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How I’d Upgrade Your Triathlon Nutrition If You Were My Athlete

Jul 11, 2025

Feel Like You’re Training Hard But Still Underperforming?

If you're smashing out sessions, eating ‘healthy’ and still not seeing the results you deserve—you're not alone.

As a sports dietitian working exclusively with triathletes, I see the same problems time and time again. In this post, I'm walking you through the four biggest nutrition fixes I’d make for you if we were working together inside the Triathlon Nutrition Academy.

Because chances are, you’re under-fuelling, under-recovering or underestimating what proper nutrition can actually do.

1. You’re Probably Underfuelled (And Don’t Even Know It)

This is the most common issue I see with age group triathletes. You’re:

Skipping pre-training fuel to "burn fat"
Eating the same every day, regardless of session load
Avoiding carbs because they’re “bad”

But underfuelled training = poor adaptation, slower recovery and flat sessions.

Training doesn’t work without the right fuel.

In the Academy, the first thing we do is fix your everyday fuelling strategy—so you’ve got energy and can actually adapt to training.

2. You’re Winging Race Nutrition

A generic “one gel every 30 minutes” isn’t a plan—it’s a gamble.

Most athletes don’t understand:

Which sugars are in their products
How much sodium they’re losing
How to adapt fuelling to different courses or weather

Race nutrition is not one-size-fits-all.

As your dietitian, I’d teach you to build your own race plan, dial it in by distance and conditions, and troubleshoot on race day if anything goes south.

That means:

No more bonking
No more cramps
Full confidence from swim start to finish chute

3. Your Recovery Nutrition Is Too Basic

Recovery is not just about protein shakes or eating “sometime” after a session.

If you’re backing up for another session in <24 hours (which most triathletes are), recovery needs to be:

Timely
Balanced (carbs + protein + fluids + extras)
Tailored to your goals (performance, body comp, or injury prevention)

Start your next session in the green, not the red.

4. Your Everyday Eating Isn’t Supporting Your Goals

Most triathletes eat “pretty well” but don’t match their intake to their training load.

Eating too little on big days
Eating too much on light days
Missing key nutrients for energy, immunity and long-term performance

I’d teach you how to:

Build a dynamic, adaptable nutrition strategy
Save time and money on food prep
Create habits that stick

And importantly, fuel like a high-performing athlete without giving up the foods you love.

The Secret Sauce? Long-Term, Structured Support

Real change isn’t about getting a meal plan and being told “good luck.”

Inside the Academy, you get:

Weekly coaching and accountability
Support to troubleshoot real life challenges
Education that evolves with you as an athlete

It’s not about your next race, it’s about your next decade.

Want to Upgrade Your Nutrition?

Join the Triathlon Nutrition Academy and make your nutrition your secret weapon:
👉 dietitianapproved.com/academy

Not sure where to start? Grab the free Triathlon Nutrition Checklist and spot what’s holding you back:
👉 dietitianapproved.com/checklist

Stop winging it. Start winning with it.