich in carbohydrates to refuel energy stores and contain some lean protein to repair muscles. The carbohydrate to protein ratio should be around 3-4:1. Fluids and electrolytes are also essential to rehydrate the body. Here are some very simple and cost-effective options that will help you to reach these goals. For more information on the benefits of FUTURELIFE® Smart Drink in sports recovery visit: http://www.futurelife.co.za/futurelife-smart-drink-in-sports-nutrition/ .
| Food choice | Grams of carbohydrates/protein | Price |
| 75g FUTURELIFE® HIGH PROTEIN Smart Food™ + 1 large banana (136g)+ 500ml cordial (already diluted with water at ratio 1:3) | 72g/ 24g | R14.85 |
| 250ml FUTURELIFE® Smart Drink with 2 slices of FUTURELIFE® Smart Brown Bread and 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and 1 tablespoon of honey. | 75.5g/25.8g | R19.85 |
| Open sandwich: 2 slices FUTURELIFE® Smart Brown Bread with 2 boiled eggs and lite mayo + 150g sweetened fruit yoghurt. | 54.5g/24.4g | R9.80 |
| FUTURELIFE® HIGH PROTEIN Smart Food™ Muscle fuel smoothie: http://www.futurelife.co.za/recipes/muscle-fuel-smoothie/ | 65g/28g | R16.19 |
Using these wallet-friendly options pre, during and after your 3 hours of exercise will cost you a minimum of R24.35 and a maximum of R56.96 while giving you everything you need to be everything you want to be.
PRODUCTS MENTIONED
FUTURELIFE® HIGH ENERGY SMART FOOD™
FUTURELIFE® SMART OATS™
FUTURELIFE® SMART BREAD™
FUTURELIFE® HIGH ENERGY SMARTBARS™
FUTURELIFE® SMART DRINK™
FUTURELIFE® HIGH PROTEIN SMART FOOD™