Graham Bell’s ski food

Graham Bell is a former British Olympic skier turned TV presenter, who can be seen on BBC's Ski Sunday. He represented Britain at five Winter Olympics and is still a keen skier. He will be reporting for the BBC from the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, which kicks off on 7 February. Here, he reveals the secrets to snacking on the slopes.

Top snacks for the slopes

• Complex carbohydrates such as bread, beans, pasta, potatoes, porridge and rice are good as they provide slow-releasing energy that will keep you going until your next food stop.
• Always take a snack up the mountain; a croissant or some biscuits will suffice.
• You don’t need to stop moving to eat – ski lifts are great places to eat a healthy snack bar you've stored in your pocket.

What to avoid

• Coffee: too much coffee on the slopes will dehydrate you; if you are a coffee lover ensure that you're drinking plenty of water.
• Orange: sweet juice can also dehydrate you; instead, dilute with water.
• Hot chocolate: although it has sugar in it to keep you going on the slopes, too much hot chocolate will also dehydrate – only have this as a treat!

Food to keep you going

You burn a lot of energy when skiing, and normally three meals isn't enough to keep you going. Having snacks in a backpack is always something I'd recommend, especially for children.

• Haribo sweets and chocolate: when skiing, you shouldn’t feel guilty about giving sugary treats to children, as they will burn them off quickly.
• Energy drinks: these are good for on the piste especially between breakfast and lunch. Avoid giving these to children though.
• Granola bars: a slightly more healthy carb snack.
• Water: drink as much of this as possible; everyone should have a bottle of water with them when on the piste. You should aim to drink almost double what you would drink on a normal day. This is especially important in the hotter skiing months, such as April, as you tend to sweat more. A good way to carry water is to use a camel-pack bag – it’s much easier than scrambling around for a bottle in your bag and it's easy to drink on ski lifts.

Get a good breakfast

Breakfasts throughout Europe can vary a lot. I’d always recommend going to breakfast ready to hit the slopes; it means that you can head straight out after eating. In my experience it’s much easier with children if everyone is ready as soon as you leave the hotel room.

• Breakfast is an important part of anyone’s day, but when you’re skiing it’s even more crucial to have a decent breakfast to get you through the physical intensity of a day’s skiing.
• Muesli works particularly well; as well as the carbs in the oats there is also protein in the nuts – important for supporting muscle strength.
• If you have children or family members who don’t like muesli, porridge is a good alternative; it will provide energy and fuel.

Don't forget lunch

Determined skiers should try to find a mountain restaurant so they don’t interrupt skiing by returning to the resort or hotel. Eating at the same mountain restaurant can get boring, however, so stronger skiers can mix it up by heading to a restaurant at another resort.

• Salads: something slightly healthier at lunch will never go amiss. Salad is hard to come by on the mountains, which is why choosing an all-inclusive resort may be a good idea.
• Potatoes: a good option for those that need an energy reload after a morning's hard work; they’re high in complex carbs and readily available at mountain restaurants. A filling potato dish is the French tartiflette, made with cheese, bacon and onions.

There's snow meal more important than dinner

This is by far the biggest meal of the day, but don’t go overboard. Quantity should depend on how much food you've eaten during the day and how much energy your body has stored.

• If you’ve had a hard day’s skiing, the evening meal is one of the few times you can eat a lot of food – as long as it’s relatively healthy.
• If you’re not a breakfast person, having a big dinner is essential as it will keep you going into the morning, until you get time to stop for a snack.
• Food is notoriously expensive on the mountains: watch your pennies by choosing the restaurant carefully so you don’t get stung by overpriced food.
• All-inclusive hotels, such as Club Med, often work out better value, especially if you have kids, so you don’t have to count pennies or worry about bringing your wallet on the piste.
• Every family has at least one fussy eater and it can be hard to cater for everyone, especially as some mountain resort restaurants offer limited options. If you're not staying at an all-inclusive, where there tends to be more variety, do your research before you go.

Après-ski

Après-ski is brilliant anywhere you go, but particularly in the country that coined the phrase – France. Again, this can be an expensive part of your holiday so it pays to look around!

Remember... although most of us burn a lot of calories when skiing, be sure not to overindulge as it can slow you down. Most people come back from a skiing holiday heavier rather than lighter!

Related links

Secrets to healthy weight loss

On Bing: après-ski recipes