My diet approach - Nicole Edensbo

A topic that I often comes up spending time with freedivers is diet. Many freedivers experiment with food and make changes in their diet to achieve better results. Diet, nutrition and health has always interested me. I am aware of what I eat. In this blog post I introduce you to my diet approach.

Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.
Hippocrates, 400 BC

Eat for the future

During my time as a freediver I would say that my diet has changed. One thing that has not changed though is my awareness and the fact that I am conscious of every choice I make. If someone asks me about my diet I would say that I am not only eating for today. I am eating for next week, next month. I am eating for the rest of my life. Normally I want everything on plate to fill a purpose. I try to eat food high in vitamins and minerals compared to energy given. Food with empty energy is not what I want. On my plate I want nutritious food that is good for me and kind to my body.

What is most important is to truly believe in the choices that you make.

Freediving diet?

I have never heard about this super-freedving-diet that makes everyone being able to do 10 minutes STA and equalize to -100 meters. I guess there are as many freediving diets as there are freedivers on this planet. Some of them more particular about their diet than others. Everybody has their own theories and their own way to approach this issue. No matter if you eat only rawfood, a low-carb-high-fat-diet (LCHF) or if you simply just eat what you like and make no difference between a ruccola, prosciutto or refined carbohydrates. What is most important is to truly believe in the choices that you make. I would say that is the most important when it comes to achievements.

Let food be your medicine

“Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.” is a well-known quote by Hippocrates who lived more than 2400 years ago. That is the way I try to approach my diet. For me what is the most important detail for progress results is to be healthy. For me that is everything. A healthy diet in combination with high quality sleep and physical movement and you are on the right track for a healthy body.

I have never put a label on my diet, because there is no label to put.

Alive products

In general, when I chose what to buy and what to eat I want to be able to see what the product looked like when it was still alive. I normally try not to chose products that need a label on a package to explain to me what is inside. I want to be able to touch and smell what I buy. When it comes to putting my food on the plate I still want it as alive as possible. I therefor prefer cutting my vegetables just before I put them on my plate. Some of you who read this text then probably understand that I prefer not to eat processed and refined food. That is something I try to avoid.

I want my diet to be a natural part of my lifestyle living the life I want.

My lifestyle

I have never put a label on my diet, because there is no label to put. I prefer certain food, yes. I avoid certain food, yes. But, I still eat cheese even though the long process of achieving its taste, I still eat meat even though it most of the time was not even close to alive when it ended up on my plate, I still eat sweets even though all the refined products that it contains. I have learned that a diet that is too strict is not good for me. I want my diet to be a natural part of my lifestyle living the life I want. My diet is unique just as I am unique. We are all unique individuals and prefer eating our own way. Find your diet you believe in and I will believe in you.