Blog

Updated July 31st 2023

Part Two from guest blogger, David Mullins, Head Women’s Tennis Coach at the University of Oklahoma (OU)

You are probably eager to know what diet I am going to recommend or how you should become a vegan, follow a paleo plan or something along those lines. I definitely do not recommend diets to my athletes, or anyone for that matter.

All I advocate is that you experiment with what works and doesn’t work for your body. However, there are four foods that all our digestive systems will have a negative encounter with:

1. Artificial Sweeteners – diet sodas and sweeteners for your coffee/tea. These products stimulate your appetite by disrupting your body’s ability to know how many calories it is consuming. This can obviously lead to weight gain and higher blood sugar levels.
2. Alcohol (sorry!)– it kills the good bacteria in your gut. Also when you consume alcohol you are more likely to crave the worst kind of foods
3. Any products containing Azodicarbonamide – it is a whitening agent in flour that you will find mostly in some white bread product such as bread rolls, Danish pastries and croissants. This is the same compound that is used in the making of yoga mats, say no more!
4. Be careful of you sugar intake, the recommended dose is 5-28 grams per day, depending on the study, but most people are up around 40 grams each day. Sugar can irritate your gut, which may at times manifest itself as an autoimmune response. There is also evidence suggesting that depression is linked to inflammation in the gut.

I also advise people to take a good probiotic supplement (with at least seven unique strains of bacteria) twice per day after meals if possible. Don’t rely on your morning yogurt for your probiotics as the amount of sugar in those little tubs cancel out any probiotic benefits the product is advertising! We like Dynamic Nutrition PureBiotics as they are allergy free and have no preservatives or artificial ingredients. If you don’t want to take a supplement eat more fermented foods, e.g. sauerkraut and pickles. I know Celine is experimenting with water kefir grains at the moment.

As a coach I do my best to educate my players about nutrition but there is only so much I can control. Instead, I make sure I am a great example to my team as to how they should be eating to effectively fuel their bodies for sport and life. I truly practice what I preach and I hope, with time, that they will continue to make better decisions.

Do your best to be the best role model you can be to those you are managing in all areas of your life, including nutrition. The extra energy and vitality you will feel with these changes will be noticeable and hopefully contagious too! A few basic changes can help alleviate a lot of the negative health & performance issues you and your team are facing. Good Luck!

During his 12 years of coaching at a number of different elite College Athletic Departments in the U.S.A, David has garnered numerous coaching awards and helped his programs breakthrough to new heights of athletic achievement. He is currently the Head Women’s Tennis coach at the University of Oklahoma (OU) where he helps develop players for the WTA tennis tour. He also received his Master’s in Education at OU and is currently working towards his Yoga Teaching Certification.

Before starting his coaching career David was a international professional tennis player earning an ATP world ranking in both singles and doubles play while representing the National Irish team in Davis Cup play.

For more health, fitness and relationship advice please follow David on Twitter @2KidsAndASpouse