Many triathletes are body conscious and try to eliminate fat from their diets. If you avoid fatty foods such as red meat and dairy products, you will miss out on vital micronutrients such as calcium and iron.

We all need a certain amount of fat in our diets to make hormones amongst other things. Fat in foods is also an important source of the fat soluble vitamins A, D and E, while essential fatty acids will help to keep your immune system in peak condition.

Don’t avoid fats completely. Some dairy foods, meat and meat products can be high in fat and saturated fat but careful choices can keep your fat intake down.

Choose lean cut of non processed meats, remove visible fat from skins of poultry and stir-fry, bake, poach or steam. Red meat is an excellent source of iron, which helps transport oxygen around the body, and zinc, which is essential for a healthy immune system.

Skimmed milk, cottage cheese an low fat yoghurts provide a tiny amount of fat but are rich in calcium and are also a good source of protein. While oily fish such as salmon, sardines and mackerel are rich in essential fatty acids that are also important for the bodies immune system.

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