Rice, attiéké, beans, fish: how do you build a plate when you are active?
You may have heard that rice and sport do not mix, or that you should “eat like an athlete”. Official guidance says otherwise, and it sits comfortably with everyday dishes.
The essentials
- Starchy foods stay at the base: rice, attiéké, yam, millet or plantain, every day.
- Add a protein food at each meal: niébé, fish, eggs, soured milk.
- Vegetables and fruit make up a good third of what you eat in a day.
Is my plate of rice compatible with sport?
Yes, and it is the foundation. Carbohydrate is the main fuel for working muscles, the British Dietetic Association points out. The UK’s healthy eating guide gives starchy foods just over a third of what we eat in a day, and France’s public health agency says they can be eaten daily. Exercise is no reason to push them off the plate.
Rice, attiéké (cassava couscous), yam, plantain, millet, fonio, cassava: all belong to that family. The World Health Organization encourages whole grains and lists millet, unprocessed maize and brown rice among its examples. Alternating white rice with millet or brown rice, when the market and your budget allow, gives you more fibre.
Where do niébé, fish and eggs fit in?
At every meal. UK dietitians advise active people to have a carbohydrate-rich food and a protein-rich food on the plate each time they eat.
Niébé (black-eyed beans) and other dried beans deserve a mention. France’s public health agency recommends eating pulses at least twice a week: they are high in fibre, contain plant protein and stay affordable. They go alongside fish or meat, or can be eaten on their own with a grain.
For fish, the UK guide is two portions a week, one of them oily, such as sardines or mackerel. Eggs and lait caillé (soured milk) round out the list, and groundnuts, as a paste in the sauce or by the handful, provide some protein too.
And what about vegetables?
Together with fruit, they should make up a good third of what you eat in a day. That is the proportion in the UK guide. The World Health Organization sets another marker: at least 400 grams of fruit and vegetables a day for anyone over the age of ten.
West and Central African cooking has plenty to offer: leaf sauces, okra, aubergines, tomatoes, onions, and the cabbage and carrots in a rice-and-fish dish. A sauce counts when the vegetables in it are generous. For fruit, follow the season and the market: mango, papaya, orange, banana, watermelon.
Frozen and tinned vegetables are good choices too, WHO notes, provided they have no added sugar or excess salt. Handy when the market is far away or the week is full.
Should my plate change on training days?
A little: the starchy share follows your training load. UK dietitians advise matching intake to training, which varies from day to day. An extra ladle of rice or piece of yam on the day of a long session, your usual plate on quiet days.
Two adjustments improve the dish without changing its character. First, the cooking: WHO suggests steaming or boiling more often than frying. Then the drink: water at the table, and less sugar in the bissap (hibiscus drink) or juice, since WHO recommends limiting added sugars.
All of this fits an everyday budget. Niébé, eggs, sardines, vegetables in season and the household staple make a solid plate for a woman who trains.
Three plates to guide you
Do
- Rice and fish with a double helping of vegetables: cabbage, carrot, aubergine.
- Attiéké, grilled fish, raw tomatoes and onions, an orange.
- Niébé and boiled plantain, tomato sauce, a slice of papaya.
- Millet porridge with soured milk on the morning of a session.
- Niébé or other beans at least twice a week.
Avoid
- Cutting out rice or yam because you exercise.
- A sauce where the vegetables are barely there.
- Fried food at every meal and a fizzy drink at the table every day.
When to seek advice
A dietitian can help if you are vegetarian, pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you live with diabetes or high blood pressure. Tell your doctor about tiredness that lasts or unusual breathlessness during exercise.
General guidance for healthy adults. It does not replace advice from a health professional who knows your situation.