The good news is Academy Otago students should have more energy and a better understanding of how to manage their nutritional requirements, academy programme co-ordinator Dean Horo says.
The sports students attended a 90min seminar on the fundamentals of effective nutrition at Balmacewen Intermediate School last night and afterwards got to practise their new abilities on their parents and supporters.
"Nutrition is important for all athletes but especially for endurance-based athletes like the swimmers and the rowers," Horo said.
Some academy rowers and swimmers clock more than 20 hours on the water each week and have to watch their diet carefully to maintain the required energy levels.
"If they are going to train properly they just have to eat properly. It is an important part of managing their workload."
So fish and chips are out?
"Yeah, they are really. Having said that, some of [the athletes] are only 16 years of age and this seminar is purely about education and what athletes do. In the end, it is up to them what they eat."
Horo said some of the students lived in hostels, so their diet could be hard to manage. They were required to fill out a diet survey before the seminar, which had mixed results.
"One of them had put they would normally have a pie at lunchtime and stuff like that. I suppose we are about changing habits and educating first."
Not everyone can eat like multiple Olympic swimming gold medallist Michael Phelps, who reportedly consumes a massive breakfast of three fried-egg sandwiches with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayonnaise, an omelette, a bowl of grits, and three slices of french toast helped down with some chocolate chip pancakes.
But definitely no fish and chips.
An impressive array of speakers is lined up for the New Zealand Academy of Sport South Island annual performance forum in Christchurch from June 13-14.
United States snowboard coach Bud Keene, Hawthorn and former Warriors chief executive Ian Robson and Melbourne Victory coach Ernie Merrick are among the range of experts speaking.
The forum will focus on accelerating talent with the objective to provide information and inspiration for New Zealand's high performance sporting coaches.
