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How do I keep my training nutrition program from getting boring--these healthy foods all start to taste the same!
Sonia Perez, Weston FL
Last year I celebrated my 25th wedding anniversary and just like a long successful marriage, training nutrition for the long run needs to be spiced up! Never let your diet go stale or you’ll lose valuable time on the run—in racing, its the minutes and seconds that sets you apart from your competitors.
Here’s how you can step up your diet a notch to eliminate running nutrition boredom.
Stock Up
Make sure you keep the pantry filled to the brim with a variety nutritious food that’s easy to prepare and eat. While you’re training, you won’t always have the time to prepare home cooked delicious meals. Keep a dozen cans of organic beans and veggies, low fat vegetable soups, whole grain cereals, shelf stable nonfat milk, whole grain pastas, brown rice, dried fruit, soy nuts and whole almonds on hand. In the fridge, buy several bags of frozen veggies, some chicken breasts, veggie burgers, egg whites in containers, fresh fruits and fortified fruit juices and waters like Propel.
Rotating your foods on a daily or weekly basis is recommended for avoiding a food rut—Eating the same foods everyday may not be unhealthy, but can leave you stale. On race day, every nutrient counts—getting stale in your kitchen leaves you feeling bland at the races so mix it up.
One way to spice up your everyday chicken, pasta or morning meal is to add texture, color and tastes. If you’re not a professional chef, spicing your food can be daunting. A new product to hit the grocery shelves is Gourmet Garden spices in a tube. It’s one step, ready to use tube with your favorite and great for your running spices including phytonutrient and mineral-rich oregano, parsley, ginger, cilantro, basil, chili pepper, garlic and more. You can also take your grilled chicken breast, veggies and salad from last night's dinner and make a healthy tortilla wrap for work the next day. Roll a low fat tortilla, preferably whole-grain like Ezekial or Alvarado Street brands, with a mixture of crushed organic black beans and salsa. Spread the tortilla with fat-free cream cheese blended with cumin to taste; dress it up with a green leafy veggie or two; and toss in your sliced and diced chicken. Voila—lunch is on, with a nutritional twist. It’s amazing how many spices have the vital minerals you need—the electrolytes that keep your muscles and mind cranking during a race. Phytonutrients, healthy plant compounds also found in spices and sauces like salsa have antioxidant properties that help you with recovery.
If you have the time to venture out to the local health-food store, you’ll find a playground of nutritional fun. Check into the organic fruit blends, whole-grain cereals and crackers, bean and veggie soups, soy and other alternative protein rich foods like seitan, tempeh, and tofu and fresh-fruit smoothies. Take a real leap of faith and check out the lentil, quinoa, rice or potato pasta. Lentil pasta has nearly double the protein as wheat pasta while quinoa, rice and potato are wheat free, great for sensitive bellies prior to race day. While you're there, pick up a few natural chutneys and salsas to jazz up your favorite veggies and pasta.
What are the best drinks to consume for racing?
Amanda Larsen, Miami FL
So many drinks, so little time. To stay hydrated, you'll need to learn how to drink on a regular basis and mix it up with bottled waters, fortified low calorie waters, fortified juices like Tropicana and sport drinks with a variety of sugars and maltodextrins. Gatorade, Accelerade, GU and PowerBar amongst others all make suitable drinks for all distances for all tastes.
While a minimum of a liter of water may be enough to keep your training program afloat, you may even need more if you’re a real loser—living in a hot humid climate like Florida all year long. How much is enough? One way to determine your needs is to weigh yourself before and after training. Drink at least 16 ounces of water for each pound you lost and 1 ½ times that amount if you want to stay hydrated for the next day's workout.
Also practice drinking before your workouts with at least a few cups of fluid—ice tea, water, 16-20 ounces within a 2-hour period before you head out the door. During training get at least 5-10 ounces of fluid every 15 minutes (or about every two miles if you’re running). It's important to get used to the feeling of fluids in your belly so you don’t have the washing machine feeling and reflux issues come race day.
Becoming dehydrated could compromise everything you've worked so hard for so don’t even flirt with it. Signs of dehydration includes headaches, lightheadedness and nausea. If it's a really hot day, you can also risk suffering a heat injury that could be fatal.
How do I tweak my training nutrition program to help me run my best on race day?
Ricardo Uribe, Key Biscayne FL
In the final days before your race, you want to clean your GI track, relieving yourself of anything that may hinder your performance. Remember your training diet, the beautiful whole foods, grains, veggies and low fat dairy that you started buying and consuming that were wonderful for the long run. Well, now it’s time to get fueled without complication.
While you're tapering, try some of these tips on for size.
• Eliminate all lactose-based products like milk, frozen dairy desserts and yogurt.
• Reduce your fiber and bulk intake from large portions of beans, peas and salads. Instead eat smaller portions of 100-200 calorie servings of crackers, low-fiber cereals, pasta, rice and potatoes.
• Drink, drink, and drink. Make sure you're well hydrated in the days leading up to the race—well enough that minimally, your urine is as clear is weak lemonade.
• Eat your last evening meal before race day a minimum of two hours before bedtime. A small snack of 100 calories 45 minutes before bedtime is okay if the race jitters are getting the best of you and working up your appetite. Try a cup of chamomile tea and a graham cracker or two.
Down to the Wire on Race Day
• Go to the bathroom as much as possible before the start of the race to empty the system of any unnecessary baggage.
• Prepare for the unknown. Tuck away an Advil or Tylenol or two just in case of an ache or pain. You can put the tablets in the corner of a little plastic baggie and pin it into the little pocket in your shorts. You never know you could trip on uneven cement or slip at a water station. If you don't use them, you may be able to offer them to someone else who may be in need but didn't read this article.
• Most important, dress light, think light and be positive. With all the unknowns—weather challenges, menstrual cycle surprises, poor sleeps and last-minute family emergencies I've encountered before race day, a positive attitude and confidence in your racing diet can be the key to your success.
Sprinkle your diet and mental attitude with a touch of faith—when all is said and done, regardless of your personal, physical and life challenges, you'll be dressed with a finisher's medal for all your hard work.
Lisa Dorfman, MS, RD, CSSD, LMHC, The Running Nutritionist® is an accomplished author/athlete, Board Certified Specialist in Sports Nutrition, Sports Nutritionist for the University of Miami Athletic Department and an adjunct professor in the UM exercise science department. Lisa has competed in hundreds of running and multisport events including more than 34 marathons (PR 2:52:32).
http://www.runningnutritionist.com.
If you have any questions you would like to ask one of our experts please fill out this form...
How do I keep my training nutrition program from getting boring--these healthy foods all start to taste the same!
Sonia Perez, Weston FL
Last year I celebrated my 25th wedding anniversary and just like a long successful marriage, training nutrition for the long run needs to be spiced up! Never let your diet go stale or you’ll lose valuable time on the run—in racing, its the minutes and seconds that sets you apart from your competitors.
Here’s how you can step up your diet a notch to eliminate running nutrition boredom.
Stock Up
Make sure you keep the pantry filled to the brim with a variety nutritious food that’s easy to prepare and eat. While you’re training, you won’t always have the time to prepare home cooked delicious meals. Keep a dozen cans of organic beans and veggies, low fat vegetable soups, whole grain cereals, shelf stable nonfat milk, whole grain pastas, brown rice, dried fruit, soy nuts and whole almonds on hand. In the fridge, buy several bags of frozen veggies, some chicken breasts, veggie burgers, egg whites in containers, fresh fruits and fortified fruit juices and waters like Propel.
Rotating your foods on a daily or weekly basis is recommended for avoiding a food rut—Eating the same foods everyday may not be unhealthy, but can leave you stale. On race day, every nutrient counts—getting stale in your kitchen leaves you feeling bland at the races so mix it up.
One way to spice up your everyday chicken, pasta or morning meal is to add texture, color and tastes. If you’re not a professional chef, spicing your food can be daunting. A new product to hit the grocery shelves is Gourmet Garden spices in a tube. It’s one step, ready to use tube with your favorite and great for your running spices including phytonutrient and mineral-rich oregano, parsley, ginger, cilantro, basil, chili pepper, garlic and more. You can also take your grilled chicken breast, veggies and salad from last night's dinner and make a healthy tortilla wrap for work the next day. Roll a low fat tortilla, preferably whole-grain like Ezekial or Alvarado Street brands, with a mixture of crushed organic black beans and salsa. Spread the tortilla with fat-free cream cheese blended with cumin to taste; dress it up with a green leafy veggie or two; and toss in your sliced and diced chicken. Voila—lunch is on, with a nutritional twist. It’s amazing how many spices have the vital minerals you need—the electrolytes that keep your muscles and mind cranking during a race. Phytonutrients, healthy plant compounds also found in spices and sauces like salsa have antioxidant properties that help you with recovery.
If you have the time to venture out to the local health-food store, you’ll find a playground of nutritional fun. Check into the organic fruit blends, whole-grain cereals and crackers, bean and veggie soups, soy and other alternative protein rich foods like seitan, tempeh, and tofu and fresh-fruit smoothies. Take a real leap of faith and check out the lentil, quinoa, rice or potato pasta. Lentil pasta has nearly double the protein as wheat pasta while quinoa, rice and potato are wheat free, great for sensitive bellies prior to race day. While you're there, pick up a few natural chutneys and salsas to jazz up your favorite veggies and pasta.
What are the best drinks to consume for racing?
Amanda Larsen, Miami FL
So many drinks, so little time. To stay hydrated, you'll need to learn how to drink on a regular basis and mix it up with bottled waters, fortified low calorie waters, fortified juices like Tropicana and sport drinks with a variety of sugars and maltodextrins. Gatorade, Accelerade, GU and PowerBar amongst others all make suitable drinks for all distances for all tastes.
While a minimum of a liter of water may be enough to keep your training program afloat, you may even need more if you’re a real loser—living in a hot humid climate like Florida all year long. How much is enough? One way to determine your needs is to weigh yourself before and after training. Drink at least 16 ounces of water for each pound you lost and 1 ½ times that amount if you want to stay hydrated for the next day's workout.
Also practice drinking before your workouts with at least a few cups of fluid—ice tea, water, 16-20 ounces within a 2-hour period before you head out the door. During training get at least 5-10 ounces of fluid every 15 minutes (or about every two miles if you’re running). It's important to get used to the feeling of fluids in your belly so you don’t have the washing machine feeling and reflux issues come race day.
Becoming dehydrated could compromise everything you've worked so hard for so don’t even flirt with it. Signs of dehydration includes headaches, lightheadedness and nausea. If it's a really hot day, you can also risk suffering a heat injury that could be fatal.
How do I tweak my training nutrition program to help me run my best on race day?
Ricardo Uribe, Key Biscayne FL
In the final days before your race, you want to clean your GI track, relieving yourself of anything that may hinder your performance. Remember your training diet, the beautiful whole foods, grains, veggies and low fat dairy that you started buying and consuming that were wonderful for the long run. Well, now it’s time to get fueled without complication.
While you're tapering, try some of these tips on for size.
• Eliminate all lactose-based products like milk, frozen dairy desserts and yogurt.
• Reduce your fiber and bulk intake from large portions of beans, peas and salads. Instead eat smaller portions of 100-200 calorie servings of crackers, low-fiber cereals, pasta, rice and potatoes.
• Drink, drink, and drink. Make sure you're well hydrated in the days leading up to the race—well enough that minimally, your urine is as clear is weak lemonade.
• Eat your last evening meal before race day a minimum of two hours before bedtime. A small snack of 100 calories 45 minutes before bedtime is okay if the race jitters are getting the best of you and working up your appetite. Try a cup of chamomile tea and a graham cracker or two.
Down to the Wire on Race Day
• Go to the bathroom as much as possible before the start of the race to empty the system of any unnecessary baggage.
• Prepare for the unknown. Tuck away an Advil or Tylenol or two just in case of an ache or pain. You can put the tablets in the corner of a little plastic baggie and pin it into the little pocket in your shorts. You never know you could trip on uneven cement or slip at a water station. If you don't use them, you may be able to offer them to someone else who may be in need but didn't read this article.
• Most important, dress light, think light and be positive. With all the unknowns—weather challenges, menstrual cycle surprises, poor sleeps and last-minute family emergencies I've encountered before race day, a positive attitude and confidence in your racing diet can be the key to your success.
Sprinkle your diet and mental attitude with a touch of faith—when all is said and done, regardless of your personal, physical and life challenges, you'll be dressed with a finisher's medal for all your hard work.
Lisa Dorfman, MS, RD, CSSD, LMHC, The Running Nutritionist® is an accomplished author/athlete, Board Certified Specialist in Sports Nutrition, Sports Nutritionist for the University of Miami Athletic Department and an adjunct professor in the UM exercise science department. Lisa has competed in hundreds of running and multisport events including more than 34 marathons (PR 2:52:32).http://www.runningnutritionist.com.
If you have any questions you would like to ask one of our experts please fill out this form...
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