When Dragon's Den star Sara Davies saw that her personal trainer, Holly Davison, had teamed up with a nutritionist to offer coaching tailored to midlife women, she signed up to the three-month programme immediately.
'I learned about nutrition and what nutrition means for not only a woman in my 40s, but also someone who is at high risk of diabetes, which I wanted to understand,' Sara tells Women's Health. 'Between the two of them, they've given me all this knowledge and understanding and it's really motivated me.'
Tackling fitness and nutrition together, she says, has helped her understand just how closely the two are linked.
Previously, after hearing so much about fasting, Sara assumed she'd benefit from skipping breakfast altogether, 'especially if I was trying to run or walk or whatever to lose weight'.
But she soon realised that approach wasn't right for her health, lifestyle or training.
Why Sara no longer skips breakfast
Because she typically exercises in the mornings – her family and businesses usually take priority in the evenings – before heading into a busy working day, Sara knows she needs to fuel both her body and her brain.
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'I'm putting a big demand on my body from doing the exercise, but also cognitively as I need to be able to perform during the day,' she says. 'It's not like I'm just going to work and I can kind of hide in the background – there are hundreds of people relying on me to be making good decisions and doing well at work all day; I need to be at peak cognitive function.'
'So what I've realised is I need a nutrition plan which adequately supports the training I'm doing as well as the cognitive function.'
That, Sara says, starts with a balanced breakfast she can prepare in advance.
'I have to pre-plan it the night or a few days before, otherwise I'm terrible and just don't eat it,' she says. 'And then I'm getting a couple of slices of toast at work and I'm just having the sugary carbs and I'll have the high and then the crash and it just sets us off all day.'
Understanding her increased diabetes risk has also encouraged Sara to learn more about insulin and make sure her 'body has got the right stuff' to function effectively.
Sara's high-protein breakfast of choice
While Sara exercises fasted early in the morning because that's what works for her, she always refuels soon afterwards – usually with her favourite chia pudding recipe from nutrition coach Josie Jones.
'I live on [them], they're full of Greek yoghurt, cottage cheese, cacao,' says Sara. 'Going out to work in the morning, it doesn't matter how busy I am, I can pick one of them up and I sometimes eat it sitting in the car on the school run, no problem at all.'
'I make a batch of two or three of them a couple of times a week, get them all ready, and load in frozen raspberries.'
The recipe
Snickers-style chia pudding
Serves: 2 | Prep time: 5 mins | GF (check oats), V
Nutrition per serving: 28g protein, 389kcals, 11g fibre
You'll need lidded food jars with a capacity of around 500g. Indulgent and filling, this recipe is rich in healthy fats and minerals. Prep the night before, store in the fridge and add your toppings before serving.
Ingredients
- 20g jumbo oats
- 30g chia seeds
- 125g cottage cheese
- 200ml milk (unsweetened soy or dairy)
- 150g 0% Greek yoghurt
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1.5 tbsp cacao powder
- 1.5 tbsp smooth wholefood peanut butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Optional toppings: fresh blueberries and a few unsalted peanuts
Method
Combine all the ingredients, except the toppings, in a countertop blender. Blend for around four minutes – this is key to disguising the cottage cheese – then divide the mixture between two glass jars.
Store in the fridge overnight and add the toppings before serving.
Will keep in a lidded jar in the fridge for up to four days.
