I’m excited to share my opportunity to interview Tanja Callewaert, Belgium sports nutritionist and product ambassador. Tanja was the nutrition coach for the Belgium national gymnastics team (TEAM BELGYM) for 9 years. I wanted to get insights on nutritional requirements and challenges in gymnasts and how to be successful with the “right” diet. We also addressed different health benefits of slow-release carbohydrates and chicory root fibres for gymnasts that are linked to a gymnast’s diet. Did I make you curious? Then read on for the full interview.

A winning combination of experience and passion

“The better the body is equipped, the better it performs”

Silke: Let’s focus on the world of gymnastics. I’d like to first get to know it better. Can you give us the basics on what this sport is about and what is important for gymnasts also when it comes to nutrition?

Tanja: I can of course tell you what is meant by gymnastics; however, I’d like to clarify that I am a nutrition specialist, I was not a gymnastic coach. There are different types of gymnastics. TEAM BELGYM practices artistic gymnastics which I will focus on. The gymnasts do a variety of gymnastics exercises including high somersaults, graceful jumps, powerful handstands and limber movements on 4 different apparatuses – beam, floor, pegasus and uneven bars.

A competition exercise takes less than 2 minutes per apparatus. The training sessions of course take much longer.
A gymnast must be able to perform very precise exercises for which utmost concentration is a requirement. Their tool is their own body. The better that body is equipped, the better it performs.

A gymnast’s body must have a stable weight so that repeated performances always have the same result. Gymnasts have to support their own weight. The possibility of great strength development with high precision is a basic requirement for a gymnast’s body.

Diet plays a very important role. Keeping the blood sugar level stable is especially a challenge. If the sugar level drops, the concentration also drops, if the sugar level is too high, the gymnasts lose focus. Of course, energy is needed to perform all those efforts.

The right nutrition provides energy and focus

Silke: What did their everyday life look like and where did you come in as their nutrition coach? How important is nutrition for these gymnasts?

Train, eat, sleep, repeat – that is the life of a gymnast in a nutshell.

Tanja Callewaert, Belgium sports nutritionist

Tanja: Food is very important, a meal is a moment of relaxation, recovery, preparation as well as a social moment. The right nutrition determines how well the training goes; how much progress can be made. The right nutrition provides energy for a competition moment and the right focus for good concentration.
Gymnasts are often short in stature, with a low body weight. They therefore do not need a lot of calories to get through a workout well. Food needs to be sufficient, not too much or too little, this is crucial.

In the past, general sports nutrition containing a lot of high glycaemic carbohydrates, found e.g. in white pasta, glucose gels and sports drinks, was also used in gymnastics to be able to train properly. This often resulted in weight gain. Afterwards the gymnasts had to ‘diet’ again in order to achieve a good competition weight – a street without end.
I, as their nutrition coach, started to focus on consistency and stability. A stable body weight, a regular diet. The most important factor in this is a stable blood sugar level. No highs or lows but always just enough energy to do what needs to be done.

The basis of their diet are 3 normal meals, a recovery meal and an extra-energy meal before training. Regular meals and training meals consist of normal foods high in fibre, sufficient protein, low in fat and mostly slow-release carbohydrates.

Stable blood sugar level as key in gymnasts’ diet

Silke: Which foods did you choose to give them? Which type of carbohydrates did you focus on?

Tanja: The girls were still young, 14 to 17 years old when we started. That’s why we came up with simple rules: GYMFOOD.

• G = Groenten à ?volonté (vegetables as many as you can)
• Y = Your own responsibility
• M = Milk after training
• F = Fruits before training
• O = Overall whole grain (everywhere & everytime)
• O = Ook in het weekeng gezond (also healthy during the weekend)
• D = Drink, drink, drink

The focus is very much on what and when to eat and less on the portions. If the blood sugar level remains stable, the gymnasts are less hungry and have fewer cravings. It is not always possible to achieve this with “regular food”, that is why I have made extensive use of fibre (chicory root inulin, konjac root) in combination with vegetables, legumes and whole grains. I use this to develop new recipes, like brownies with zucchini or banana bread with pumpkin. I can add that extra fiber without increasing the calories much.

I also worked together with the chefs of the boarding school. I was not only the gymnasts’ dietitian but also their menu planner, kitchen helper and perhaps even substitute mom.

“Palatinose™ works well with athletes as it perfectly replaces high GI sugars”

Silke: You are in it 100%, that sounds great and very delicious! A low GI diet and slow-release carbohydrates seem to be very important for gymnasts. This makes me think of Palatinose™, BENEO’s unique slow-release sugar with its different health benefits, like the lower rise in blood sugar level and keeping it balanced throughout the day as well as improving cognitive performance, therefore supporting concentration. You have tried Palatinose™, what are your experiences with it? Why do you think slow-release sugars are suitable for athletes?

Tanja: Palatinose™ is a perfect solution and a great fit. It is certainly of interest because of its low GI and slow-release properties. Keeping blood sugar levels more balanced without the highs and lows can help with improved concentration, which is vital for athletes that focus on technique, like gymnasts. I have also given Palatinose™ to ballet dancer and ice skaters for the same benefits. It is important that these athletes can focus on their performance and not worry about eating times or feeling hungry. Palatinose™ is the perfect replacement of high GI sugars in recipes as it has the same function as sugar, just with less sweetness which works well with athletes. It is hard to find slow-release and high fibre carbohydrates for sports nutrition. That is why the combination of Palatinose™ with fibre works so well.

Chicory root fibres for better focus and satiety

Silke: Speaking of fibre, you mentioned that you are also adding fibre to the diet for gymnasts. Can you give us more insights on that and why this is helpful?

Tanja: There are many reasons why I add fibres. For more volume without adding many calories, better saturation, less blood sugar fluctuations, avoiding sugar dips and concentration loss. Also, the gut brain axis effect is important. Our gut is our second brain. Prebiotic fibres, like chicory root inulin, ensure a good gut microbiome. This in turn ensures a good balance in sleep, wakefulness, concentration, hunger and satiety hormones.

Strict dietary regimes must still provide the required energy to do the exercise

Silke: Let’s dive deeper into the sports of gymnasts. Tell us how the weeks look like leading towards competition. Is their diet different then?

Tanja: Yes, their diet is different, it is stricter. The girls receive a detailed list of what they can eat day by day, even on weekends. They are asked to stop eating sweets several weeks before competition so the body and mind can adapt to the dietary changes and the blood sugar level stays more balanced. This is the time where they focus on technique and strength training. The gymnasts follow a low GI diet, without adding too many calories but lots of fibre. They need energy that lasts for a long time without having low blood sugar levels. It is very important for competition that gymnasts have the energy required to do the exercise. They need to have the feeling that they have something in their stomach to keep their attention, so that they don’t snack during training and exercise episodes. Slow-release carbohydrates are the perfect fit for gymnasts.

The secret behind winning Olympic gold: Slow-Release Carbohydrates and a Balanced Diet

Silke: Now we are coming to the day that determines everything, the competition! The question we’ve all been waiting for: How to win the Olympic gold medal? Please, let us know: What is the secret behind it?

Tanja: The right strategy is important without any time delays where the gymnast might lose concentration. It is the combination and balance of having a strong mind and the right food for concentration and energy. Eliminating high glycaemic sugars and focusing on slow-release carbohydrates.