Half Marathon Nutrition: A Whole Food Approach. Hi everyone! I hope you’ve had a good week. I just returned from an awesome trip to Salt Lake City for what will be some exciting news I can share with you in a week or so. During my trip, I again realized how important a whole foods or real food approach to daily life is. When I say “daily life”, . ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Meaning, they supplement their training and racing with sugars, refined carbohydrates and other unhealthy stuff. And nowadays with the availability of sports drinks and supplements, it’s easy to forget about whole, real food and rely on unnatural, processed bars, drinks and sugary gels for your training and racing goals. The Paleo Diet: Right For Runners. In this episode I share how to listen to your body to maximize your training. What's New in Version 2.1.2. You’ve heard me talk about my experience with the Whole. I’ve been sticking to a whole foods/Paleo style approach to eating ever since. This continues not only in my day- to- day life, but throughout my training and racing too. A few weeks ago I shared my race recap that included a huge PR for me at the Carmel Half Marathon and how I believe that my eating style was one of the main reasons I was able to train faster and therefore race faster. After my race, I received some questions and interest in my approach to eating this way while training. I imagine some people were a little surprised when I told them I wasn’t eating any grains, legumes, refined carbs and definitely not doing a pasta or carb heavy dinner the night before the race. That being said, I want to answer some of the questions I’ve received from others who are wanting to follow a whole foods/paleo approach to training. Please note that I am not telling you to go about your training this way. You know your body best and know what works for you. Please keep in mind that these are my experiences and I am only sharing my perspective and best practices that have worked for me in terms of nutrition from a whole foods/paleo standpoint. Paleo Marathon Diet is the best and most. Paleo Weight Training Diet. Diabetes Diet: The Top 100 Diabetic Foods to Eat for a Highly. The importance and role of nutrition during marathon training. If you are on a low carb diet. Nancy Clark's Food Guide for Marathoners. Coconut shrimp (1/2 recipe) with basil spinach Prep hard boil eggs for meals 6 and 11. Paleo Diet Food List; Paleo Diet for Athletes; Sampler Menu & Meal Plan. How to Fuel a Marathon. I tried finding information on Paleo/marathon training and didn. What did you eat while training for your Half Marathon? Since October of 2. Wil and I have been eating mostly whole foods/Paleo meaning we eat meat, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts and healthy fats. ![]() We indulge occasionally in the sweet treat or bad- for- you food, but for the most part we eat this way daily. We tend to stay away from grains, legumes, sugar, dairy or processed food. When you’re on the Whole. What did you drink while training for your Half Marathon? I stick to drinking water and the occasional coconut water throughout my training. During the day I drink 3 cups of green tea (mostly non- caffeinated) and will have the occasional black coffee on some mornings. I do have a few go- to electrolyte drinks that l use for workouts lasting longer than an hour. For those runs I use the. Both are great products. Whole. 9 did an informative interview with Elete Electrolytes here. What did you eat the night before, the morning of and after the Half Marathon? This was actually my very first race where I didn’t eat any refined carbohydrates the night before or the morning of the race. ![]() Previously I would have eaten my go- to pre- race meal which consisted of a chicken wrap with a side of black beans and brown rice from a restaurant here in town (I *had* a weird superstition about eating the same thing before EVERY running race and triathlon- I guess that superstition is dismissed now!) and I would eat an Ezekial sandwich with peanut butter and honey or a cliff bar along with some sort of sports drink the morning of the race. This race, I ate a baked sweet potato with coconut oil, baked chicken and saut. Instead of my normal sports drink, I chose the electrolyte add- in that is all natural and is approved by Whole. Life. Post race I skipped the chocolate milk and cookies and immediately ate a banana and then headed to a cafe where I ate a large omelet and fruit. I now know I should have eaten more carbs (starchy veggies would have worked) immediately following the race- I now have some yummy food ideas for my upcoming races! ![]() What did you drink during the Half Marathon? I had planned ahead that Wil was going to meet me at mile 5. Ignite electrolyte drink and a Ignite Naturals gel. I passed up all of the sports drinks at the aid stations, but took some water at the later stations. I accidentally grabbed a powerade from one of the volunteers at mile 1. Did you take any supplements during your training? I take a probiotic (because I have been on antibiotics), BCAA (branched chain amino acids) and fish oil on a regular basis. This is a great article on some things to watch out for and be aware of when looking for supplementation products. The best option is to get your nutrients from whole foods. In some cases though, you may want to supplement if necessary. Did you take any gels/chews during your training or during the Half Marathon? During training I only take water and possibly the electrolyte drinks because most of my training runs are between 3- 6 miles, except for my long runs. Unless you are running long (for me that means longer than an hour), gels, chews or other supplements aren’t really needed. Our bodies have plenty of energy stored in them for this long of a workout. I mentioned earlier that I had Wil meet me around mile 5. Ignite Naturals gel. This product is the closest to having all natural ingredients that I have found in gel form. For my upcoming half ironman, I already have some great recipe ideas for how to fuel while on the bike portion of the race. So, many of you probably want to know what I eat during the day to fuel all of my workouts. Here is a typical day for me in terms of food consumption: 7: 3. Handful of cashews or almonds (or whatever nut I have at my desk that day)1. Spinach and arugula salad with chicken (or turkey, beef, fish, etc.) carrots and snap peas plus an apple or Lara. Bar. 3: 3. 0pm/4pm: Snap peas and an Epic Bar (or whatever protein I have- I use this as my pre workout snack)7: 3. Some sort of protein (usually chicken, beef or fish) with a vegetable or two, along with beets or sweet potatoes. Now, is this what I eat everyday? No- but it’s pretty close. One thing I have found that works great for me is consistency. I tend to eat a lot of the same foods because I know how my body handles them and I have preferences for certain foods (like sweet pots!). Again, everyone is different and you may have to experiment with the amount of carbs, protein and fat you eat while training. A more in- depth post to come at a later time on low carbohydrate diets while training and racing. I hope this info is helpful and insightful. Be on the lookout for my nutritional information during my half ironman training. I’ll be racing the Muncie Half Ironman on July 1. In the meantime folks. Is the Paleo Diet Good for Runners? The diet is praised for its benefits, but how helpful is it for endurance athletes? Pre- race pasta feeds—with piles of pale noodles and white bread in quantities that would be frowned upon elsewhere—have been customary for long- distance runners since the 1. While the carb- laden diet endures, the growing popularity of the Paleo Diet has caused many runners to wonder if they might benefit from going primal. Some Paleo principles overlap with those taught by sports nutritionists for years, but the controversy over carbohydrates has created some confusion among runners. Paleo Basics. The Paleo Diet is based on what advocates have identified as the diet of our hunter- gatherer ancestors who existed before the Neolithic agricultural revolution. The majority of the diet comprises grass- produced meats, fish, fruits and veggies, eggs, nuts and seeds. Grains, legumes, dairy, refined sugar and salt are off limits. Put simply, going Paleo is all about taking in plenty of protein and healthy fats, with fewer carbohydrates, which are derived from fruits and vegetables. Primal converts among the general population report a long list of benefits from the diet, including weight loss, fewer spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels, improved appetite control and a decrease in cardiovascular risk factors among Type 2 diabetics. Loren Cordain, author of The Paleo Diet, says it’s all about packing in as many nutrient- rich foods as possible.“Whole grains are much less nutritionally dense in the 1. U. S. First, thanks to lean meats and fish, it is high in branched- chain amino acids, which aids in muscle repair. As a result of the high amount of fruits and vegetables, the caveman approach is said to help prevent muscle loss as well. What’s more, these fruits, veggies and lean meats offer important sources of antioxidant vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals, making for a healthier immune system and fewer colds and illnesses. RELATED: 2 Protein- Rich Nutrition Bars to Try. Many Paleo converts also point to the diet’s ability to train your body to learn to burn fat more efficiently. Since your main energy sources are fat and carbohydrates, the former being in great supply and the latter being limited, intuitively it makes sense to increase a long distance runner’s reliance on fats before accessing the small amount of carbs stored in the muscles as glycogen. With that said, the latest research that looked at the effect of “training low,” that is training with low glycogen stores as a result of limited carb intake, didn’t bear out any benefit when it came to athletic performance. The author of the scientific review, Louise Burke of the Australian Institute of Sports, writes, “Despite increasing the muscle adaptive response and reducing the reliance on carbohydrate utilization during exercise, there is no clear evidence that these strategies enhance exercise performance.”Carb Controversy. The main question is: How many carbohydrates should be included in our diets? What works for the average joe won’t work for a distance runner. This is why sports nutritionists have long been recommending that a runner’s diet incorporates 6. When you eat carbohydrates, they break down into several sugars, one of which is glucose, which is then stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles and provides critical fuel for muscles. High stores of glycogen have been shown to increase an athlete’s time before exhaustion and improve performance. While your body burns both fat and carbohydrates up to a certain intensity level, it eventually relies almost exclusively on glycogen.“The research shows if you put people on low- carb diets for an extended period of time, they can exercise at about 5. VO2 max, so they could finish a marathon, but there’s no way you could sustain 7. VO2 max,” says Dr. Michael Joyner, a physician- researcher and leading expert on physical performance and exercise physiology. Nancy Clark, a registered dietitian and sports nutritionist in the Boston area, as well as the author of Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook, says that while the Paleo approach is good because it gets people eating more natural and less processed foods, a runner loses important sources of nutrients when they cut out grains and dairy.“Some people think carbo- loading means stuffing themselves with pasta, but to me it means eating mostly quality whole grains, veggies and fruits to load your muscles,” she says. A refinement of Cordain’s original Paleo Diet, this regimen allows for the consumption of carbohydrates and simple sugars immediately before, during and after exercise that exceeds an hour. In particular, they suggest bananas, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes and yams as good sources. This also means that a runner following a modified Paleo Diet may have to consume some of the so- called “non- optimal” foods that are glucose- rich, such as sports drinks, gels, bagels, pasta, bread and rice, but the total carb intake is still less than the long- recommended 6. I think a very healthy diet is close to Paleo,” Glassman explains. For those who are subsisting off of highly processed grains and piles of refined sugars, the structure that going primal provides may have some benefits, as long as they include enough carbohydrates. The amount of carbohydrates you need comes down to the type of running you’re doing. Put simply, pace and distance matter. The faster the pace and the longer the distance, the more your body relies on those glycogen stores. For most, anything but short, slow runs are going to require a bit more carbs in the tank. Perhaps the most important point is that there is no such thing as a one- size- fits- all diet. Lactose intolerance, gluten allergies and other factors, such as training load, workout intensity, metabolic needs and personal ethical concerns surrounding vegan and vegetarian lifestyles, all dictate what you should be putting on your plate. In weighing the benefits and drawbacks, it seems many runners will find themselves as neither a primal convert, nor a processed- carb hound.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
November 2017
Categories |