Diet in Kenya
Diet in Kenya
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Diet #1. Developing athlete without support
| Breakfast 0800hr | 2 cups of black sugared tea |
| Mid Morning 1100hr | 1 cup Uji (Ground maize or millet porridge- often fermented) |
| Lunch 1300hr | Ugali (maize and water) + Sukuma Wiki (Dark green cabbage plant)* |
| Dinner 1900hr | Ugali and Sukuma Wiki** |
* Often other wild green plants are added.
** Family and/or friends may donate food.
Diet #2. Successful athlete
| Breakfast 0800hr | Tea, jam and margarine sandwiches |
| Mid Morning 1100hr | Kenya tea (lots!) |
| Lunch 1300hr | Rice, bananas, beef vegetable stew, tea |
| Dinner 1900hr | Ugali with meat and vegetables, tea. |
Diet #3. Armed Forces Training Camp
| Breakfast 0800hr | Tea, jam and margarine sandwiches |
| Mid Morning 1100hr | Kenya tea (lots!) |
| Lunch 1300hr | Rice, potatoes, spaghetti, kidney beans and beef in an oily sauce. Tea |
| Dinner 1900hr | Large serves of ugali with potatoes, vegetables and beef. Tea or cocoa. |
Diet #4. On the Road
| Breakfast 0800hr | Tea, jam and margarine sandwiches |
| Mid Morning 1100hr | Kenya tea (lots!) |
| Lunch 1300hr | Vegetable soup. Tea |
| Dinner 1900hr | Large serves of ugali with potatoes, vegetables and beef. Tea or cocoa. |
Miscellaneous
- Most Kenyans do not like sweet food.
- Kenya athletes are weight conscious and reduce food intake doing competition periods.
- Cows blood, straight or mixed with milk, will be drunk if available. (This is similar to Europeans taking blood pudding and the turtles blood in China!)
- Africans in general do not over-hydrate. The high fruit/vegetable diet with lots of tea is sufficient!
All Kenyans train at 6am (easy) and 10am (hard). Most will run again around 4pm (easy or hard):
- 0600hr 10k(m)/8k(w). Starts easy often finishes very fast.
- 1000hr The main workout. 10-15k of intervals (hill/long/short) or 20-25k of fast tempo running.
- 1600hr. Rest if a long tempo run was done OR 12-16k, which starts slow but may finish very fast.
Acknowledgement to Train Hard; Win Easy” by Toby Tanser.
