March 01, 2020

46. Nutrition to manage illness and boost energy levels, with Sports Dietitian, Jess Spendlove, Performance Dietitian (@ jess_spendlove_dietitian)

40 minutes

Given the sudden surge in coronavirus cases in countries outside of China, it is more important than ever to take steps to prevent and manage illness. As you will learn in today's podcast, while good nutrition cannot prevent you from catching viruses like the coronavirus, nutrition has an important role to play in reducing risk and managing illness as well as maintaining energy levels during exercise and generally through out the day.

In today's podcast, I talk with special guest Jessica Spendlove, Performance Dietitian, one of the most respected and sought-after sports dietitians in Australia. Jess has an impressive list of credentials with a Bachelor of Science (Nutrition) at the University of Wollongong and a Masters of Nutrition & Dietetics at the University of Sydney. Jess currently works with many professional sports teams including the Greater Western Sydney GIANTS (AFL), Giants Netball (Super Netball), Western Sydney Wanderers (A-League), Cronulla Sharks (NRL) Sydney Kings (NBL) and most recently the NSW Waratahs (Super Rugby).

Jess is also the co-founder of the Health and Performance Collective (www.healthandperformancecollective.com) (@health_performance_collective on Instagram) where Jess, and the Collective's other co-founder, Chloe McLeod, sports dietitian, provide dietetics advice to elite athletes as well as everyday men and women looking to improve their health and lifestyle.

Jess and I start off by discussing what a day in the life of a sports dietitian looks like. We then move on to cover a number of important topics given the current coronavirus threat, including strategies to improve general energy levels and minimise the risk and severity of illnesses like colds, the flu and coronavirus, how to maximise energy levels during exercise, top tips for recovering from illness, keto diets, carbs and upper respiratory tract infections and which supplements can actually help minimise the risk and severity of viruses like colds, the flu and coronavirus.

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