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!

Three Simple Breakfast Meals Perfect For Runners

Properly fueling your long run is key to a successful run. Most long runs take place in the early morning,
so a good breakfast is key in providing the needed macronutrients for the long haul. There is no one perfect pre-run food for runners, because runners are all so different. Between allergies, GI issues, and various likes and dislikes, it's almost impossible to say eat exactly this or that. Instead a runner needs to make sure he/she is getting the proper caloric intake as well as the proper balance of carbohydrates and protein. 200-400 calories is a good number of calories to take in about 1 to 1.5 hours before your long run.You want more easily digestible carbs than protein. a 3;1 OR 4:1 carbs to protein ratio is good. The carbs will provide the glycogen which is the fuel for your muscles. The protein will work to help begin the rebuilding process. This same carb/protein ratio is also great for your post run-recovery snack.

I've prepared the following video to show you three simple-to-make breakfast meals that I eat before my long runs.



Here are a few more pre-run fueling ideas from my book Full-Body Fitness for Runners.

               

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.  

Potatoes: A Great Food for Runners!

Running and pasta are like Bert & Ernie, Yin & Yang, Lavern & Shirley, Thelma & Louise. That's all well and fine. Pasta is a great source of carbs for fueling your runs, but did you know that thepotato is a nutritious source of  carbohydrates, even more than rice or pasta? Yep, this often shunned veggie has gotten a bad wrap in the whole anti-carb movement. Like many foods, it's how you prepare it that makes or breaks the nutritional value of the spud. Cover it with butter, melted cheese, and bacon bits and you've created "food porn." Bake it and top it with a dollop of Greek yogurt and voilà, nutritious yumminess! Sport nutritionist Nancy Clark supports the spud too.  She shares that this super veggie is a great source of Vitamin C (gives 1/2 of your daily needs) and provides the potassium you'd lose in three hours of sweaty exercise. It's cousin the sweet potato provides even more health benefits!  A standard potato (like you'd get with a restaurant meal) contains around 200 calories. That's about the same as most sports bars. The spud makes a great pre-and post-run snack as well as a part of a meal. Pre-baked spuds that are sliced and refrigerated make great snacks before or after a run.  In her book, NancyClark's Food Guide for Marathoners, she gives some great ideas for potato toppers such as low-fat salad dressing; low-fat sour cream, chopped onion, and low-fat shredded cheddar cheese; cottage cheese and garlic powder; milk mashed into the potato; plain yogurt (I like using the Greek yogurt. It's very similar to sour cream); flavored vinegars; soy sauce; steamed veggies like broccoli; chopped jalapeno peppers; lentils or lentil soup (I like topping it with veggie chili or black beans); applesauce.  Worried about the potato being high on the Glycemic Index? Valid concern, but did you know that when you pair the spud with certain foods, it actually lowers its GI? Adding healthy fats to your spud such as olive oil, sour cream or avocados, will lower the GI. Increasing the acidity by adding vinegar, citrus or salsa lowers the GI of the spud too. Eating the potato with the skin on increased the fiber slowing digestion and lowering the GI. Oddly enough, cooking the potato, then cooling it before you eat it, lowers the GI. So, give the spud a try!!

Here's the Story...of a Lovely Potato...

Let's face it. Pasta is the "Marsha" of the Brandy Bunch of training foods. It get's all the glam, all the attention, all the pre-race dinners. The potato on the other hand, is the "Jan" of the bunch. I can hear the ole spud now sitting in the burlap sack in the back of the pantry saying, "Pasta, Pasta, Pasta! All I ever hear is Pasta!" Well, before that spud runs off feeling unloved and gets replaced in all the reunion movies with a doughnut or a bagel or something, let's take a closer look at this "plain-Jan" misunderstood veggie.

This step-child of the veggie world often gets a bad rap. Many people seem to have the misunderstanding that potatoes aren't nutritious. I guess it's because they're not leafy or dark green, but actually potatoes are loaded with vitamins and minerals. Did you know that a regular baking potato contains 64% of your daily value of vitamin C and 53% of your daily value of vitamin B6, and a sweet potato has 700% of your daily value of vitamin A? Being prone to calf cramps, the thing I like most about potatoes is that they contain over 1,500mg of potassium. That's three times more than a banana! It's a bit of a myth that you have to eat the skin to get all the vitamins. The skin accounts for about 50% of the potato's fiber, but actually most of the nutrients are inside the spud.

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Potatoes are also a great source of complex carbohydrates. Pasta doesn't even have as much! No, they're not as romantic as pasta. And you don't normally have them by candlelight. And Lady and Tramp would have looked kind of funny sucking on opposite ends of a potato, but the fact is, potatoes make a great food for runners.

Now, I know what you're thinking, "Hey but aren't potatoes high on the Glycemic Index?" Yep, they do have a high GI, but for runners that's a good thing. It means they're easily and quickly digested and get into your system to be used as energy quickly. If you have trouble with potatoes spiking your blood sugar too quickly, you can remedy this by eating a little fat or protein along with your potato. Greek yogurt is high in protein and is very similar in consistency to sour cream. Adding a dollop to your spud will help prevent that spike and slow down the digestion helping to provide a steadier stream of energy. You'll get the same result if you add a little Smart Balance margarine which will provide some fat(the good kind--polyunsaturated and monounsaturated). Or try eating a potato with a little chicken or turkey.

After a run, you need to replenish your spent carbs really quickly and that's the perfect time to ingest fast-acting carbs. Potatoes are perfect for this. Add a little protein and you have the perfect post-run recovery snack.

Now beware. Your sedentary friends will be quick to tell you (as they munch on their Mickey D's fries) that potatoes are bad, that they spike your blood sugar, and will turn to fat on you quickly. The sad thing, is that for them, that thinking is exactly right. If you're not active and you're not using those carbs as pre-run fueling or post-run re-fueling, it may very will have all of those negative effects. But I for one am elated, that I can mix-up a little homemade potato salad (using lowfat mayo) and wolf-it down after a run.

So Marsha...I mean Pasta, move aside! Potato Jan is moving into her own!

Supplement the Natural Way...Eat!

Ever since "King Vitaman" touted his cereal to me as a kid in the 70s, I've all known the importance of vitamins, but somewhere along the way, we began to think those vitamins and minerals needed to come in the form of supplements instead of from the foods we eat. It's always seemed kind of odd to me that you should have to supplement your diet when we live in a country that has such good access to different varieties of foods. I guess the fast-paced, drivethru lifestyle has a lot to do with the change. (King Vitaman's also the cause of an entire generation of kids [myself included] misspelling the word vitamin for most of their lives! LOL!)
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We probably all know a supplement junkie or two. Supplements have their place, especially if you're not eating a good balanced diet, or if you're deficient in a vitamin or mineral due to chronic illness or some other health-related condition.

Runners do, however, require more nutrients than sedentary individuals. Endurance training demands a lot of the body and as a result increases the body's nutritional needs. But popping a bunch of over-the-counter supplements may not be the best solution. In many cases they may just not do any good, because the body will only use a certain amount and the rest will be voided (that's expensive pee!) And then on the flip-side, too much of some vitamins and minerals like iron, calcium and Vitamin E can sometimes damage vital organs such as the liver.

The body does need certain micronutrients and macronutrients. Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals that are very important in supporting bodily functions, but the body only needs tiny amounts of them. But, becoming deficient in any of the micronutrients can lead to illness or disease. Macronutrients are nutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates and fats that the body needs in larger quantities. And, like micronutrients, if you become deficient in any of the macronutrients, it can lead to illness or disease.

Protein is easily one of the most overused supplements. When you ask most people what protein does, they'll reply, "It makes your muscles bigger." Well, this is not quite accurate. Protein doesn't zoom to your muscle and POOF! magically make them bigger. Protein does, however, help build and repair body tissues. So after a hard workout, protein is a key element in the muscle rebuilding process which makes the muscle stronger. Protein is found in muscles, bone, blood, hormones, antibodies, and enzymes. Protein also helps regulate the water balance in the body, helps transport nutrients, is used in brain function, and helps make muscles contract. Protein also helps keep the body healthy by fighting off diseases. Important for runners, protein helps produce stamina and energy which can keep fatigue at bay.

Protein is definitely a key ingredient for a strong healthy body especially if you're in training. Research has shown, however, that the body has a limit at which it stops using extra protein. Studies have shown that the body maxes out at 2g of protein per kilogram of body weight. If you take more than that, your body doesn't use it and it just becomes expensive waste material. And...only individuals doing heavy resistance training need that higher level of 2g per kilogram of body weight. Endurance runners need more in the range of .8-1.5g of protein per kilogram of body weight. Sedentary people only need .8g of protein per kilogram of body weight.

That still may seem like a lot of protein to get in a day, but remember that 1 cup of tuna has almost 40g of protein. A cup of black bean soup about 12g! It doesn't take long to get enough protein just by eating a healthy diet.

Long story not so short....if you're eating a well balanced diet and eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, whole grains, and healthy fats, then you're probably getting everything that bottle in the kitchen window has to offer, if not more. I don't think there was a GNC on every corner at the time of the ancient Olympics. And from the art of that time period, it looks like those first Olympians were pretty buff.

So, now that you know that the best "supplements" are in your fridge and cupboard and not in a bottle, you may be asking, "What are some key vitamins and minerals runners need to make sure they're including in their diet?" Listed below are some of the ones I think should be on every runner's "Include-In-My-Training-Diet List." (Remember, to get these from the foods you eat, not from a bottle!)

Vitamin B6 - aids in the manufacturing of amino acids. Amino acids are needed to build proteins. Proteins are essential for the repair and growth of muscle tissue.
Sources: almonds, almond butter, liver, tuna, wheat germ, chick peas, bananas, fortified cereals, oatmeal, sunflower seeds, tomato juice, chicken breast, tuna, peanuts, peanut butter, walnuts, edamames, lima beans, etc.
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Vitamin C - helps the immune system as well as in the making and maintaining of strong bones, teeth, and cartilage as well as helping increase the absorption of iron.
Sources: asparagus, beets, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, prunes, citrus fruits, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, etc.
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Vitamin D -helps in the absorption of Vitamin C and calcium which helps maintain healthy bone density; insures a strong immune system
Sources: almonds, almond butter, fortified milk and other dairy products, wild salmon, shrimp, exposure to the sun, etc.
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Vitamin E - an antioxidant that helps protect cells from oxidation damage. Vitamin C does this too, but Vitamin C is water soluble and Vitamin E is fat soluble, so together they can better help protect against cell damage. Research shows that when you up your mileage like in marathon training, runners need more vitamin E.
Sources: asparagus, avocado, eggs, milk, almonds, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, spinach, wheat germ, whole-grain foods, unheated vegetable oil, etc.
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Omega 3 - have many health benefits, but one of the most important for runners is their anti-inflammatory attributes. Omega 3s also support good blood circulation.
Sorces: flax seeds, flax seed oil, dried ground cloves, walnuts, salmon, halibut, cod, cauliflower, cabbage, dried ground oregano, mustard seeds, Brussels sprouts, cooked soybeans, etc.
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Calcium - vital for building strong bones in younger runners and maintaining bone density in older runners
Sources: almonds, arugula, avocados, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, walnuts, cashews, edamames, greens beans, kale, milk, dairy products, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, spinach, etc.
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Iron- needed for hemoglobin production. Oxygen attaches to Hemoglobin which acts like little transporters that carry the oxygen from the blood to the into the muscles. If you're low on hemoglobin, fatigue sets in because you can't get as much oxygen to the muscle where it's needed to make muscle-moving energy. (Usually women need to be more aware of their iron levels than men)
Sources: lean cuts of red meat, clams, oysters, sardines, brown rice, lentils, quinoa, fortified cereals, chick peas, green peas, broccoli, black beans, kidney beans, pumpkins, etc.
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Magnesium - plays a part in providing for a strong immune system and making bones strong; helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function; keeps heart rhythm steady and promotes normal blood pressure. It also plays a role in energy metabolism and protein synthesis.
Sources: almonds, almond butter, artichokes, brown rice, cantaloupe, carrots, cashews, peanuts, peanut butter, walnuts, edamames, yogurt, green beans, etc.
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Potassium - works with sodium to maintain water and electrolyte balance in the body. A deficiency of potassium can contribute to dehydration which can cause fatigue, lack of energy, and muscle cramping
Sources: 100% coconut water, apricots, bananas, apples, guava, artichokes, pumpkin, cashews, eggplant, grapes, honeydew, oatmeal, green beans, chick peas, figs, edamame, beets, etc.