At this moment, the chances are you have a dietary deficiency that's harming your health, hindering your recovery and holding you back in training. Even if you pop a multivitamin and get the recommended daily amount of vitamins and minerals, you're unlikely to be consuming enough...

UAN: Article type:++add book link at top++ -->This is adapted from the book, Eat Smart, Play Hard, by RW USA Nutrition Editor Liz Applegate. Made from chitosan, a type of fiber from shrimp and crab shells, these supplements claim to stop your

UAN: Article type:++add book link at top++ -->This is adapted from the book, Eat Smart, Play Hard, by RW USA Nutrition Editor Liz Applegate. Log on to the Internet, flip through a fitness magazine, or cruise the supplement aisles in a health food

snacking is in. Actually it’s not even called snacking any more – it’s called ‘grazing’, and nutrition experts now believe that grazing on five smaller meals throughout the day is better than eating three big ones.Why should this be? It’s mainly because a

fats. A cholesterol-lowering diet is recommended for anyone with levels above 5 millimoles per litre (mmol/l). According to the British Heart Foundation, the average blood cholesterol for men in England is 5.8mmol/l and for women 5.9mmol/l. Almost a

. They're a particularly good source of fibre, low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Squashes are also a good source of calcium – good news for runners, who endure a high level of impact through hard-working knee and hip joints.Cook: Squashes are tough

, first placed a filling between two slices of bread. Nowadays there is a vast array on the shelves of supermarkets and delis. So, what’s best for runners? There are seven factors to consider – calories, carbohydrates, protein, fat, saturated fat, fibre

-vitamins, which convert carbohydrate to energy and are low in fat. As a general rule, the shorter the ingredients list, the higher the nutritional value. Avoid sugary and refined cereals such as cornflakes, rice cereals, puffed cereals (wheat, corn or rice

in whole grains, and unique fats in seeds, nuts and dairy. And it’s the whole package, working together, that promotes good health and peak athletic performance. Getting the 50-plus nutrients every runner needs daily, from real food, is easy. Follow

the monounsaturated fat, which helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels, says Leslie Bonci, author of Sport Nutrition for Coaches (Human Kinetics, £21). A study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that eating almond butter for four weeks reduced