I was absolutely thrilled to recently launch my brand new nutrition and recipe book: ‘Eat Up- The Next Level’. I gave it my all and I know that there is something in this book for everyone out there. I have recently some queries about the book so I thought it would be best to put together a short blog.
Here are 7 of the most commonly asked questions about my second book, ‘Eat Up The Next Level”:
1. What is the difference between this book and the first book?
2. What nutrition information does the book cover?
3. Is this book just for athletes?
4. What nutrition information comes with the recipes?
5. Can anyone eat the recipes?
6. What are people saying about Daniel’s new book and the recipes?
7. Where can I buy the book?
1. What is the difference between this book and the first book?
In this new nutrition and recipe book I cover the core concepts around mindset, nutrition and performance. I focus on behaviour change and the reasons why we make the decisions we do when it
comes to our food choices. Before writing this book, I reflected on what has changed in my own life and in food and nutrition compared to when I wrote my first book – Eat Up, Raise Your Game – over two years ago. In doing this I realised that there have been so many changes, from the birth of my daughter Penny, to getting married and losing my father Peter. What hasn’t changed however, is my philosophy on food and my belief that performance is about people being at their best in their daily actions, no matter what level they are competing or performing at. In this book, I explain my own journey, both in my professional career and as an athlete and the profound impact that certain people have had on me across the years.
Nutritional science is also at the core of this book and although nutrition is an ever-evolving science, what we do know is that nutrition has an immeasurable impact on health, wellbeing and disease risk. Although it is key that you understand the fundamentals of nutrition there are often barriers to implementing even the most basic nutrition practices. For this reason, I dedicated Part One – ‘Food Foundation’ – to understading the very basic but important nutrition fundamentals. In this section I take a deeper dive into understanding our behaviours and mindset around food before looking at the science of nutrition for health and performance.
Part 1: Food Foundation
- My nutrition lessons
- Inside the minds of high performers
- What is reflection and why is it important?
- Your relationship with food
- Healthy connections for healthy habits
- Getting your kitchen ready
When it comes to our relationship with food, I am noticing an increasing trend towards negative emotions, anxiety and guilt surrounding different styles of eating and ceratin food groups. This is something I believe needs more attention. From my own nutrition journey, my change in mindset towards nutrition as a key pillar of a healthy lifestyle led to a huge weight being lifted off my shoulders and I really began to enjoy food more. Our mindset towards food and how we think about it directly impacts our relationship with food and our eating behaviours.
Some of the key themes I discuss in relation to your relationship with food are:
- Science vs opinion
- Personal reflection
- Misplaced focus
- Maturity
- Acceptance
- Who am I and what’s my vision?
- What is your vision?
- Self-talk
- Health and disease risk
When we understand the nutrition foundations and fundamentals and begin to make connections between our mindset, and lifestyle, it makes it much easier to see how nutrition influences health and performance. The significance of mindset, lifestyle, nutrition, exercise and sleep for health are what we refer to as the Pillars of Health. Part Two of this book looks beyond the foundation of food and into performance and nutrition science-based evidence to help you further develop your knowledge base.
Part Two: The Science of Optimal Performance
- Strategically fuelling for competition – why, what and when?
- Macro counting: Pros and Cons
- Nutrition strategies for injury recovery
- Nutrition strategies to support your immune system
- Feeding the gut: probiotics and prebiotics
2. What nutrition information does the book cover?
This book covers a wide range of nutrition information, from the basic fundamentals to the key nutrient considerations around training, competition, surgery and recovery from injury.
Here are some insights into the nutrition information covered in the book….
“To achieve optimum performance nutrition, preparation must take place in the days and weeks prior to competition.”
For athletes, it is not only the pre-game meal that matters, in fact that is only a very small piece of the puzzle. What matters most is the preparation that goes into the days and months leading up to competition. In the book, I take you through a step-by-step approach to your season. Then I will show you how to create a structure within your week and what you will need to do each day to put yourself in the best position to perform to your full potential when it counts!
I discuss the key considerations for recovery from injury and how to structure your nutrition around surgery as well as what supplements you can take to support your recovery and return to play.
Food is so much more than a number and optimum nutrition is not just about reaching a macro or calorie target, it incorporates variety, contributes to a resilient immune system, includes taste preferences and takes account of how vibrant and energetic we feel from eating food we enjoy. These things are all fundamental to lifestyle and nutrition and relate directly to our health and happiness. This is always at the forefront of my mind as a nutritionist and in my own personal life. I set out writing this book with the aim of teaching people how to enjoy the experience of food and all it has to offer, while developing their understanding of their nutrition behaviours and what ‘best practice’ looks like for them.
3. Is this book just for athletes?
No, although it is suited to athletes, this book is for anyone who wants to become the best version of themselves, improve their performance, cooking skills and overall quality of life. I believe that performance is about people being at their best in their daily actions, no matter what level they are competing or performing at. Performing at your best in your daily physical and mental activities is something we should all aspire to. Achieving your potential requires consistently making the correct choices in the key areas of exercise, lifestyle and performance. Nutrition is a vital component of this. Though, performance is not a once-off activity, any successful athlete or individual knows this – it requires consistency in practice, preparation and recovery.
This book is more than just a recipe book, it will guide you to optimum performance by diving into mindset, relationships and nutrition that takes evidence-based science along with personal insights and experience to bring to you, a step-by-step approach to achieving your full potential.
There is a key difference between knowledge and implementation of knowledge. This is why I not only provide the information, but also break down the strategies that you can implement to achieve and sustain the success you are capable of.
4. What nutrition information comes with the recipes?
Each recipe comes with calorie and macronutrient information as well as information on the key micronutrients provided by the recipe and the role they play in the body. While each recipe can be enjoyed on any day or occasion, the recipes are categorised according to the macronutrients they provide. You can then use this information to help you plan your meals, depending on the level of activity you plan to undertake on any given day. For example, if you are planning food for a training day, you can choose meals which are higher in carbohydrates to support this and provide you with adequate energy.
Recipe Categories
- Rest Day recipes
- Exercise Day recipes
- Intense exercise day recipes
- Immune support
- Injury recovery
5. Can anyone eat the recipes?
The recipes in this book are predominantly gluten free with a few exceptions. All of the recipes that use gluten containing ingredients, can easily be substituted for gluten free alternatives, such as gluten free bread, pasta or oats.
A number of vegetarian and vegan friendly recipes are included in the recipe section of the book, although they are not labelled as such, they are easily identified.
Here are some vegetarian or vegan friendly recipes you can look forward to in the book:
- Yummy Overnight Vegan Oats
- Citrus Quinoa Avocado Salad
- Paul Mannion’s Smoked Tofu Satay
- Crispy Balsamic Tofu and Roast Veg with Chickpea Pasta
- Speedy Recovery Smoothie
- Roasted Bell Pepper Hummus
Click here for 2 Free Recipes from Eat Up The Next Level
6. What are people saying about Daniel’s new book and the recipes?
“It is clear this is the next level in nutrition information and detail on nutrition”
“There is more in it and a huge amount of work clearly went into it”
“It’s a hugely impressive production and the food looks great”
“I love the stories and insights on your own journey in the first section”
‘I have a hugely changed approach to food and cooking. I now enjoy making time to cook rather than seeing it as a chore.’ DARREN
‘As a relatively novice chef, Daniel’s recipes made it easy to make more tasty and healthy dishes.’ EOGHAN
‘Daniel has helped me to improve not just my own eating habits but my friends’ habits as well!’ ÁINE
‘I will be forever grateful … Daniel has helped me build a positive attitude to food, moving on from disordered eating.’ KATE
‘Daniel has helped me to expand my cooking, making me try new flavours and enjoy the process of cooking and eating well.’ KEVIN
‘Daniel has made what I thought was “boring food” so tasty and delicious – and yet still nutritious.’ GRACE
‘Made me realise that healthy eating, when done right, is tastier than unhealthy food!’ DAVID
7. Where can I buy the book?
If you would like to buy a copy of the book, you can do so at any good bookstore or online at Easons or Amazon.
For any further information about the daveynutrition website, nutrition programmes or nutrition consultations, please email expertsupport@daveynutrition.com.
