The optimal diet

Welcome to the sixth session of our programme. This time, the focus is our diet. We’ll find out how long we should wait after eating before lacing up our running shoes, which foods are ideal, and how much and when we should drink.

Session 5 recap

In the previous session, we learnt that stretching after exercise is important to help the muscles relax. We’ve also introduced helpful stretching exercises and explained why we shouldn’t stretch cold muscles.

Eating before training

Training on a full stomach is not a good idea, but it’s also not good to workout on an empty stomach. So what now? As a rule of thumb, your last proper meal should be about 2-3 hours before you run. If you’re running in the evening, be sure to eat enough during the day so you’ve got enough energy to carry you through.

Which foods give us energy?

Foods that are high in energy and easy to digest are recommended before training.

We suggest the following:

complex carbohydrates (breads, rice, pasta)

small amounts of protein and fat

Avoid too much dietary fibre and eat foods that won’t sit in your stomach for long.

Tender vegetables, rice and fish (trout) stay in the tummy for about 2 hours. Potatoes, eggs, beef, chicken, sturdier vegetables and brown bread for about 3 hours.

Foods such as sausage, nuts and legumes (like peas and beans) tend to sit in the stomach for 4 hours or more. These are not recommended before running.

Training on a full stomach is not fun.

Experiment to see what works and what doesn’t for your body. Not everyone can tolerate carbohydrates before training; some prefer salad, cottage cheese or omelettes. Make sure to leave enough time between eating and running.

If you get hungry 30 mins before your run, have a banana, some dried apricots, a handful of blueberries or a muesli bar.

What about fasted running?

The alarm goes off and on go your running shoes – is this a good idea? Opinions differ, but experts believe that we do have a particularly high fat-burning rate during a fasted run.

Keep in mind:

Your running distance shouldn’t be long and the run shouldn’t be too intense either.

Aim for a maximum of 75% of your individual maximum heart rate, which can be roughly calculated as follows:

Men: 220 – age

Women: 226 – age

In the morning, be sure to warm up gently since the muscles are still cold, making them more prone to injury. It’s also important to hydrate!

Hypoglycaemia: When hunger pangs kick in

On running days, eat small snacks like fruit, raw vegetables and nuts throughout the day in addition to main meals. This is a great way to keep your blood sugar level steady.

In order to avoid the dreaded ‘hunger pangs’ on long runs, carbohydrate stores should be loaded before long periods of exertion (keep reading for more details). Also: Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.

Hunger pangs describe the moment when the body has used up its carbohydrate stores and must switch to burning fat, placing a much greater strain on the body.

You’ll notice hunger pangs through tightening muscles, fatigue, sometimes nausea and pain – things that marathon runners are more than familiar with. Prevent hunger pangs with enough endurance training and by increasing your carbohydrate intake in the days before a long run.

Energy boosters

When running, make sure to drink regularly. Especially when running for 60 mins or more, besides water, consider grabbing a sports drink that contains carbohydrates. For long runs, it’s recommended to consume 25 g of energy gel with about 200 ml of fluid every 30 mins.

Stop or walk slowly while drinking. For those more experienced, it’ll become easier to drink while running.

If you get hungry, grab half a banana or an energy bar. Not everyone can tolerate energy gels, so try them out before you head out on a longer run. Before reaching the finish line, a dextrose tablet can also provide an energy boost.

Drinking while running

Before exercising, make sure to drink enough. If you plan on running in the evening, it’s best to stay hydrated throughout the day. FIzzy drinks or anything overly sweet are not recommended. When we run, we sweat and lose fluid. If you’re dehydrated, don’t lace up your running shoes just yet – 30 mins before training, drink 200-400 ml of water.

To stay on the right track, how much liquid is actually needed?  Well, it depends on the distance we’re running, the intensity, and the temperature, as well as how much we tend to sweat.

For runs of less than 45 mins, we can usually manage without a drink (unless it’s very hot), but for anything longer, it’s recommended to take something with us.

Rule of thumb:

Add about 50-100 ml of fluid every 30 mins or running. Equip yourself with a special running belt or jacket where you can keep water bottles.

Drinking post-run

Drinking is also important after training to compensate for fluid loss – 600-1200 ml should be enough. Liquids are also needed to supply the muscles with nutrients and oxygen.

Drink mineral water, or mix fruit juice and mineral water with a ratio of 1:2. Special sports drinks or electrolyte drinks also help replenish glycogen stores (used when the body needs energy).

Stay away from alcoholic drinks as they increase dehydration and also delay your body’s recovery.

Fun fact:

Many athletes swear by non-alcoholic wheat beer, which contains lots of carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins and is also isotonic – making it so the body can absorb it quickly.

Beer after training? Go for the non-alcoholic kind!

What and when should we eat?

When we run, we not only lose fluid, but also use up energy. Of course, the amount is greater during a long, intensive training session vs. a casual endurance run. Either way, it’s important to eat something after working out – even if we aren’t hungry.

Avoid fatty and sweet foods with empty calories and zero nutrients. In the first hour after training, the body needs healthy carbohydrates and proteins to replenish energy stores.

Good sources of carbohydrates are found in:

wholemeal pasta

brown rice

millet

quinoa

potatoes

oatmeal

Get your protein fix from:

eggs

cream cheese

legumes (lentils, chickpeas)

fish

nuts

Homemade snacks

Energy bars are ideal for runners – and they’re easy to make! For this variety, you’ll need:

125 g of chopped walnuts

150 g of pitted and chopped dates

150 g of dried cranberries

100 g of grated coconut

1. Place the nuts on a baking tray and brown them in the oven at 160°C.

2. Prepare a baking tin by greasing or lining with parchment paper and coat with baking spray.

3. Mix all the ingredients in a blender until they form a sticky mass.

4. Scoop into the baking tin and smooth out with a spatula.

5. Place in the fridge for 1 hour, then cut into bars.

Other great snacks:

Vegetable sticks with cottage cheese

Banana topped with a little peanut butter

Both are easy to prepare and provide a good energy boost!

So yummy!

Sports nutrition : 3 recipes

Smoothies are delicious and very healthy. Play around with different ingredients:

·       green vegetables (like spinach or kale)

·       bananas

·       oranges

·       berries

·       Greek yoghurt

·       chia seeds

·       coconut water

Experiment with proportions of the individual ingredients according to taste. Also consider adding a dash of ginger juice and some linseed oil to a green smoothie.

Avocado and chickpea salad:

·       1 cup chickpeas

·       150 g of feta

·       1 ripe avocado

·       1 yellow and 1 red pepper

·       a clove of garlic

·       lemon juice

·       salt + pepper

1. Drain the chickpeas and put them in a bowl.

2. Cut the cheese, peppers and avocado into pieces and add them to the chickpeas.

3. Add lemon juice, garlic, and season to taste.

Pasta – the runner’s food par excellence! Choose whole grain pasta for an extra healthy meal.

Make a delicious sauce with:

·       3 tbsp olive oil

·       2 finely chopped onions

·       1 can of peeled tomatoes

·       a clove of garlic, finely chopped

·       basil

·       salt + pepper

·       sugar

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan, adding the onions and sautéing until translucent.

2. Add the tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper and simmer over medium heat for at least 30 mins.

3. Add a pinch of sugar to cut the acidity of the sauce.

4. Add basil and other herbs to taste 5 mins before serving.

Challenge

Try out some of these recipes!

You’ve learnt a lot about nutrition for runners this week. Find a balance between foods that are healthy and provide the nutrients your body needs, as well as foods that you enjoy. Check out the app’s Recipe Ideas section for inspiration!