Katie Ormerod: Listening to your body is vital in getting diet right

Diet is a vital part of everyone’s life and as a professional snowboarder, what goes into my body is very important to me.
Katie Ormerod. Pic: Getty ImagesKatie Ormerod. Pic: Getty Images
Katie Ormerod. Pic: Getty Images

Every athlete has a different view on what they should and shouldn’t consume, but personally I have never been overly strict on myself.

I haven’t worked much with nutritionists and I have very much enjoyed my food journey throughout life by figuring out what does and does not work for me as an athlete and a human in general.

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I’m a big believer in listening to my body and trusting the signals it gives, for example specific cravings that I might have, I listen to them and allow myself to eat what my body wants.

Although I’m not strict with my diet, I am keen on keeping it healthy and balanced and also keeping it vegetarian.

I have been veggie for two years and have really noticed a positive difference. My main reason for cutting out meat was for environmental reasons, but also for my body.

My personal favourite foods are roasted vegetables and I get my protein from varied beans, lentils, chickpeas, eggs and nuts. I have found that all these foods are very easy to add to most meals and I haven’t missed meat at all.

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Pasta is my main go-to carbohydrate when I am snowboarding. Not only does it give me an abundance of energy, but it is also an easy meal - perfect for those tired post-training evenings.

I burn a lot of calories due to intense training at high altitude, so I am definitely not shy to add carbohydrates to almost all my meals.

For snacks on the hill, my favourites are nuts - specifically unsalted cashews - and dried fruit. They’re perfect for throwing in my backpack for when I get peckish and I found that I don’t need many to fill myself up. I also drink a Red Bull during training to give me that extra boost of energy on the slopes or in the gym.

I am continuing to explore the world of food and am still enjoying the process, especially as I grew up as a fussy eater.

There’s a whole world of food out there and I think it is so exciting to try new things and learn more about what works for my body through what I put in to it.

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