Rising taekwondo titan Adelaide Barnes says attending an Aldi-organised nutritional workshop will equip her with all the tools she needs to take the next step on her journey.

The 17-year-old ace is a member of the retailer’s Rising Stars programme, an initiative that supports 20 young athletes by providing a financial award to help with training and competition costs, while also delivering personal development opportunities to many athletes through workshop sessions.

The programme allowed Barnes to attend a unique Taste Kitchen workshop at Aldi’s Atherstone HQ, providing her with valuable insight into fuelling an athlete’s body for training and competing, as well as top tips for recipes, batch cooking and eating on the go.

The Preston star, who competes in the 57kg featherweight category, said: “I think nutrition's very important for any athlete. It’s important for any person but especially professional athletes because what you put in your body is what you’re going to get out of it. Learning today about what type of carbohydrates to eat in the morning, what protein you should eat or how important plant-based food is compared to normal is super important. It was really beneficial today and I learnt a lot.”

The Rising Stars athletes will receive financial support through Aldi as well as a monthly food voucher, to fuel them through training, competitions and to future Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Dudley News: Athletes were shown the importance of nutrition to their careersAthletes were shown the importance of nutrition to their careers (Image: Aldi)

Aldi have a top 10 shopping list of affordable, healthy items recommended by nutritionists, Nigel Mitchell and Jenny Tschiesche – both of whom attended the event to help Barnes develop a better understanding of nutritious foods key for training, skills for cooking and how to maximise her monthly Aldi vouchers.

Barnes, who claimed two second-place finishes at last year’s National Championships, learned that eating healthy doesn’t have to be expensive or time consuming, with Tschiesche and Mitchell taking her and her fellow athletes through multiple recipes throughout the day.

Mitchell, a Team GB nutritionist with three decades’ worth of experience working with athletes to create bespoke nutritional plans which aid their level of performance, added: “I believe in feeding people real food. Supermarkets like Aldi really provide an affordable opportunity for the consumer to look at getting excellent quality food at a much more affordable price. I think that is so important in today's age, where people are much more price aware, but are also really wanting the quality of foods that they really need to get the range and in depth of nutrients.”

Aldi is the Official Supermarket Partner of Team GB and ParalympicsGB and have partnered with Team GB since 2015, ParalympicsGB since 2022 and will be supporting them through to Paris 2024