Elite athlete…?

Aiming to be one or just mad about them on the telly? Who ever you are, Baxter’s soups can play a healthy part in your diet allowing you to maximise your potential sporting success on and off the field.

Baxter’s healthy soups can be an ideal fuelling and recovery option for all athletes especially in those phases of activity where an easily digestible source of fuel is paramount. Being a quick, convenient and tasty option soup can provide you with a number of vital nutrients.

The chunky vegetable, pasta, lentil and bean options provide a nourishing source of carbohydrate that is required to supply a steady amount of energy to the brain and working muscles and help them to refuel.

Soup is also a source of protein providing amino acids, the basic building blocks of muscle as well as fibre, especially the bean and chunky vegetable soups. Many of the soups in the Baxters Healthy Choice range contain at least 80g of fruit and vegetables and are the perfect handy winter warmer after a cold training session.

Therefore to perform the best, it is vital you eat the best, so make Baxters soup a part of your healthy diet!

There are a wide range of soups within the Healthy Choice range that can cater for a variety of dietary requirements including vegetarian and gluten free.

Lorraine Cullen
SRU Sports Dietitian
Feb 2007

Andy Henderson is one of Scotland’s most experienced centres, having just reached the milestone of 50 Scotland caps, against France at Murrayfield in the RBS 6 Nations. Andy understands how important it is to prepare his body properly for rugby, and took time to share some of his training and diet secrets with us.

‘Breakfast is really important, so I’ll usually have cereal, a banana and a protein shake to start the day with. During a regular training day I’ll have breakfast, lunch and dinner as normal but with small snacks between meals, things like a protein shake and bit of fruit.

After training we try to get something to eat and drink as soon as we get inside, to replace lost fluids from sweating at training. This snack might be a sandwich, a bowl of Baxters soup and an energy drink.

I usually like to have soup as a starter at lunch time as well, as it’s a good way to get some more vegetables into my diet without filling myself up too much.

During a day’s training I try to drink water or energy drinks regularly. Whether we are doing weights or outside doing rugby training, we try and take a drink at any short break. There are also protein shakes available a couple of times a day. I will probably take in about four to five litres of fluids, in total, on a normal training day.

After training I like to relax by playing a quick game of table-tennis, or reading a book. At home I’ll cook a healthy dinner with some protein like chicken or fish, and lots of vegetables.

My diet changes a little during test weeks because we usually spend the week in a hotel together, so our diets are largely dictated by what the fitness coach has asked the chef to prepare. My pre-match routine is to double check I’ve packed everything I’ll need! When we get to the ground I like to have a quick look at the pitch then do some stretching on my own inside before we warm up as a team.

As a rugby player it is reasonably easy to stick to a healthy eating plan. It’s important to learn to get into good habits and routines with your diet. It is very easy when we are all together in training camp as the fitness staff arrange a healthy menu for mealtimes, so there are no temptations!’