Professional surfers Sofía Mulanovich, Sally Fitzgibbons, Maya Gabeira and Nadja de Col prepared a Peruvian ceviche while learning about nutrition at the Red Bull Girls Surfing Only camp.
Keeping a healthy and balanced diet is a key part of achieving a top athletic performance, and the coaches at Red Bull Girls Surfing Only camp know this well. A significant part of the third day of the camp was spent discussing nutrition with lady surfers "It's very important to teach the girls to eat correctly so they can replace all the energy spent at sea", states Andy Walshe, director of high performance programs for Red Bull.
For Dan Ross, Sofía and Sally's coach, "fish is an excellent source of protein, which we tend to figure prominently in our diet because it's readily available as we are usually working close to the sea."
As fish is such an important part of a healthy diet, the girls decided to switch their surfboards for kitchen knives and try their luck making a Peruvian ceviche. With the help of well-renowned local chef Christian Bravo, the four surfers learned every necessary step to prepare this typical Peruvian dish.
With fresh flounder marinated in limejuice as their main ingredient, Sofia, Sally, Maya and Nadja experimented with the different flavors and textures by adding onions, corn, sweet potato and 'cancha serrana' (a fried Andean corn kernel).
'Ají limo' (a hot pepper), the final ingredient, was not in heavy demand, as none of the girls are big fans of spicy foods. "I have seen ceviche made in different parts of the world.
The girls from the tour (WCT) eat it all the time, but the Peruvian seems to be the best", confessed Sally Fitzgibbons, currently ranked N2 in the world.
Following a healthy and balanced diet not only means letting go of junk food, but also leaving desserts behind. Sally has had to forget about ice creams, and Maya has said goodbye to chocolate cakes. As professional athletes, surfers need to avoid processed sugars, which provide no benefit whatsoever to their diet, especially during training and tournament season. "Sweet cravings exist, and sometimes they are impossible for the girls to forget. In these cases the best way to leave them behind is to eat a fruit salad, or a natural yogurt", explained Ross.
Nutritional supplements are a must inside the camp's kitchen. Shelves are stacked with antioxidant powders, pro biotic foods, whey protein and Red Bull energy drink to boost the girls level of performance and concentration before heading into the sea.
For Full Report : http://www.redbullsurfing.com/news/2010/06/ceviche---the-peruvian-dish-fo.php#more
