Why So Much Carbs?
Carbohydrates are stored in the muscles as glycogen. Glycogen is what keeps runners running. When your glycogen runs out, you hit the wall. Not good. (This often occurs after about 90min - 2hrs of running.) Some runners trying to lose weight by going on the Atkins diet will find it poor sustenance for keeping to their running programs and will find themselves sluggish from insufficient energy stores provided by low-carb diets.
Of course, carb consumption is not only about quantity, it is also about quality. In this sense, complex carbs trumps simple carbs. Which is which? Easy peasy:
Complex carbs (good!) are generally foods which are high in fibre: wholegrain cereals, pastas, breads and vegetables. They take time breaking down and are absorbed slowly into your system, thereby giving you a steady supply of energy.
Simple carbs (bad!) are essentially sugars; the processed sugars, the refined sugars- typically found in candy, soda, cakes, doughnuts, etc. A good rule-of-thumb would be to avoid anything that might be labeled as 'junk food' - there's a reason why they're called 'junk' after all! I know they make you feel good, but there's a reason for that too: simple carbs are quickly absorbed into the system and provide you with short-term energy boost, i.e. the bouncing-off-the-walls sugar high. Unfortunately, simple carbs also wear off quickly and leave you with the "sugar crash", complete with reduced performance and energy.
The occassional indulgence is permissable - in moderation. Otherwise, cravings might get the better of you and you may start bingeing (very bad). However, try to satiate that sweet-tooth with some healthier snacks like raisins, nuts, fruit or a cereal / sports bar instead.
Fat? For this Lean Mean Running Machine??
Fat, much as it is a bad word in most of our vocabularies, is an essential part of our dietary requirements. Amongst the things that fat does for our bodies is that it provides back-up energy when our blood sugar supply runs out, protects and provides support for our organs and bones, helps transport nutrients and metabolises across cell membranes and that our body uses fat to make a variety of other building blocks needed for everything from hormones to immune functions. Also, fat makes our food taste better. Yums.
Some of the effects of fat deficiency in our diets are dry, scaly skin & nails, hair loss, cold intolerance, susceptibility to bruising, poor growth, low resistance to infection and poor wound healing. Yeeech. Sounds like a terrible mess to me.
So, fat is necessary, but still in appropriate quantities. And as with carbs, you have your good fats and your bad fats:
Unsaturated fats, especially monounsaturated fats, are good for you! Oils expressed from olive, avocado, peanut, sesame, corn, safflower, sunflower and canola oil are some examples of monounsaturated oils. However, margarine is an example of a monounsaturated fat that isn't good for you because it is a hydrogenated oil (aka trans fat - very, very bad!). Polyunsaturated fats are good for you too and can be found primarily in oily fish and nuts.
Saturated fats are mostly found in animal products, especially red meat and dairy. Typically, saturated fats exist as solids or semi-solids at room temperature. There are schools of thought that say saturated fats contribute heavily to heart diseases, and then there are others that say it is the safest kind of fat because of all the fats, saturated fats occur in the most natural form. However, it is generally a healthier practise to trim excess fat off your meat for food. Whatever the type of fat - saturated or unsaturated - it is best practise to keep consumption to the recommended amounts.
Trans fat, hydrogenated oils and partially-hydrogenated oils, however, are the ones you want to avoid at all costs, not only because they do nothing for your running training but also because they are bad for health in general! Examples of these fats are margarine, vegetable shortening and Crisco which are generally found in a lot of processed foods as well as commercial fried foods, including cookies, crisps, doughnuts, fries and even breakfast cereals! So reading nutrition labels & ingredients lists before you pop it into your shopping basket is a good rule to follow.
What? 15% Proteins?! Does That Mean No More Meat for Me??
Protein is used for the building, repairing and re-building of muscles during training. Adequate protein intake accelerates muscle growth and speeds recovery by helping rebuild muscle fibres stressed during a run. Therefore, consuming sufficient protein is essential to a runner's training diet. A diet that includes good-quality, low-fat protein - found in lean meat and fish - will ensure that your muscles remain in top condition.
Endurance athletes are encouraged to consume anywhere between 1.0 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight per day (bearing in mind this should still constitute 15% your daily calorie intake as well). A high protein intake has been linked with kidney problems and calcium loss, but as long as the "overdosing" occurs within reason, this should not be a problem for healthy athletes.
Top Foods for Runners
- Whole-grain pasta & bread
- Bananas
- Oatmeal porridge (unprocessed oats) & other non-sugar-coated breakfast cereals (eg. muesli and wheat biscuits)
- Eggs
- Rice, wholegrain or brown
- Lean meat & fish (salmon)
- Fresh fruit & vegetables (especially beans, sweet potatoes, carrots, Quinoa)
- Cereal bars & glucose drinks - for refueling-on-training
- Water. Lots and lots of water. Not strictly a food but absolutely essential.
So, in a nutshell:
- lots of whole-grained, complex carbs
- make sure your fats are largely unsaturated fats
- lean meat or sufficient vegetable proteins
- the less processed your food, the better for you
- avoid simple carbs & trans-fat
- drink lots of water!
Okay, before I get hounded about the carbs, it's not strictly as simple as zero-simple-carbs-forever. Some runners consume candy bars in the middle of their training or race specifically for the purpose of getting that boost of quick energy... but that will be an extended discussion on carbs for another day.
In the meanwhile... happy eating for running!
