Recovery Beyond the Basics: Fuel, Rebuild, Rehydrate, Revitalise

A recovery workshop at Jindabyne

This week, I've been down in Jindabyne at our National Snowsports Training Centre, working with our Olympic Winter Institute of Australia athletes during their domestic season. Let's just say the Australian snow has not exactly been putting on its best performance this season! ❄️ Even so, it was fantastic to get out on the slopes, watch the athletes in action, and see their fuelling lunchboxes getting a proper workout too.

Between individual appointments and group workshops, one session in particular got me thinking about what recovery really involves, and how much of this applies to young athletes and busy sporting families as well.

Recovery is about more than refuel, rebuild, rehydrate

Recovery nutrition is often boiled down to three basics:

⛽️ Refuel with carbohydrate. 💪 Rebuild with protein. 💧 Rehydrate with fluids.

Those are absolutely essential. But this particular group of athletes and I have been working together for many years, so we were ready to explore the next piece of the puzzle:

🌈 Revitalise.

Inflammation is not always the enemy

Training creates stress in the body. That might sound like a bad thing, but it's actually part of how athletes improve. A temporary rise in inflammation helps signal to the body that it needs to adapt. It plays a role in becoming stronger, improving fitness, adapting the nervous system, and developing more of the tiny energy-producing structures inside our cells, called mitochondria.

We don't want to eliminate that process. What we do want to avoid is an athlete staying stuck in a state of ongoing stress and inflammation because they aren't recovering properly between sessions. The goal is to help the body respond to training, adapt, and then return to baseline, ready to go again.

The recovery hierarchy matters

Before getting excited about berries, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) or omega-3s, it's important to start with the foundations. The most important recovery strategies are:

1. Following the training program and allowing time for rest.
2. Getting enough sleep, ideally at least eight to ten hours for young athletes.
3. Eating enough food to meet the demands of training, growth and everyday life.
4. Including enough carbohydrate, protein and fluids to refuel, rebuild and rehydrate.

In fact, one of the most pro-inflammatory things an athlete can do is underfuel, particularly by not eating enough carbohydrate to match their training. No amount of blueberries, salmon or EVOO can compensate for an athlete who is exhausted, underfed and running on empty.

But once those foundations are in place, there are some wonderful ways food can help support the next stage of recovery.

🌈 Bring in the colour

Many of the natural pigments and other compounds found in colourful fruit and vegetables have antioxidant properties. Think of them a little like tiny Pac-Man characters, helping the body manage the stress created by training and supporting the recovery process.

Different colours bring different beneficial plant compounds, which is why variety matters. Think berries, oranges, kiwi fruit, tomatoes, capsicum, carrots, leafy greens and purple cabbage. Fresh, frozen and canned options can all contribute.

The aim isn't to create a picture-perfect plate. It's simply to ask: where could we add a little more colour?

🌱 Feed the gut

Plant diversity also supports the community of helpful microbes living in our gut. When those microbes ferment fibre from plant foods, they produce compounds called short-chain fatty acids. These can travel beyond the gut and act as messengers throughout the body, supporting immune function, helping regulate inflammation, and contributing to communication between the gut and brain. Food and mood really are connected.

The key is variety across the week, including different fruits, vegetables, legumes, wholegrains, herbs, nuts and seeds.

Timing still matters here too. Immediately before training is not necessarily the time to load up on higher-fibre foods, particularly for athletes who experience gut discomfort. But these nourishing foods are absolutely needed at other meals and snacks across the day, when the gut isn't under pressure from exercise and is better able to digest them. That's where they can provide the plant diversity needed to feed the gut microbiome and support overall health and recovery.

🫒 Don't forget extra virgin olive oil

Extra virgin olive oil contains protective plant compounds, including an antioxidant called oleocanthal, which has anti-inflammatory properties. It's a practical, everyday addition that can also help athletes meet their energy needs. Use it in salad dressings, drizzle it over roasted vegetables, add it to pasta, or use it when preparing meals. You don't need to be afraid of using a decent splash, particularly when feeding an active, growing athlete.

🐟 Make room for omega-3 fats

Oily fish such as salmon, sardines and mackerel provide omega-3 fatty acids, which support the body's normal processes for managing and resolving inflammation. If your family enjoys fish, look for opportunities to include it a couple of times across the week.

The aim isn't to suppress the normal training response. It's to give the body the ingredients it needs to recover well and avoid staying in a prolonged state of stress.

What could this look like in real life?

A recovery-focused meal might be:

• 🥤 A smoothie with oats, milk, yoghurt, berries, spinach and avocado.
• 🥑 Grainy crackers with avocado and tomato, plus a yoghurt pouch.
• 🥣 Overnight oats made with milk and seeds, topped with Greek yoghurt and berries.
• 🍞 Grainy toast with eggs, avocado and sliced tomato.
• 🌯 A chicken and avocado wrap with salad, plus a piece of fruit.
• 🍚 Salmon with rice, colourful vegetables and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
• 🌮 A burrito bowl with rice, beans, avocado, tomato, corn and chicken.
• 🍝 Pasta bolognese made with EVOO, lentils and grated vegetables.

Notice how each option brings together carbohydrate, protein, colourful plant foods and protective fats to support recovery from multiple angles.

Because great recovery isn't about finding one magic ingredient. It's about getting enough rest, enough sleep and enough fuel, then giving the body the extra support it needs to adapt, bounce back and feel ready for whatever comes next.

Where Fuel School comes in

Inside Fuel School, we explore exactly how Fuel, Build, Colour and Protect fit together, with practical guidance to help young athletes eat enough, fuel their training and recover well.

If you would like support putting it all into practice for your family, join Fuel School here.