What goes in my trolley now I’m training in midlife

Disclosure: None of the products mentioned in this article were gifted.

Tomatoes used to be an unremarkable part of my diet. Now my stomach can object to them, along with other foods I once ate without a second thought. Add slower recovery after exercise and the odd energy slump, and I find myself giving the supermarket shop more attention than I used to.

I enjoy training and want enough energy to keep enjoying it. I’ve written about what makes me want to keep exercising, but enthusiasm only gets me so far if I haven’t eaten properly.

That leaves me with the less exciting question of what to buy for breakfast, lunch and tea. I want food that fits around exercise without spending the rest of the day thinking about exercise. The NHS Eatwell Guide is useful here because it looks at the balance across a day or week. Every plate doesn’t have to be a separate nutritional achievement.

Free-range eggs and plain Greek yoghurt are on my list, including Fage. Eggs cover breakfast or a meal when I haven’t planned much, and yoghurt goes with fruit or oats. Protein content varies between yoghurts, so I check the label instead of assuming the word “Greek” tells me everything.

Chicken breast and turkey mince give me options for cooking ahead. I also buy tinned mackerel and salmon, which keep in the cupboard and provide protein as well as omega-3 fats. Having something available is useful when the alternative involves another trip to the shops.

Tofu, chickpeas, lentils and black beans belong here too. Pulses provide fibre as well as protein, and tofu gives me another option for a stir-fry. There’s enough choice without needing to make every meal revolve around meat.

I include protein powder for convenience, although it isn’t essential if I’m getting enough protein from food. A shake can be useful when preparing a meal is less practical. I don’t want it to become another thing I feel obliged to buy.

Broccoli, kale and cauliflower stay on the list, along with spinach, rocket, carrots and red cabbage. H’s red cabbage in apple cider vinegar earns its place too. One small distinction, because food terminology can get muddled, is that cabbage preserved in vinegar is pickled. Adding vinegar doesn’t make it fermented.

Sweet potatoes, butternut squash, brown rice and quinoa give me something to put alongside the vegetables and protein. Wholegrain wraps and bread are useful for lunch. I like sourdough too, although sourdough doesn’t automatically mean wholegrain.

Carbohydrates provide energy, which is a good enough reason to keep them in a shopping list intended to help me train. I have no wish to arrive at a gym class having made lunch unnecessarily difficult.

I also like Linwoods overnight oats travel packs soaked in almond milk. They taste good, which is why I buy them, and ordinary porridge oats are another option. When I use almond milk, I check for added calcium because plant drinks vary.

Olive oil, avocados, nuts and nut butters provide unsaturated fats. Chia and flax seeds can go into yoghurt or oats for extra fibre, and fresh or frozen berries give me something to add to breakfast. Dark chocolate makes the list because I enjoy it.

I drink peppermint, turmeric and saffron teas when I want a change. Whether a particular tea agrees with my stomach is a personal experience, though, and I wouldn’t assume it will settle someone else’s digestion.

For a gym class, water is usually enough. There’s no general need to add Celtic salt to the bottle. The British Nutrition Foundation’s hydration guidance explains that sports drinks can be useful for prolonged, demanding exercise, including high-intensity sessions lasting more than about an hour. How much fluid we need also depends on the heat and how much we sweat.

A fridge full of vegetables still leaves me with meals to prepare, which is why frozen vegetables and tins need a place in the shop. Tinned fish and pulses keep, and preparing some food ahead saves decisions later in the week. I want the shopping to make eating easier.

Burnt broccoli and overcooked oats still happen. I’m interested in eating well, but I also want to enjoy my food and have enough time left to do something else.

I’m careful about blaming every change on perimenopause, too. Persistent bloating, fatigue or changes in digestion need a conversation with a GP. Changing what’s in my trolley can’t tell me what’s causing a symptom.