Meet Renee McGregor

Renee McGregor Bsc(hons)RD PGCERT(sportsnutr) is a registered dietitian and sports nutritionist. Accredited by the Health professions Council and a member of SDUK – Sports Dietitians UK, Renee has over 10 years expertise and knowledge in nutrition, including experience working with elite athletes and their coaches; she is a regular contributor to BBC Food, Cycling Plus, Trail Running Magazine, Runner’s world Magazines. Renee has now just finished her first book – Training Food, which every athlete needs to fuel their training!

Can you describe your book? What should the reader expect from it?
The book is a journey really – a complete guide to sports nutrition. The first section takes you through the science and importance of sports nutrition; how your body works and how you feed it appropriately, looking at individual components of the diet as well as de bunking myths around fad diets and tackling the subject of sports supplements.
The middle section of the book looks at individual sports but also the types of training you might do within these sports and how you tailor your nutrition accordingly. There are meal plan, practical tips and case studies.
The next section highlights the importance of getting the balance right between nutrition and training and how to spot potential problems and risks of injury.
The final section includes the recipes ranging from breakfasts to desserts. All the recipes are quick and easy to follow with no special ingredients and suitable for the whole family.

What sport do you practice?
My main sports is running, generally trail running from half marathon distance all the way up to ultra-marathon distance. The longest distance I have covered to date is 50 miles around the Gower Peninsula along the coastal path. I also do a lot of yoga.

What are your goals and intentions as a writer?
My main goals and intentions are to write informatively, making science simple and accessible to all. I am passionate about ensuring everything is evidence based, even if that sometimes means its not what individuals want to hear!

You work as a nutritionist. What are the biggest challenges in your job?
My job is very diverse which I love; within the same day I could be working with junior athletes all the way to athletes on the elite pathway. The main aim of my role is to ensure that each athlete regardless of their background meets there performance goals. For some this will be about getting stronger; for others it will be getting faster or returning from illness and injury.
My main challenge are the constant messages in the media which often don’t have any real evidence behind them and are usually being presented by individuals who are not qualified to give out nutritional information.

What is the ingredient that is absolutely necessary in training food?
Probably Greek yoghurt!

Do you have a favourite recipe?
I have 2 – the Blueberry birchers muesli and the 3 lentil dhal with coriander and chilli. But it seems that the most popular recipe by far are The Sweet potato Brownies!

What is your next project?
I’m not sure t the moment – there are a few options; I have been considering going back to study more but I’m also still really enjoying working with athletes especially in the lead up to Rio. I wouldn’t be opposed to writing more books either!

Renee McGregor
Training Food
ISBN: 9781848992665
£10.99

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