Category: Nutrition

The Health and Fitness Goals the Sport, Exercise and Health Team Are Setting For 2025

Posted on by Megan Leeson

As we enter a new year, many of us will be thinking of some New Year goals to set ourselves. Instead of framing these goals as strict resolutions, why not think of them as intentions? Making this small shift enables room for a more flexible approach to our goals, focusing on progress, flexibility and self-compassion đź’Ş. Our Development Officer, Molly Poulter William, asked the Sport, Exercise and Health team what their intentions are for 2025 in this week’s blog post.

Love them or hate them, New Year Resolutions are a hot topic in January. Social media ‘For You’ pages across the globe are full of ‘New Year, New Me’ messages, Pinterest-worthy vision boards, goal-setting journal prompts and pseudo-scientific motivational quotes. And here we are, adding another New Year blog into the mix…

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The Science of Eating Well

Posted on by Megan Leeson

This week’s blog post is from our Chef at Coombe Dingle, Tim Hinson, on how a book on gut health rocked his whole perception of how the world works and influences his catering in the pavilion at Coombe.

You probably shouldn’t base your whole world view on astonishing facts. If someone tells you that ants don’t have lungs or giraffes are 30 times more likely than humans to be struck by lightning, then a well-adjusted person will say something like “wow, that’s amazing” and then move on.*

*unless you’re in a pub, in which case you’ll probably want to assemble a panel to speculate on the matter for at least 45 minutes. (more…)

Hospitality at Coombe Dingle!

Posted on by Beck Throup

In the world of cheffing, there’s a clear hierarchy: Michelin-starred haute cuisine at the top, mass catering dinner ladies at the bottom. But I’ve never believed in it.

My name is Tim, and I’m the head chef at Bristol University’s Coombe Dingle Sports Centre. I’ve done my time in restaurants over the years, working at some seriously fancy outfits – but I truly believe that, on all the metrics that matter, we match or even beat the gastro eateries. I’m talking here about quality, taste, nutrition, ethical sourcing, environmental impact, low food waste, and most of all, happy customers.

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Nutrition advice for runners: What is Nutrition?

Posted on by BristolUniSport

If I say the words “sports nutrition”, what do you think? For many of us, the predominant image is probably a guy a bit like Arnie, downing a protein shake, wearing tight nylon short-shorts and a slinky vest. Fear not, I’m here to tell you that we can have a far more expansive view of what constitutes sports nutrition. In fact, as far as I’m concerned, anything that you put in your mouth which contributes to your training programme is, in essence, sports nutrition.

If a cup of herbal tea before bed helps you get a good night’s sleep then it is, to you, as important a sports nutrition drink as a protein shake is to Arnie! Nutrition doesn’t have to be prescriptive – a good nutrition programme is about listening to your body and responding to what it needs: if you are hungry then eat and if you are full then stop. There are a few basic points to consider which can help you hit the basics but, generally speaking, being incredibly precise about your food intake is not necessary unless you are an elite athlete training multiple times per day.

Arnold Schwarzenegger inside a coloured circle in 4 segments reading Nutritious, delicious, cheap, easy
You can eat nutritiously even if you don’t want to drink your food.

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Nutrition advice for runners: The Wheel of Food Happiness

Posted on by BristolUniSport

A picture of a pie chart split equally with the headings: Delicious, nutritious, cheap and easy. The centre of the wheel states " The wheel of food happiness"

Running is going to make you hungry. This is great because a) food is delicious and b) if you take a little care over the ingredients you use, you can get some powerful nutrients in your body which will add to the benefits you’re already getting from training.

Just like with any other aspect of your regime, the most important factor determining the effectiveness of your nutrition plan is whether you actually stick to it. If you don’t get that part right then none of the rest really matters. There is no point concocting the perfect blend of spirulina, raw biltong and ground flax seeds for your post-run snack, if realistically you’re going to find that way too difficult to stomach after you’ve got out of bed earlier than usual to do interval training first thing on your Wednesday morning.

The best running food will ideally be nutritious enough that it actively helps your body adapt to your training. It will be easy to prepare and store so that it doesn’t become an inconvenience. It will be cheap enough that you can eat plenty of it without it any negative financial impact. And finally, it will be so delicious that it actually increases your motivation for training.

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Recipe of the Week: Overnight Oats

Posted on by BristolUniSport

Our #RecipeOfTheWeek this week is Overnight Oats – a perfect breakfast recipe for people short on time in the morning, or who want to be able to snooze that alarm once more! It can be prepped the night before and finished off in a couple of minutes the next morning.

It’s a really simple recipe, but has huge potential for anyone who wants to get creative with flavour combinations – we’ve given you a few ideas for you to try at the end of the recipe!

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Recipe of the Week: Mushroom Bolognese

Posted on by BristolUniSport

Helping our #WeAreBristol community to stay healthy, happy and active is our top priority at the moment, and we hope to achieve this in a variety of ways. One of these ways is by sharing some quick, simple and easy-to-cook healthy recipes with you, developed by our very own chef, Tim.

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