Alternative Fuel Sources

 Are you a runner for which fuel sources like gels, Gu's and chews, just don't seem to do the trick. Do prepackaged fuel sources give you stomach distress or maybe you just don't like the taste or texture? Then check out my tips for alternative fuel sources. Some might be right in your cupboard!

Chickpeas: A Great Source of Fiber, Potassium, and Protein!

Whether you call them Garbanzo Beans or Chickpeas, this funny sounding food is packed with great nutrition particularly for a runner. Chickpeas are a fiber-rich food. Fiber-rich foods not only help keep you regular, but they help you feel full longer.  Fiber (especially soluble fiber as found in chickpeas) helps to lower blood cholesterol and slow the absorption of sugar. So, if you're diabetic, this is a great food for you.  As for runners, chickpeas contain calcium and magnesium. Calcium is needed for muscle contraction and magnesium is needed for bone maintenance as well as proper function of nerves and muscles.  Chickpeas are also packed with potassium. This heart-healthy macronutrient and electrolyte is needed for a contracted muscle to relax. So, as a runner, keeping your potassium stores topped off helps stave off possible muscle cramps from depleted potassium stores lost through perspiration.  And to top it off , they're a good source of vegetable protein.  Chances are you've eaten Hummus , a popular middle eastern spread. Hummus is actually Arabic for chickpea. Hummus is readily available at your local grocery store and is also easy to make at home. Click here for a simple recipe. Chickpeas also make a great addition to any salad or pasta dish.  Added to a salad, chickpeas add a hearty meaty texture  and because of the high fiber, makes a salad more filling and satisfying. My family makes a great Chicken Primavera that incorporates chickpeas and it's awesome! Check out the recipe here.  

The Orange: Great Last Minute Pre-Run Fuel

Ever realize 15-30 minutes before a run that you forgot to fuel up? Grab an orange! An orange has 100% of your daily Vitamin C needs. Vitamin C helps prevent muscle injury by replacing collagen in the muscle fibers that bread down during running. Oranges provide needed simple carbohydrates, but they're low on the glycemic index so their natural sugars won't cause your blood sugar to spike and crash. Oranges also contain quercitrin, a citrus flavonoid, that some research shows helps to

increase tolerance for exercise, quicken recovery time, and increase performance. Eat a whole orange not orange juice before a run. Orange juice has a much higher concentration of the natural sugars and may cause GI issues in some runners. So, keep a few oranges on hand for those times you forget to fuel or just want to give yourself an extra boost.

The Perfect Post-Run Recovery Smoothie

The optimal refueling window after a long run is 15-30 mins. With a few ingredients on hand, you can whip up this post-run recovery smoothie in no time and be on your way to a quick recovery! Give it a try!

RunnerDude Post Run Recovery Smoothie from Thad McLaurin on Vimeo.

Pick the Best Bar for the Length of Your Run

In a rush before a run? Need to eat, but don't have time to make something? Creating your own snacks is always best because you know exactly what's going into your body, but sometimes convenience trumps best practice. Best to get in some prepackaged nutrition to support your run than no nutrition at all. But which prepackaged foods are best for your different types of runs?

Below are some suggestions for prepackaged foods such as energy and protein bars wafers, waffles, and crackers. The foods are sorted by caloric needs based on the length of your run. These are not the only options for each category, but it's a good start. Always read the nutrition label to see if the calorie count of the chosen food supports the caloric needs of the run.

30-TO 60-MINUTE RUN--You need 150-200 calories

• Balance Bar (Original): Chocolate Raspberry-180 cals
• Balance Bar Dark: Chocolate Caramel Macchiato or Chocolate Crunch-180 cals
• Kind Energy Bar: 180 cals
• Fiber One Protein Bars: Trail Mix-130 cals; Oats & Chocolate or Oats & Peanut Butter-140 cals 
• Honey Stinger Waffle: Ginger Snaps, Vanilla, Chocolate-160 cals
• Honey Stinger Protein Bar: Peanut Butter-190 cals
• Honey Stinger Energy Bar: Berry Banana Buzz-180 cals; Peanut Butter’n Honey-190 cals
• Kashi Chewy Granola Bar: Chocolate Almond & Sea Salt-140 cals
• Lance: Toasty Peanut Butter Crackers-180 cals; Toast Chee Reduced Fat Peanut Butter Crackers- 190 cals
• Lara Bar: Blueberry, Carrot Cake, Apple Pie-190 cals
• Luna  Bar: Carrot Cake, Blueberry Bliss, or Nuts Over Chocolate-180 cals
• Luna Protein Bar: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough-170 cals
• Nature Valley Peanut Butter Energy Bar-190 cals
• Nutri Grain Bars: Blueberry, Raspberry, Apple Cinnamon-120 cals
• Odwalla Bars for Kids: Strawberry Score or Banana Dunk-130 cals; Chocolate Chip Kick-140 cals
• PowerBar: Energy Wafer Berry Yogurt-170 cals; Chocolate Peanut Butter-180 cals
• PROBAR Fruition: Cran-Raspberry-160 cals
• Special K Protein Meal Bars: Strawberry and Cranberry Walnut-170 cals; Chocolate Peanut Butter, Honey Almond-180 cals
• Special K Nourish Bar: Lemon Twist-160 cals

60-TO 90-MINUTE RUN--You need 200-250 calories

• Balance Bar Gold: Lemon Meringue Crunch, Chocolate Peanut Butter, or Chocolate Mint Cookie Crunch-200 cals
• Balance Bar (Original): Double Chocolate Brownie, Honey Peanut, and Yogurt Honey Peanut-200 cals
• Cliff Energy Bar: Chocolate Brownie, Apricot, Oatmeal Raisin, Chocolate Chip-240 cals
• Lance: Whole Grain Peanut Butter Crackers or Toast Chee Reduced Fat Peanut Butter Crackers-210 cals
• Lara Bar: Cherry Pie, Cherry Fruit & Nut, or Cappuccino-200 cals; Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough-210 cals; Banana Bread or Peanut Butter-230 cals; Chocolate Coconut Chew-240 cals
• Odwalla: Chocolate Almond, Blueberry Swirl, or Orange Cranberry-200 cals; Chocolate Chip Peanut-230 cals
• Power Bar Performance Energy Bar: Fruit & Nut-220 cals, Chocolate or Vanilla Crips-240 cals
• Snickers Marathon Energy Bar: Chewy Chocolate Peanut-210 cals

90-MINUTE TO 2-HOUR RUN--You need 250-300 calories

• Bear Naked Energy Bar: Chocolate Chip Peanut or Almond Cranberry-250 cals
• Cliff Bar: Black Cherry Almond-250 cals; Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Crunch or White Chocolate Macadamia Nut-260 cals
• Cliff Bar Builders: Chocolate-270 cals
• Power Bar Harvest Energy: Double Chocolate Crisp-250 cals
• Snickers Marathon Protein Bar: Caramel Nut Rush-290 cals

Boost Your Immune System During Race Training

How many times have you been training hard for a race only to get a cold or the "bug" the last few weeks before the race. There's often a fine line between building up your body and breaking it down. If you're not careful, as your workouts get tougher, your immune system can get weaker making you more susceptible to colds and viruses. 

So what's a runner to do? Well, first of all use the 90% rule that I use with my runners. Save the 100% max effort for race day. Shoot more for 90% on your weekly speed workouts. Always finish strong, but with the feeling, "That was great, but I could have gone even harder." 

This will do several things. First, it will drastically decrease your chance of injury before race day. Second, it will help prevent you from peaking too soon. And last, but not least, it won't tax your immune system as much, keeping it strong and hopefully "bug-free."

Getting your fall flu shot is also a great idea!

In addition to the tips above, your diet can play a big part in maintaining and even boosting your immune system. Listed below are some super foods that help do just that. Adding these foods to your regular diet is ideal, particularly when training and after your race when your immune system may be compromised.

Immune Boosting Foods:

• Sweet Potatoes (the sweet potato should be known as "SuperSpud." One sweet potato has more than twice your daily value of Vitamin A, which is an immune booster; sweet potatoes are also lower on the glycemic index than regular potatoes and they're full of fiber and minerals)
• Butternut Squash (this super veggie is the King of Vitamin A; contains 22,868 IUs of Vitamin A per cup!
• Okra (one of the few foods that naturally contains glutathione which is an antioxidant needed to support the immune system; okra is also high in fiber even more so that whole grain bread or cereal; okra is also high in protein for a veggie)
• Pumpkin (high in Vitamin A (more than 12,000 IUs) and also packed with potassium; one cup of cooked pumpkin contain 33% more potassium than a medium banana)
• Kale (loaded with Vitamins A and C)
• Watercress (1 cup provides 1,500 IUs of Vitamin A and 14mg of Vitamin C; interesting fact: Kale contains 4 times the calcium of same number of calories of 2% milk) 
• Carrots (cooking carrots releases carotenoids which makes it easier for your body to absorb them as vitamin A)
• Broccoli (contains Vitamins A and C)
• Bell Peppers (rich in Vitamins A and C, and potassium)
• Summer Squash (doesn't have the mega-star status of its cousin the butternut squash, but summer squash does contain Vitamin A and a ton of potassium [a runner's best friend]; 1 cup contain 3 times the potassium found in the typical potassium supplement)
• Mushrooms (Shiitake, maitake and reishi pack the biggest immunity-building punch)
• Onions (contains quercetin which supports the immune system; onions also promote bone health)
• Cantaloupe (rich in Vitamin A, C, and potassium)
• Kiwifruit (contains almost twice the amount of Vitamin C as an orange)
• Avocado (contains Vitamin A)
• Prunes (great source of Vitamins A, C, and potassium; prunes have more antioxidants than any other fruit)
• Pistachio Nuts (great potassium-to-sodium ratio which helps stabilize blood pressure and maintain water balance [i.e., good for maintaining good hydration in runners]; also contains Vitamin E, a big immune booster)
• Almonds (rich in calcium and Vitamin E; also promotes heart and brain health; great pre-workout snack; good choice for diabetics since it contains hardly any carbohydrates)
• Garlic (in addition to keeping Vampires away, garlic neutralizes dozens of bacteria, viruses, and fungi)
• Oregano (highest antioxidant activity of the herbs; also high in potassium, Vitamin A and calcium)
• Green Tea (high in immune boosting antioxidants)
• Whey Protein (in addition to the protein benefits, whey protein is highly stimulating to the immune system. It seems to be the best method for obtaining the building blocks of glutathione, probably the most valuable antioxidant in the body)
• Sunflower and Safflower Oil (high in Vitamin E)
• Yogurt (probiotics [lactobacillus] found in yogurt support and improve  immunity; probiotics like bulgaricus also found in yogurt help increase "natural killer" cells,  which also keep the immune system strong. Be sure to look the National Yogurt Association's LAC seal on the yogurt you buy. Yogurt with that seal contain "Live and Active Cultures" which are the immune supporting probiotics you want.)
• A Variety of Fish (i.e., herring, trout, kipper, mackerel, salmon, sardines, tuna; these fish contain Vitamin D; Scientist have discovered that Vitamin D plays an important part in activating immune defences. Lack of Vitamin D can hinder the "killer cells" in fighting off serious infections in the body. Vitamin D can also be obtained through daily limited sun exposure and through a Vitamin D3 supplement)
• Chicken Soup (Grandma was right! The amino acid cysteine, released from chicken when cooking, helps block inflammatory white cells; cold symptoms are a response to the accumulation of these cells in the bronchial tubes)

Try this Immune Supporting Smoothie. It makes a great pre-run fueling snack!

RunnerDude's "SuperSpud" Smoothie 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups sweet potatoes, baked and peeled (canned works too)
• 1/2 cup Kellogg's Low-fat Granola (without raisins)
• 1 cup lowfat or skim milk (almond or soy milk works too)
• 1 cup ice

Directions:

1. Put the sweet potatoes, low-fat granola, milk and half the ice in a blender and  blend until thoroughly combined.
2. Add the remaining ice until desired thickness is achieved.

Makes: 2 cups

Quick-and-Easy Tuna Wraps

This quick-and-easy meal only takes a few minutes to throw together and it's perfect to eat while training or anytime. It's rich in carbs, protein, vitamins and other nutrients. Two of these wraps provides 40 grams of protein and only 4 grams of fat for only 487 calories!

Ingredients:

1 12 oz can of premium albacore solid white tuna

1 15 oz can of early June small peas

1 14.5 oz can of DelMonte Petite Cut Diced Tomatoes with Garlic & Olive Oil

6 whole wheat tortillas

Directions:

Open all the canned items and drain off the excess liquid. To decrease the sodium content, place the tomatoes and peas in a colander and rinse with cold water. Place the tuna into a medium-sized mixing bowl and use the end of a large spoon to break the tuna into smaller chunks. Then add the peas and tomatoes to the bowl. Gently stir the mixture as to not smash the peas. Warm the tortillas in a skillet (no oil) or place them one at a time in the microwave on a paper towel and heat on high for 10 seconds. Place a tortilla on a plate and spoon a desired amount of the tuna mixture onto the center of the tortilla. Then fold the bottom end up and the top end down. Next, fold the right side of the tortilla towards the left and the left side to the right. Now you have a completed tuna wrap.

Makes approximately 6 wraps.

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Nutrition information per wrap:

Protein = 20 grams

Carbs = 35 grams

Fat = 2 grams

Potassium = 225 milligrams

Sodium = 886 milligrams (this can be decreased dramatically by rinsing the peas and diced tomatoes before adding them to the mix)

Calories =243.5

Also a good source of vitamins A and C, calcium, and iron

As a side, dish I usually prepare a couple of the frozen steamer bags of brown rice. Each bag only take about 5 minutes to heat. Spoon some of the heated rice onto a plate and top with some canned corn. To add some color to the plate, add a few baby carrots or a cluster of grapes.

Part of the quickness to my recipe is that I used canned tuna, peas, and diced tomatoes. You could easily use frozen peas or cook fresh peas. You could also dice fresh tomatoes and add a little garlic and olive oil. Enjoy!

So, How Many Calories Do I Need?

People are always surprised when I calculate out how many calories they need when they’re training. An average woman need about 1,200 calories just for her resting metabolic rate. That’s just what your body needs to run all it’s systems. She’ll need about another 600 calories for normal daily activity. So basically, not counting any exercise, the average female needs about 1,800 calories a day.

Now comes the shocker—the calories needed to support your training, stay healthy, and maintain your weight. On average you need about 100 calories per mile. This actually varies depending on how much you weigh. If you weight 120lbs you’ll need about 95cals per mile. It goes up about 15cals for every additional 20lbs of weight. So, a 180-pound individual will need about 140cals per mile.

For ease, lets say the female from earlier weighs 120lbs. The extra calories she’d need on a day she’s running a 6-miler would be 570cals. Her total calorie need for the day would be 2,370cals (1,200 + 600 + 570). This surprises many people, because they’re used to seeing diets that have you eating something crazy like 1,500cals a day. Now remember the 2,370cals is on a day you’re running a 6-miler. If you’re not running you won’t need those additional calories.

Why do you need those calories? Well, think of it as fuel. Let’s say you typically put $40 gas in your car each week. If one week you decide to drive across the country, that $40 of gas isn’t going to get you there. Same thing with calories. Not only do you need those calories for fuel, you need those calories for rebuilding and repairing muscle tissue after your run. In this case less is not more.

Now if you want to lose weight, you can decrease your calorie intake some in order to shed some pounds. Decreasing your calorie intake by 3500 calories in one week (500cals per day) should result in a 1lb weight-loss for that week. I can see the light-bulbs coming on….many of you are saying, “Cool, I’ll just not add those extra 570cals for running and I’ll be good to go.” Problem is, doing that doesn’t account for the calories you’re going to burn on your run. So you’ll end up with a huge calorie deficit and by not adding the extra fuel it’s going to take longer for you to recover from your run.

Nancy Clark (author of Nancy Clark’s Food Guide for Marathoners, Meyer & Meyer Sport, 2007) recommends that you should first calculate your calorie needs and then target 80% of that total calories in order to safely get the needed calories for daily living and your added exercise and still lose weight.

Here’s an example using the female runner from above.
1,200cals (to support metabolic rate) + 600cals (to support normal daily activity) + 570cals (to support 6-mile run) = 2,370cals (to support this day’s activity while maintaining the athlete’s weight).
80% x 2,370cals = 1,896cals (cals needed to support the daily activity and lose weight).

Many people (athletes or not) complain about feeling hungry throughout the day, especially if they’re trying to lose weight. One way to help avoid this hungry feeling is to try eating more frequently throughout the day. Instead of 3 traditional meals, try having 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day. You’re not going to be eating more calories, but you’ll spread it out over the course of the day. Your body actually burns calories while it’s digesting, so if you feed the fire more frequently, it keeps that engine burning longer.

If it’s easier, to still think of your 3-meals a day, that’s fine. Just make those meals smaller and then add a healthy snack in between those traditional meal times. Also, be sure to eat foods that are going to provide you with energy and have lasting power. Whole grains, nuts, fruits and veggies are great choices. Quaker makes a great oatmeal (Quaker Weight Control Instant Oatmeal) that I eat every morning. The name is a little misleading. The reason it’s “weight control” is because it has more protein than regular instant oatmeal which helps keep you fuller longer. A handful of raw almonds make a great mid-morning snack. Drink a glass or water with them and it will cause the nut fiber to expand helping you to feel fuller. Almonds also help to build your immune system. Lowfat yogurt as a mid afternoon snack is a great choice. Greek yogurt is packed with protein and really does the trick in keeping hunger at bay for me. Just be sure to get the 2% or no-fat variety.

So, it’s a little work, but keep track of your caloric needs, especially if you’re training and doing a lot of running. Your body will thank you and the fruits of your labor will show up in your training and in your renewed energy!