AB Performance Nutrition

🏃‍♀️ How to fuel your long run 🏃‍♂️⚡️

With the City-Bay coming up next weekend and with longer days and warmer weather in sight, lots of people are enjoying their long runs at the moment! They are a great opportunity to practise your nutrition strategy - because performance isn’t just built with kilometres, it’s built with the fuel to support them! 💪

Here are Jacqui’s top tips 👇

🍚 Fuel before you run
Start with good energy stores by eating a carb-focused meal or snack before your session. Think toast, oats, cereal, banana or a sports drink depending on timing and tolerance.

⏰ Don’t wait until you’re hungry
For longer runs, start fuelling early and consistently. Your body can only store a limited amount of carbohydrate, so topping up during your run helps maintain energy levels.

🍬 Practise your race-day fuelling
Use your training runs to test gels, chews, sports drinks or other carbohydrate sources - don’t leave it until race day!

💧 Don’t forget hydration
Fluid needs vary depending on sweat rate, weather and session duration. Plan your hydration strategy, especially for hot or longer runs.

🥪 Recover well afterwards
Post-run nutrition helps replenish glycogen stores and support muscle repair. Aim for a combination of carbohydrates + protein after your session.

🧠 Have a plan
Your fuelling strategy should be individualised to your distance, intensity, goals and gut tolerance.

Fuel the run. Finish stronger. 🏃‍♀️🔥
Need support with individualising your long-run strategy? Send us a DM or book a session via the link in our bio

MEET THE TEAM | AB PERFORMANCE NUTRITION
It’s been a while since we introduced the faces behind AB Performance Nutrition - and we have an exciting official addition to the team!

BELLE | Founder, Performance Nutritionist, Exercise Scientist & Wellness Retreat Host
Belle founded AB Performance Nutrition in 2020 and works across sports nutrition, performance and lifestyle wellness. Alongside running AB Performance Nutrition, Belle is the founder of La maréa, where she curates luxury lifestyle wellness retreats and experiences across South Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Exercise & Sports Science and Bachelor of Nutrition & Food Sciences, with further qualifications in Applied Sports Nutrition and Strength & Conditioning.

JACQUI | Lead Sports Dietitian & Consultant | Monash FODMAP Trained Dietitian & Pilates Instructor
Jacqui is our Lead Sports Dietitian and Consultant, bringing extensive experience across sports nutrition and high-performance environments. She currently works in high-performance sport with the Adelaide Crows AFLW team, alongside her work with AB Performance Nutrition. Jacqui holds a Bachelor of Nutrition & Dietetics (Honours) and has further training across sports dietetics, gastrointestinal nutrition, fitness and Pilates.

GRACE | Sports Nutritionist & Exercise Scientist
Grace has been supporting AB Performance Nutrition across various projects over the years, so we’re very excited to officially welcome her to the team! As a Sports Nutritionist and Exercise Scientist, Grace supports our nutrition education, athlete and community programs, helping translate evidence-based nutrition and performance principles into practical strategies for everyday life and sport.

Together, our team brings expertise across sports nutrition, high-performance sport, exercise science, gut health, female athlete nutrition, lifestyle wellness, disordered eating and high school nutrition education — with a shared focus on practical, personalised, evidence-based and sustainable support.

Book a complimentary discovery call with our team to explore how we can support you in 2026 - link in our bio.

Why aim for 30+ plant foods each week? 🌱

Simply put, it’s a simple way to support a healthy, diverse gut microbiome 🦠✨

A greater variety of plants means more fibre, vitamins, minerals and protective compounds that help to:
💚 Support gut health & digestion
🛡️ Support immune function
🔥 Reduce inflammation & oxidative stress
⚡ Improve overall health & wellbeing

Think beyond just fruits and veggies! Mix it up with:
🌾 Wholegrains
🫘 Legumes
🥜 Nuts & seeds
🌿 Herbs & spices

And remember, different coloured fruits & vegetables provide us with slightly different nutrient profiles, so aim to eat the rainbow 🌈

The goal isn’t perfection - it’s variety! 🌱 The more colours and plants you can add across the week, the more you’re nourishing your gut (and your body) 💪✨

🍽️ Eating out as an athlete? Here are my top tips as a Sports Dietitian 👇

Eating out doesn’t mean your nutrition goals go out the window! It’s all about finding balance and making choices that support your performance.

⚡ 1. Think about your goals
Are you fuelling for training, recovering after a session, or just enjoying a meal with friends? Your choices can change depending on what your body needs.

🍗 2. Prioritise protein
Include a quality protein source to support muscle repair, recovery and keeping you satisfied.

🥔 3. Don’t skip the carbs
Carbs are your body’s preferred fuel source for training — especially important around hard sessions and game days.

🥗 4. Add colour where you can
Aim for veggies, salads, fruit or other plant-based options to boost fibre, vitamins and minerals.

🍕 5. Enjoy the experience
Nutrition isn’t about being perfect. Social connection, flexibility and enjoying food are all part of a healthy approach.

The best nutrition plan is one that works in the real world 🌱💪

If you’re struggling to find the balance between maximising performance and enjoying meals with friends and family, book a roadmapping session with Jacqui via the link in our bio to find out more about how we can support you 🤍

❄️ Winter is almost over, but it’s still important to support your immune system as we head into Spring! Try these 5 things:

🍞 Eat enough & eat your carbs - Underfuelling can stress your immune system. Match your intake to your training load and fuel around sessions, especially with carbs, to support immune function.

🥛 Prioritise immune-supporting foods - Include probiotics (yoghurt, kefir, kimchi), zinc-rich foods (seafood, red meat, nuts & seeds), sources of vitamin C (fruit & veggies), and whole foods to support gut health, immunity & recovery.

🌱 Focus on fibre - Aim for 30+ plant foods per week. A fibre-rich diet supports a healthy gut microbiome, which plays a huge role in your immune health.

☀️ Get some sunshine - Safe sun exposure helps support vitamin D levels, which are important for regulating immune function.

😴 Prioritise sleep & recovery - Aim for 7–9 hours per night. Sleep helps your body repair, restore and regulate immune responses.

Small habits = a stronger immune system 💪❄️

Do you want to know more about supporting your immune system with your diet? Reach out via DM to book a roadmapping session with Jacqui to learn how we can support you 🤍

Tatachilla Year 12 Wellbeing Retreat | Nutrition & Wellness Workshop Tatachilla Lutheran College

Nutrition plays a powerful role in supporting stress management, energy, focus, mood and overall wellbeing — particularly during the demands of Year 12, exams and busy academic periods.

As part of the Stage 2 Health & Wellbeing curriculum, Belle had the pleasure of facilitating a 4-hour Nutrition & Wellness Workshop with Tatachilla Year 12 students, providing evidence-based education and practical strategies they could apply both throughout their final year of school and beyond.

Throughout the session, students explored:
🥑 How nutrition supports the body during times of stress and increased demands
🍽️ How to build balanced meals to support energy, concentration, focus and recovery
📚Practical nutrition & lifestyle wellbeing tips during exam periods
🌯 A hands-on cooking workshop creating nourishing pulled beef burrito bowls, fresh guacamole, salsa and yoghurt sauce for lunch
📖 Practical meal planning strategies and recipes to support sustainable healthy habits

What we loved most about this experience was seeing nutrition integrated as one piece of a much bigger wellbeing picture. The retreat also included yoga, breathwork, movement and other wellbeing strategies — creating a holistic experience that encouraged students to prioritise their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing ✨

A huge thank you to Amy Gallery | Dietitian (APD) and Annie Pickett for assisting with the facilitation of this session, and to Tatachilla for inviting us to be part of such a fun experience!

Social media can be a beautiful way to connect, share, and be inspired, but it’s important to remember that what we see is often just a highlight reel ✨

A healthier feed starts with awareness: audit what you’re consuming, curate what you surround yourself with, and think critically about the messages you’re absorbing 🧠💭

We weren’t built to constantly compare ourselves to endless images of other people (or ourselves). In a world where we’re surrounded by reflections and snapshots of our lives, it’s easy to forget that we’re more than what can be captured on a screen 🤍

So be intentional with your scroll - your mind deserves a space that supports you, not one that makes you feel like you’re falling behind 🌻

Save this as a reminder for your next scroll 📱🤍

A lot of amateur and semi-professional athletes are training hard, but still not getting the most out of their performance.

One of the most common missing pieces? Nutrition 🥗⚡

We deliver nutrition seminars for sporting clubs that break down practical, evidence-based strategies athletes actually need to perform, recover, and stay consistent, covering topics such as:

- Nutrition for health & performance 🥗
- Hydration strategies 💧
- Supplement use 💊
- The menstrual cycle for female athletes 🌙

Because you can be doing everything right in training, but still leave performance on the table if nutrition isn’t aligned.

We also understand that every team is different, which is why we tailor our sessions depending on the group - whether that’s age, competition level, or specific sport - so the information is relevant, practical, and easy to apply in their environment 🏃‍♂️🏉🏐

If you’re part of a sporting club looking to give your athletes an edge, get in touch! We’d love to run a session with your team 📩