Performance Nutrition Starts in the Mind

There are a number of ways to look at a recipe.

You might see a picture of the finished meal and find it appealing.

You might look through the ingredients and think it sounds delicious, is easy enough to make, or is convenient because you already have everything you need. Time is an important ingredient, after all!

Yes to all of the above. But I also look at a recipe and intuitively calculate its potential impact on performance and health.

Here’s a tasty lunch recipe, and I’ll show you what I mean. Let’s walk through the ingredients and explore how they can contribute to performance and health.

Red lentil, cauliflower and sweet potato curry

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 1–2 tbsp curry powder, to taste
• 1½ tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 litre vegetable broth
• 1 cup (250 ml) uncooked red lentils, rinsed and drained
• 1 medium cauliflower, chopped into florets
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 2 handfuls of spinach
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the onion, garlic and ginger for 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the remaining spices and sauté for another 2 minutes to release their flavours.
3. Add the broth and red lentils and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the cauliflower and sweet potato. Cover and simmer for 25–30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
5. Blend partially or fully, or leave as it is! Add the spinach and cook until wilted.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper, ladle into bowls, and you’re done!

Now, let’s consider the impact on performance and health.

Onions and garlic

Onions and garlic are both members of the allium family, which is rich in plant compounds, including organosulfur compounds. Research has linked the consumption of allium vegetables with potential health benefits, including a reduced risk of certain cancers. These vegetables also contain phytochemicals that are being studied for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties.

They’re also sources of vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium, copper and manganese. I could go on!

Ginger and spices

Now to the spices. We’ve all heard about ginger and its active compounds, particularly gingerol. Ginger has been well studied for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and research suggests it may also help with nausea and certain aspects of digestive health.

For athletes, I’m particularly interested in how ingredients like ginger may contribute to a varied diet that supports recovery and overall health, especially during a demanding training block.

Curry powder, coriander and cumin bring their own range of aromatic plant compounds, too. Spices can make food more interesting and enjoyable while contributing small amounts of minerals such as copper and manganese.

I love that we can add so much flavour and variety to a meal using ingredients that also bring nutritional value to the table.

Lentils: an underrated nutritional powerhouse

Lentils are the edible seeds of the legume family. They’re often overlooked, but really shouldn’t be. They’re an inexpensive way of getting a wide range of nutrients.

They provide plant-based protein, iron, B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, potassium and, of course, plenty of fibre.

I particularly like plant-based protein sources at lunch. Lentils offer a combination of protein, carbohydrate and fibre, making them a nourishing and sustaining choice.

For an athlete planning an afternoon training session, lunch needs to do more than simply satisfy hunger. It needs to provide useful nutrients and energy without leaving you feeling uncomfortable when you start exercising.

Plant-based meals can work particularly well here, although individual tolerance, portion size and the time between eating and training all matter. Lentils are rich in fibre, so if you’re prone to digestive discomfort, it’s worth considering how well you tolerate them and adjusting your portion or timing accordingly.

As always, the best choice is one that works for your body and your training schedule.

Cauliflower: the humble star of the show

The humble cauliflower is one of my favourite vegetables to explore. It’s nutrient-dense, providing vitamin C, vitamin K, folate and other useful nutrients, and it’s a good plant source of choline, an essential nutrient involved in brain and liver function.

It also belongs to the cruciferous vegetable family, which contains distinctive plant compounds called glucosinolates. These can be converted into biologically active compounds, including isothiocyanates, which are being researched for their potential role in protecting health.

One of the best-known examples is sulforaphane, a compound studied extensively for its effects on cellular processes and its potential role in disease prevention. Some promising findings come from laboratory research, so we need to be careful not to translate those directly into guaranteed benefits for people.

This isn’t to say that cauliflower is a cure-all or a guaranteed preventative. It is simply a wonderful example of how everyday foods contain a wealth of interesting compounds that contribute to a healthy diet.

My position is simple: nutrition is cumulative. The more positive additions you incorporate into your diet over time, the more opportunities you give your body to benefit.

Sweet potato: a little colour goes a long way

Let’s wrap up the vegetables with two fantastic additions: one root vegetable and one leafy green.

The beautiful orange colour of sweet potato tells you that it’s rich in beta-carotene, which the body can convert into vitamin A. Vitamin A plays an important role in immune function, vision and normal cell function.

Sweet potato also provides potassium, vitamin C, other vitamins and minerals, and fibre. Its fibre content can help you feel fuller for longer and provides nourishment for beneficial gut bacteria.

I love this example because it reminds us that even components of food that we don’t digest and absorb in the same way as other nutrients can still have a positive impact on our health.

Brilliant!

Last but not least, spinach

That deep green colour signals a leafy vegetable packed with nutritional value.

Spinach provides vitamin K, folate, vitamin C, magnesium and iron, alongside other nutrients and plant compounds. It also contains carotenoids and other antioxidants that contribute to its nutritional profile.

Iron is particularly relevant to athletes because it plays an essential role in oxygen transport. However, the iron in spinach is non-haem iron, which is less readily absorbed than the haem iron found in animal foods. Pairing spinach with a source of vitamin C can help improve the absorption of plant-based iron.

And there we have it: a simple lunch made up of everyday ingredients, each bringing something different to the table.

Your kitchen is a pharmacy of possibilities

Your kitchen is a regular pharmacy of vibrant ingredients that can support your performance and health. But it has to start in the mind.

When you understand what you’re feeding yourself and why those ingredients matter, they take on new meaning. You’re no longer simply following a recipe. You’re making informed choices, and that understanding can make it much more likely that you’ll go the distance when it comes to food planning and preparation.

You plan to perform in your training sessions, right?

Well, your kitchen is no different.

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Nutrition with Jill

If you’d like to understand how your everyday food choices can support your training, recovery and long-term health, I’d love to help you make your nutrition work for you.

Let’s start a conversation about your goals and how a personalised approach to nutrition can fit into your life.