FitSugar

You Asked: What Should I Eat Before Running a Marathon?

FitSugar — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 03:00:00 -0700

You asked: "I am running my first half marathon in little over a week and I was curious to know your suggestion about what the appropriate dinner the night before would be and also what if any type of breakfast I should have before the race."

Thanks for the question. For the answer I looked to my friends over at CoolRunning.com, the authority on running marathons. To see what they recommend eating, read more

Week before: This is carbo-loading time. It is an important period to stock your energy reserves to their max, but don't make too much of the process. Some elite runners, for example, will race hard about seven days before the target race day to deplete their glucogen stores, then train normally for three or four days, eating mostly fats and protein to keep glycogen low. Then in the last few days before the race, they pack as many carbohydrates into their system as they possibly can. The theory is that their muscles are so starved for glycogen that they will soak up even more carbos than they normally would, giving them extra energy for the race. We do not recommend this for the mainstream runner -- certainly not without the oversight of a dietitian. Too often, this approach can backfire and leave you out of gas midway through the race.

Instead, follow your normal balanced diet and kick in some extra carbohydates in the week before a race. Fruit juices and sports drinks are good carbo supplements if you're having trouble eating all that pasta. Try not to miss meals, but also try to avoid overeating. Balance and consistency are particularly important as the big run approaches. For the same reason, this is not a time to sample new cuisines or even a new sports drink. Eat foods that you know agree with you.

Two days before: About two days before a race, particularly longer runs, start loading up on fluids. Sports drinks can kill two birds with one stone by letting you get carbos at the same time. Try to stay away from alcohol, however, since it not only dehydrates you but also interferes with proper storage of glycogen and undercuts your carbo-loading.

In the last 48 hours, avoid high-fiber foods like beans, bran cereals, lettuce and broccoli to avoid an upset stomach or other gastrointestinal discomfort during your run. Avoid hard-to-digest foods like peanut butter, fried food and the like. If possible, cut back on dairy products, too. Some runners have a slight lactose intolerance; while they may not even be aware of the condition on a day-to-day basis, the strenuous effort (and constant sloshing) of a race can cause their bodies to rebel against the lactose in the milk, causing gas and bloating.

Day before: By the end of the day before the run, your high-carbo diet should have worked its magic and topped off your glycogen stores. You should snack moderately and frequently on familiar, mild foods. Drink water and juice constantly. For your final meal that night, eat moderately and go for food that contains -- you guessed it -- lots of carbohydrates and only a little fat. Skip the beer or wine and get to bed early.

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Don't Let Traveling Get You in a Bind

FitSugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:30:31 -0800

The stress of traveling and being away from home can really mess with your bathroom schedule. Changing times zones, eating foods you're not used to, and skipping out on exercise doesn't help either. To prevent tummy issues, here are some tips on how to stay regular when traveling.

Drink water whenever you can as your choice of beverage. Not only will it keep you hydrated, but it'll also keep things moving.
When traveling, bring your own snacks that are high in fiber. Nibble on carrot sticks, apples (with the peel), trail mix with dried fruit and nuts, granola bars, and high fiber cereal. Having healthy snacks on hand will prevent you from eating processed foods that can tie the digestive system in knots.

For more helpful tips keep reading.

The Healthy Runner's Diet

FitSugar — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:00:00 -0700

We all strive to eat healthy, but if you're a runner or you do other intense exercise regularly, it's important to make sure you're obtaining enough energy and consuming enough calories so that you can increase your endurance and build muscle. I'm not talking about downing energy bars and protein drinks. I'm talking about real nutrition so here are some tips for a healthy diet from Runner's World.

Eat seeds or foods made from seeds. This includes whole grains, seeds, beans, and nuts. Since they contain the crucial mix of nutrients to grow a new plant, they are packed with protein, essential healthy fats, and antioxidants. These foods will help maintain a healthy body weight and normal levels of cholesterol. Plus, they'll give you energy to work out.
Eat five different colored fruits and vegetables daily. Produce is packed with vitamins and minerals, but fruits and veggies also contain carbs to fuel your runs. These fresh foods are perfect for athletes because they're low in calories and fat, but the fiber in them fills you up. That means you need to eat less throughout your day, which enables you to maintain your body weight. Choose a variety of produce that's rich in color.

For more great eating tips read more.

Eat plant foods with their skins intact. The skin may not be the tastiest part of fruits, veggies, and beans, but it offers most of the fiber and nutrients. These foods contain skins to protect them from UV light and parasites, and they're full of phytochemicals, which are beneficial to your overall health, including proper digestion. People who eat fiber-rich diets tend to have a lower percentage of body fat and smaller waste lines, so put away that peeler.
Drink milk and eat milk products. Cow's milk is beneficial, but don't overlook milk and milk products from other animals such as goats and water buffalo. They're also rich sources of protein, calcium, and other nutrients so include a variety of low-fat yogurt, cheese, and beverages in your diet.
Eat foods that come from cold water. Fish and seafood are a wonderful source of the healthy fats known as omega-3s. They're also a low-fat protein source, and rich in the minerals zinc, copper, and chromium, which are often low in a runner's diet.
Eat meat, poultry, or eggs from free-range or grass-fed animals. In order to be a healthy runner, eating meat and eggs isn't essential, but if you do choose to eat these foods, select products that are labeled free range or grass fed. Not only are these animals treated more humanely, but they're fed more nutritious food, so the foods made from them are healthier for you. Look for products that are also labeled as "hormone free," "antibiotic free," and "organic."

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Best Foods For Runners

FitSugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 05:30:00 -0700

You guys picked running as one of your favorite sports, and while it's great, it can also drain your energy if you're not eating properly. If you're a runner, be sure to fuel up using Health's picks for the top foods for runners, rounded up in this slideshow.

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Healthy Dose Link Time

FitSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:00:15 -0800

Biggest Loser Ali Vincent's memoir will motivate and entertain - That's Fit
Start your day with a quick and healthy breakfast - Shape
Chocolate pumped up with antioxidants to fight acne? - Vital Juice
Kristen Stewart joins the fight against diabetes - FitCeleb
Plus-sized dance clubs: cool or not? - Vitamin G
Countdown to the Olympics: 95 until the opening ceremonies - Fresh Fitness Tips
Run in the woods to change the meaning of "happy trails" - Fit Bottomed Girls
Skip these fast-food sammies when traveling for T-day - Daily Spark

How Pink Can My Pork Be?

FitSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:24:04 -0800

Last night my hubby cooked a pork loin roast - I love when he cooks me dinner. The recipe said to cook the meat until the internal temperature registers 140 to 145°F, and while the meat rests the temperature will rise another five to 10 degrees. He did this, and the pork was pink running with pink juices. We were both alarmed that it seemed quite underdone, but it seems that attitudes about pork have changed.

The Center For Disease Control still recommends cooking pork to at least 170°F and until the juices run clear to avoid trichinosis, a parasitic infection caused by undercooked meat. This conflicts with the USDA recommendation of cooking pork to 160°F. While trichinosis was once common, only an average of 12 cases are reported annually, which is considerably smaller than the 40,000 cases of salmonella reported every year to the CDC. Trichinosis has declined since feeding raw meat to hogs was outlawed; the trichina worms that cause the food-borne illness make their home in raw meat and if ingested through undercooked meat they can make their home in your gut. With the significant decrease in infection, pork should at least be cooked to a temperature that will kill E. coli, which is 160°F. Along with being safer, pork meat is now leaner, so it dries out when cooked at higher temps. Some chefs say 145°F is high enough for cuts of pork. What about you? How do you cook your pork?

Try a "Tropical" Yam For Your Pre-Workout Snack

FitSugar — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:00:17 -0700

It could be the orange color just makes me happy, but yams are one of my favorite foods. They're one of Autumn's tasty delights.

This tuber is packed with potassium and magnesium - two important minerals you lose through sweating. Aside from replenishing electrolytes, yams are easy to digest making them a perfect pre-workout snack. High in complex carbs, yams fuel you up as well as prep you for a sweaty workout or a long run. Poke a small yam with a fork a couple of times, microwave it until soft, slice it open, and voila you have a snack. They're great post-workout too. Do you love yams? Have a recipe that features them? Please post it in the Healthy Recipe group and I will be sure to try it.

What I buy at my grocery store is labeled a yam - a jewel yam, garnet yam, or a tropical yam. It is in fact, biologically speaking a moist fleshed sweet potato. I was raised in the States and unfortunately, and incorrectly, here we refer to them as yams. I will watch my yam and my sweet potatoes from now on.

Flickr User Muffet

When You're a Pro, What Does Time Off Mean?

FitSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:00:49 -0700

Runner Kara Goucher made her marathon debut a year ago in the Big Apple, but she's skipping the New York Marathon this year. At the Nike Running Summit, she explained she wasn't planning on racing again until Boston because she's doing some planning of a different nature - family planning.

When you're an elite runner, skipping an event doesn't go unnoticed, making it difficult to keep it a secret that you're trying to get pregnant. Kara explained to me in a short but sweet interview that she's "taking a few months off to see what happens in her personal life."

But what does "time off" mean after running 120 miles a week? For Kara it means only running 30 miles a week, a number I would love to have as my hard-core weekly mileage. Although she does admit to getting a little softer now that she's only running a quarter of what she's used to, Kara's relationship with food hasn't changed, since she has always been "a healthy eater." Body fat is an issue for runners, but her attitude is pretty simple: "It is just weight and it will come off." Which is great since this runner, a proclaimed "queen of the 30-minute meal," is spending her newly found free time cooking, mostly Italian, and making sauces from scratch.

To see how Kara answered when I asked her if she could be an elite athlete in another sport, what would it be, just read more.

She admitted that this was a tough question, but that she has always leaned toward tennis. Kara finds the combination of individual strength and one-on-one competition quite compelling. Then there's the fashion side of things: "They wear cool outfits."

Kara's long-term goal: racing in the London Olympics in 2012 and bringing home the gold. Go Kara!

Alanis Morissette Marathoning For Eating Disorders

FitSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:00:00 -0700

Many celebs have laced up their sneaks and finished marathons, including Will Ferrell, Mario Lopez, Oprah, David Lee Roth, and Katie Holmes. Now you can add Alanis Morissette to that list. She's planning on running this Sunday, Oct. 11, in the Bizz Johnson Trail Marathon, in Lassen National Forest in northern California.

Alanis is running to raise money for the National Eating Disorders Association, since she knows firsthand what it feels like to struggle with anorexia and bulimia. Alanis began running about a year ago after seeing her assistant Leah running "like a gazelle" while on tour. This singer-songwriter feels that running this marathon is allowing her to use her body as an instrument and raise awareness about an important and personal issue. She knew she couldn't get through the many hours of grueling training unless there was a higher purpose and explains, "I wanted to offer this run to anyone who has had a fraught relationship with their food, their body and their heart and soul."

To find out if training triggered unhealthy eating disorder behaviors, read more.

Alanis said that marathon training did trigger some eating disorder type behaviors, but she knew there was no way she could undereat and maintain the high level of energy needed in order to run. So training for this marathon actually helped her find balance in how she fueled herself. This amazing singer was also aware of not exercising obsessively. She has an order of priorities now: Sleep first. Food second. Run third. Alanis said, "I don't have the first two nailed, I can't run. So it incentivized me to nurture the first two. When I run healthfully I feel empowered and kind. When I run obsessively I feel nervous, stressed out and disassociated."

Have any of you ever walked, biked, or run for a cause? Tell me about it in the comment section below.

Handling a Loved One's Breast Cancer

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:00:30 -0700

When someone in your life tells you that they have been diagnosed with breast cancer, it's difficult to know how to respond or the best way to help. Glamour and Bright Pink, a nonprofit support group for women with breast and ovarian cancer, offered these helpful tips on how to make the conversation easier:

Don't try to guess what she wants - ask how can you help. Some women may want a special girls' night in, while others may need a friend to go with her to doctor's appointments.
Don't burden her with your sadness. She's carrying the weight of her own fear and grief, try not to give her yours as well - she needs all the strength you can offer.

There are more tips, so keep reading.