Nutrition is no longer about abstaining from your favourite foods.
Clare hurler Shane O'Donnell says that inter-county diets have changed over the years and are no longer as demanding as they were previously, as we learn more about the science.
Speaking to OTB's Shane Hannon, O'Donnell said that when he first started, there was an expectancy to give up on certain foods and drinks, but that is no longer the case.
"I think it's come around. When I first started, there was a real abstinence kind of approach where you would write off eating certain things for months, or drinking especially for months", O'Donnell said.
"I think it has come around in the general GAA scene. That's kind of less common. You would have weeks before championship where, obviously, you're going to be extremely strict. You're not going to eat anything that might hinder any progress."
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"But once you turn the 1st of January, the 'no drinking for basically a year' attitude has faded away from hurling and football together."
Aoife Hearne, a dietitian and lecturer in WIT says that consistency is the most important aspect athletes should focus on when it comes to their diet.
"From working with elite athletes, the one thing I see that they do right, is all the things that happen outside of the training pitch", Hearne said.
"They're sleeping well, they're doing their pre-hab, their rehab and their eating is consistent"
"It's not about just deciding two days before the match 'Jesus, I need to drink loads of water and be hydrated. It's really that attention to detail on a persistent basis."
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