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Whether you’re running to lose weight, train for a marathon or simply because you love it, the food you eat can play a crucial part in your training. It’s massively important to make sure you’re getting the right nutrients and enough of them. Failing to do would leave you open to a number of issues such as not performing at your best or possibly even injury. Remember the golden rule. It is 70% what you eat and 30% how you train. So without further ado here are nine types of food that runners should eat.
Before a run
Getting calories in before a run can mean the difference between a great paced training session and a snail-paced nightmare. It’s not just important to think about what you will eat right before a race either. Food preparation for big runs should be done hours (and sometimes days) in advance.
1. Oats
Oats tend to act as the superhero of the cereal world, and there’s a good reason for this. Cereals like oatmeal and porridge are super high in complex carbohydrates. They’re also high in vitamin B as well as minerals and antioxidants. Antioxidants are specifically great for runners because they’ve been proven to increase our athletic performance by improving our aerobic capacity. If that wasn’t enough, oats have been proven to suppress appetite.
It’s as if a runner walked into a shop one day and said, “I need something that gives me plenty of slow-releasing energy, is good for me and can stop me feeling hungry late. Oh, and some good cholesterol wouldn’t go amiss.” I bet you my bottom dollar the shopkeeper would have handed this fictional character a bowl of oats.
Another great thing about oats is that they’re so versatile. Mixing oats with milk can also dramatically up your protein intake and, what’s more, oats often come available as cereal bars helping to give you an energy boost throughout the day.
Did you know, if you leave oats with a generous amount of milk in the fridge overnight, you can enjoy them as a creamy chilled cereal the next day? Perfect if you’re always on the go!
2. Whole Grain Pasta
This one is a personal favourite and can be found on my dinner plate every night before a specifically big race. Pasta is made from grain which can act as a cornerstone to any great diet. The slow-releasing carbohydrate works excellently as a supplement to most dishes.
Whilst pasta can be great, it’s important to make sure that you’re eating it for the right reasons. Nobody. I repeat. Nobody should get into running simply because it means you can shovel carbs down. Carb loading has to be done correctly.
For anyone who may not know, carb loading is the process of filling up your glycogen stores so that they aren’t depleted during demanding exercises (such as running).
Essentially, you’re making sure that you’re going to have enough energy to keep you going throughout your entire race. The problem is that carbs taste so damn good. So sometimes this might mean over-indulging!
Carb loading is most effective when it is strategically done in advance. In many cases, the sooner, the better. It should also be done in specific quantities. Your caloric intake shouldn’t change. The number of carbs that you eat should. Rather than trying to eat a plate of pasta the size of your head the night before a race, consider eating rice in smaller portions approximately six days before you venture on any big run.
3. Coffee
This one is for the morning runners. Coffee is fantastic for driving you out of bed on those days when you feel particularly sluggish.
Several studies state that caffeine could make a difference, specifically for endurance athletes. What’s more, it’s been found that coffee can be strategically used to enhance a specific events’ performance. This involves abstaining from drinking coffee and other drinks with high caffeine content for no less than seven days and then consuming a cup directly before the event.
Coffee is also specifically magical for runners who are trying to lose weight. We know that black coffee itself is low in calories. But there is actually research suggesting that coffee can decrease appetite! What’s more, some studies suggest that coffee could increase your metabolism and increase the amount of calories and fat you burn. Not bad if you want to shed a few extra pounds.
Whilst coffee can be great for getting you fired up as well as dropping weight, it’s important not to get too carried away with it. Some studies show that drinking coffee in excess can add to existing health problems like high blood pressure and sleep problems.
4. During a run
There’s a good chance you’re wondering why the hell anyone would consider eating food during a run. Imagine the nightmare of trying to get a sandwich down when you’re approaching your final lap of a 10K. It might sound like a cry for help, but it makes sense if you really think about it.
The first thing to remember is that there is no need to fuel up during your run if you’re run is under one hour. If you do feel hungry in this time frame, push it to the back of your mind and worry about it later.
As you approach and go beyond the one hour mark, it’s important to remember to keep your glycogen stores (energy made from carbs) as high as possible, so you don’t become fatigued and unable to continue. A great rule of thumb is to aim for foods that have a high carbohydrate content (somewhere between 30g – 60g). Don’t wait to become hungry, have a clear time frame in your mind of when you think it will be best to consume those extra carbs.
5. Bananas
I guarantee that if you spend time enough time in any fitness industry, you will see bananas pop up again and again. Packed with nutrition, bananas are filled with easy-to-digest carbohydrates that are perfect for giving you that extra energy boost.
You may also have heard that bananas are a great source of potassium. This is really great for runners because potassium is known to play an essential role in muscle function. In fact, some potassium deficiency could even lead to cramping.
It may surprise you, but bananas could also help aid in weight loss. Whilst these foods are packed with energy and goodness, they also come with relatively few calories. A single medium-sized banana is likely to only hold 100 calories. On average, you could burn that off by running a mile!
Whilst we have only included bananas as a food to enjoy during your training. It could also benefit you before! A study that examined cyclists found that consuming banana peel before and during strenuous and prolonged exercise was a useful strategy. Safe to say, this fruit carries an excellent reputation.
6. Sports Drinks
Ok, this is more of a category than a specific food. But sports drinks as a whole should be a part of any distance runner’s food strategy. However, whilst the drinks are great, it’s important to remember that sipping water should always come first. That being said, they still make a fantastic supplement.
The three primary purposes of sports drinks are to supply an extra source of easily-digestible carbs to your body, replace sweat losses and reduce problems associated with dehydration.
Most research suggests that drinking sports drinks during intermittent and prolonged exercise can often improve performance.
Once again, we have the high carb count in sports drinks to explain their ability to give us energy, but what about their ability to stop us from sweating and help with dehydration?
Sports drinks are said to be high in electrolytes. Electrolytes are minerals that can conduct electricity when dissolved in water. They are specifically beneficial to runners because they aid in replacing any loss of water. Examples of electrolytes include calcium, magnesium and (hail to bananas) potassium.
An important thing to remember about sports drinks is that they’re designed to help us whilst we are moving. It probably isn’t a great idea to consume them whilst we’re sitting still!
7. Energy Bars
A great substitute if sports drinks aren’t your thing. Maybe you’d like to consume them together. Or perhaps you prefer to have something solid in your stomach to accompany your water rather than even more fluids!
There are hundreds of great options out there when it comes to picking an energy bar for your mid-run boost, and the most important thing is making sure that the one you choose works for you.
That being said, Runners World recommend you look for two key ingredients when it comes to choosing time.
Maltodextrin- This is a tasteless, man-made carbohydrate that can be quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. Perfect if you’re someone who has trouble with food settling.
Honey- Picking an energy bar that’s honey-based is an excellent option because of the high glucose and fructose content. Not to mention the fact that the slow-releasing energy inside honey will keep you going steadily for a long period of time!
8. After a run
It’s time to recover! But I get it. Getting the right nutrition in at the end of a big run is probably the last thing on your mind. You probably fancy a celebratory meal like a burger and a beer. Maybe you don’t feel hungry in the slightest and simply want to nap.
Although it might interfere with your plans, getting the right fuel in your body is crucial after a big run. Some of the most common mistakes people make when it comes to post-run-eating involve not hydrating enough, reaching for the foods we crave like sugary snacks, and merely waiting too long till we decide to eat again.
Studies suggest that muscles tend to be most responsive to building up their glycogen stores immediately after a workout. Once again, this means getting in plenty of carbs and getting some substantial protein – without overdoing it.
9. Eggs
Eggs are a fantastic source of protein and take a minimal amount of effort to be made. As I said above, eating the right amount of protein after a run is crucial if you want to make a great recovery.
Studies suggest that you should be aiming to consume between 0.11 – 0.18 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. This means that if you weigh around 125 pounds, you should be looking at eating around 13.75 grams of protein. To put that into perspective, a single egg usually holds about six grams of protein.
Although eggs may have been given a bad wrap in the past, studies can show that they are actually great at producing good cholesterol. What’s more, eggs are largely recognised as being a great source of vitamins! These are typically Vitamin B6, B12, B1 and B2.
Potato
Once again, potatoes can be prepared with minimal effort, not bad if you’re somebody who likes to rest after a long run. Potatoes can also act as an option that offers you the right amount of carbs.
Although you may be able to get a fair amount of carbs from foods high in glucose like sugary snacks, it may be better to go with more nutrient-dense foods like potatoes. Let’s face it, if you followed any of the advice posted here, you got your fair share of glucose during the mid-run phase. At this point, it’s best to wind things down, pick some slow-releasing carbs and be kind to your teeth.
Potatoes are also usually quite filling. So if you’re someone who gets ridiculously hungry following a workout, these would be a great choice. Besides these benefits for runners, potatoes are a great natural food that’s inexpensive, gluten-free and can be useful for aiding digestion.
Bagels
Now hear me out. Again, bagels can be made as a post-workout snack with minimum effort. They’re a starchy food with a large number of carbs, and they can also be combined with a large variety of sources of protein in order to tick all your post-workout meal boxes.
A typical example of a quick post-workout bagel could be a toasted bagel with a few tablespoons of peanut butter spread across the top. If peanut butter isn’t your thing, you could try an abundance of other proteins such as smoked salmon, low-fat cheese or even greek yoghurt!
There are even options available out there for people wanting to consume bagels that already contain a significant amount of protein. These usually contain a large number of natural proteins such as sunflower and sesame seeds.
Conclusion
When all is said and done the key to eating the right foods before, during and after exercise comes with finding the foods that work best for you. As long as you follow the basic principles and remember some of the advantages that come with incorporating the foods listed above into your diet, you should have no problem enjoying the benefits of great nutrition in a runners diet.
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