Fast feast

THESE SEVEN DIETARY TREAT SCOULD HELP YOU GO THE EXTRA MILE ,SAY SLOUISE PYNE

TRAINING TREATS

At this time of year many of us are trying to cut down on indulgent treats in our diets. But wouldn’t it be great if our favourite foods came with some extra special benefits? Well, we’ll share a little secret with you. You don’t necessarily have to pass over indulgent foods in order to keep your fitness in check – in fact some of the things you might crave could actually help to supercharge results. “What you eat can give you that extra edge if you are a competitive athlete,” explains nutritionist Shona Wilkinson (superfooduk.com). “It could also make it easier for you to do specific exercise if you are just working out to help keep fit.” With this in mind, here’s our guide to indulgent foods that could help to switch your fitness up a gear.

Coffee

When it comes to improving performance, the benefits for coffee just keep on coming. “When consumed in the right way, coffee can in fact be used as a health and fitness enhancing tool,” says Wilkinson. Not only is there evidence that coffee can help to improve fat burn when consumed before a workout, it could also be beneficial when drank post-session. A study published in the American Physiological Society Journal revealed that consuming a cup of coffee with a high-carb snack following a workout helped to fuel muscles far better than simply eating carbs alone. It’s thought that caffeine helps to improve your body’s absorption of sugar, which is needed to refuel tired muscles.