What Athlete Philippa Millage Eats in a Day
800m Athlete and Scottish National Champion, Philippa Millage, tells us how she fuels her body for her busy training schedule.
Here’s what we learned:
Philippa:
Most people have the misconception that an athletes diet consists of leaves and bananas, and although it’s true that I do enjoy salads and bananas, I would not enjoy nor find any benefit of eating those things alone. To ensure I am adequately fuelled for training, I aim to hit around 2300 calories. There is no benefit to restricting my diet, as I would not have enough energy to train or go about my day to day life. Each day I try and aim for 30% protein, 25% fats and 45% carbs. To be fair I don’t often get this bang on. But as long as I am in the ball park I know I am on track.
Here is a typical day:
Breakfast:
- Protein Porridge
- Coffee
- Glass of milk
Snack (I always thought snacks were bad, but hey… it turns out they are actually an important part of an athletes day):
- Eat natural chocolate peanut bar
- Satsuma
Lunch:
- Tuna Mayo on a wholemeal roll and salad
- Popcorn (I love popcorn)
- Yogurt
- Satsuma
Snack:
- Dark chocolate
- Coffee
Dinner:
- Usually a big plate of pasta with plenty of meat and veg with a side of garlic bread
- Milk
I drink plenty of water throughout the day too
As you can see, it is pretty much a normal diet. I would however note that I don’t eat any processed foods, fast foods and don’t drink fizzy juice. All my main meals in the evening are made from scratch so I know exactly what I am eating. As long as you eat a balanced healthy diet, you can’t really go wrong. If from time to time I feel I need a packet of giant buttons or want a glass of wine I do it. I don’t restrict myself from having a wee treat from time to time.
The most important thing for me is that I have a healthy relationship with food and enjoy eating a healthy balanced diet. I don’t give myself a hard time for eating cake. Everyone needs cake from time to time.
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