World Cup Nutrition for England Roller Derby

In July, I had the pleasure of supporting the England Roller Derby team with nutritional advice ahead of the 2025 World Cup.

We discussed how to apply nutrition principles during long training blocks as well as leading up to and during competition.

We covered optimal carbohydrate and protein consumption strategies, but my main focus was on ensuring the body’s micronutrient needs were met to aid performance, recovery and overall health.

I highlighted how social media often promotes one magic nutrient as the answer to all diet, weight and performance problems when in reality, nutrition and people are far more complex.

While protein is important, it’s been the recent influencers’ obsession (despite cases of deficiency being rare for most people in the UK), with the next trend looking likely to be fibre.

However, from a clinical and performance point of view, it’s often micronutrients that are overlooked. It’s these vitamins, minerals, and trace elements that we’re more likely to be deficient in, and which have a real impact on both athletic and everyday performance.

A 2023 review on micronutrients and athletic performance found that deficiencies in certain vitamins, minerals and trace elements can significantly affect recovery, growth, strength, power output, hormone and enzyme production, metabolism and even our mental health.

The key takeaway is simple - no single nutrient matters more than any other, that overall balance is key, and surprise, surprise, a balanced diet including but not limited to lean proteins, whole grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables is generally sufficient to meet these needs for most people.

So, it was the idea that it’s often the foods that make us healthier that also make us perform better, and in terms of our body composition and energy needs, if we look after the quality of the food, the quantity usually looks after itself.

I’d like to say thank you to the England Roller Derby team for having me and a massive congratulations for finishing in third place at the 2025 World Cup.

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