How much attention do you pay to what you're consuming on a daily basis, and if and how it is benefiting your health and sports performance levels?

Nutrition plays a huge part in your overall health and fitness, and a good diet full of fresh, unprocessed foods, plus your minimum two litres of water every day, will ensure you can train to your full potential and minimise the risk of illness and injury.

The picture below shows some super healthy and tasty foods that are packed full of some of the most important vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids that will help keep your body strong and allow you to perform at the level you know you are capable of on a regular basis.

Here's a brief breakdown of some of the key nutritional facts about these foods, and how those nutrients will benefit you.

Each percentage level or weight is based on a 100g quantity, and calculated on the average recommended daily intake.

• Mussels - Protein - a HUGE 24g, Vitamin B12 400%, Vitamin C 22%, Iron 37%
• Salmon - High in Omega 3 fatty acids, Protein - a similarly impressive 20g,
• Vitamin B6 30%, Vitamin B12 53%, Vitamin D 128%
• Sugar Snap Peas - Vitamin C 100%, Vitamin A 36%, Iron 26%
• Kale - Vitamin C 200%, Vitamin A 19%, Iron 8%
• Pak Choi - Vitamin C 75%, Vitamin A 89%, Iron 4%
• Asparagus - Iron 11%, Vitamin A 15%
• The tomatoes provide a decent 22% of your Vitamin C RDA, and some colour to the table, and the bean sprouts are packed full of the all important dietary fibre to keep you 'regular'!

What do all those stats mean for you as an athlete though, and what does each macronutrient, vitamin, mineral and fatty acid do for you to help you train and race at your optimum level?

Here's what!

• Protein - helps build and maintain muscle tissue, which is clearly essential for sporting performance. It also helps to improve body composition, keeps you fuller for longer, thus helping you to maintain a healthy weight. It's also key in controlling blood pressure, improving cardiovascular health, and can also help you sleep better!
• Iron - helps the body produce haemoglobin, which is essential for transferring oxygen in your blood from the lungs to the tissues. This helps fight fatigue, and thus aids performance, something all of you lactate threshold test clients will already know!
• Vitamin B12 - helps support the body's nervous system and keep the red blood cells healthy, thus working well with Iron.
• Vitamin B6 - also a friend of Iron, as it helps the body extract the energy from protein and carbohydrates, as well as aiding the production of haemoglobin.
• Vitamin C & Vitamin A - both support the immune system, while Vitamin C also aids in the absorption of Iron and fight off heart disease, and Vitamin A helps keep your eyes and skin healthy.
• Vitamin D - the best source of this vitamin is, of course, the sun, but living in this country we struggle to get enough of it, so salmon is an excellent dietary source, helping the absorption of calcium, and keeping your bones strong.
• Finally, Omega 3 fatty acids - again, salmon is the king of the fish containing these beauties, which help keep your heart and brain healthy, and can also lower cholesterol.

These are just a few examples of fresh, unprocessed foods that you should try and make part of your regular diet.

So try to be more conscious of what you are eating, think about your last and your next training session, and how to refuel and fuel for them both.

Consider how your diet can help you become a better athlete.