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45 BEST FOODS FOR RUNNERS
Great choices to fuel your running and keep you healthy and energized to go the distance
by Marc Bloom
Is
there any health issue more confusing these days than your daily meal
plan? From fad diets to carbo-bashing to the debate over how much fat
is good for you, it's getting harder to isolate the best foods-those
that fuel your running and taste great too-to keep on your wish list
each day.
Wading through
often conflicting advice, we runners have a dietary edge over the
inactive. It's not that we burn so much energy that we can eat whatever
we want. We got over that misconception long ago. But the energy we
burn on the roads makes us crave the very foods that are good for us,
with complex carbohydrates and whole grains and fresh fruits and
vegetables leading the pack.
Still,
we're so busy getting through the day it's not always convenient to
search for all the right foods. To help you determine your best choices
and save you time on the run, I consulted leading dieticians, many of
whom run themselves, offering their "greatest hits" for tasty,
nutrient-dense, heart-healthy fare. Foods are listed by type and in
random order.
Grains: More Filling, Tastes Great
1.Oatmeal :
A serving of oats gives you plenty of carbohydrate and has a low
glycemic index, providing sustained release of energy into the
bloodstream, important for runners. Oatmeal is excellent for breakfast
or an anytime meal. Add skim milk and sweeten with dried fruit like
bananas or apricots for a nutritional bounty. Instant oatmeal offers
much the same benefits as rolled oats. Avoid pre-sweetened brands which
have high sugar content. Oatmeal also helps lower cholesterol in your
body.
2.Dark bread :
Breads dark in color like pumpernickel and rye have more fiber and
whole grain than lighter breads. This holds true for bagels--go for
dark choices.
3.Quinoa :
This product is similar to rice but more delicate and flavorful and
cooks in half the time. "It's a great alternative," says Chris
Rosenbloom, Ph.D, associate professor of nutrition at Georgia State
University in Atlanta. "It's a newer grain, providing a carbo-boost in
place of rice or pasta." A 6-ounce serving of quinoa contains 132
calories, 23 grams of carbohydrate, 4 grams of protein and 2 grams of
unsaturated fat.
4.Buckwheat pasta :
Also known as soba noodles, they are a more whole grain noodle and
higher in carbos than regular pasta. Add to soup or use in a veggie
stir fry, suggests Rosenbloom.
5.Whole wheat pasta :
This pasta has a heartier flavor and more whole grain and about three
times the fiber as regular pasta. To boost your fiber intake and enjoy
more textured flavor, combine whole wheat with regular pasta All pasta
raises your blood sugar level while maintaining it for a long time,
making it essential fuel for all the miles you put in.
6.Regular pasta :
Basic, no-frills noodles with marinara or meat sauce is excellent; for
a lighter sauce, go for garlic and parmesan. It's the portion size that
causes trouble. For runners, up to 6 ounces of pasta (a standard
package is 16 ounces) is plenty. Restaurants tend to supersize pasta
dishes; if so, take home a doggy bag.
Fish: Sensational Salmon
7.Shrimp :
Don't worry about the high cholesterol content. It's cholesterol from
plant origins that are not well absorbed by the body, says Rosenbloom.
Shrimp is high in muscle-building protein and low in saturated fat.
Have your shrimp boiled or in a stir fry with pasta for a complete
meal.
8.Crab :
Like shrimp, it is rich in protein and has a benign form of cholesterol
that is not readily absorbed. Have crab meat or claws. Crabcakes are an
excellent dinner selection when you're eating out.
9.Salmon :
Every dietitian's favorite, salmon is a PR food that should be eaten
regularly and can be enjoyed in numerous ways: salmon steaks or filets,
baked or grilled, in pasta or salads, as sandwiches or burgers, chowder
or gumbo. Even canned salmon is good for you, advises Runner's World nutrition columnist Liz Applegate of Davis, California. "You obtain
calcium from the small bones. I tell people who are too busy to cook to
get canned salmon for salads, sandwiches and chowder." While salmon is
an excellent protein source, the big bonus is omega-3 fats, which
contribute to healthy cell membranes and are associated with reduced
risk of heart disease.
10.Mackerel : Like salmon, mackerel is an excellent fish with omega-3 fats.
11.Sardines : Also has omega-3 fats and is versatile for salads and sandwiches.
12.Cod :
"For people who are not fish eaters," says Rosenbloom, "cod is mild,
not as strongly flavored." Cod is high in protein and low in fat. And
it's easy to make. Take out a frozen filet. Add cornmeal batter for
flavor.
13.Tuna :
Treat yourself to the handy, portable tuna that now comes in pouches
where you find canned tuna. You don't have to drain it. Pouch tuna is a
quick protein meal. It tastes fresher than canned tuna, say the
experts, and has omega-3 fats. When you're on the go, grab a tuna
pouch, pita bread and some veggies and you've got a quick, nutritious
lunch.
Fruit: Refreshing Fuel
14.Bananas :
They're wrapped and convenient. They're versatile and ideal with
cereal. Bananas have carbos and potassium, which runners lose through
sweating and help regulate muscle contraction. "And when bananas are
rotten," suggests Nancy Clark, author of The Sports Nutrition Guidebook ,
"cut them into chunks, put in the freezer, then blend with skim milk.
It tastes like banana ice cream-you'd think it was Haagen Daz."
15.Oranges :
One orange gives you all the vitamin C you need for a day. If peeling
one is too messy for you, cut in sections and throw into a baggy for
post-workout. Vitamin C helps heal the "micro-injuries" you get on
every run. Orange juice (8 oz.) also does the job but an orange is
better.
16.Strawberries :
Have them fresh or frozen depending on the season. Rich in vitamin C,
low in calories, taste great. Versatile as snacks, with cereal, on
salad. Use frozen berries to make delicious, nutrient-rich smoothies.
17.Canteloupe :
Half a melon provides a day's worth of vitamin C. Melons are filling;
just 100 calories will satisfy you. Melons are rich in beta-carotene,
an anti-oxidant vitamin associated with lower risk of heart disease and
cancer. Great post-run snack or, with cottage cheese, a light lunch.
18.Mangoes : Plenty of vitamin A and beta-carotene.
19.Kiwi : Supplies vitamin C and potassium. Low in calories.
20.Fruit kabob :
Put a row of fruit, fresh or canned, on a skewer and have with a
non-fat plain yogurt dip, suggests dietitian Lisa Dorfman of Miami,
author of Vegetarian Sports Nutrition Guide . Add naturally-sweetened jam for additional flavor.
Vegetables: Bean Bonanza
21.Beans :
The consensus favorite, beans are the salmon of the veggie world.
Cooked dry beans like pinto, lentil, garbonzo and split pea are high in
protein and fiber, a plant source of iron and low in fat. Beans are a
great accompaniment to soup and stew. Rice-and-beans is a complete meal
with carbos and protein.
22.Baby Carrots :
The same multitude of benefits as regular carrots-vitamin A, fiber,
low-fat and beta-carotene-but with the convenience of a handy snack,
says Alysun Deckert, of the food and nutrition department at the
University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle.
23.Broccoli :
While Pres. Bush I was known for his avoidance of this vitamin-enriched
food, Pres. Bush II the runner would certainly benefit from broccoli's
potassium content after one of his 5-k efforts. Steam your broccoli or
sauté in garlic and oil (but make sure it's still crunchy indicating
the nutrient content is not lost).
24.Cauliflower: For time-saving convenience, get ready-to-eat bags of cauliflower, and
also broccoli, and munch raw as snacks or add to salads.
25.Asparagus: As
with broccoli and cauliflower, munch asparagus raw as a snack, add to
salads or steam for a source of vitamin A and potassium.
26.Lettuce : Dark-leaf lettuce has vitamin C, vitamin A, fiber and iron.
27.Sweet potato :
Though potatoes are technically a starch, they are permitted into the
veggie family on a waiver. The orangey sweet potatoes have carbos and
vitamin A and with toppings are big enough to be a meal unto itself,
says Ellen Coleman, author of Eating For Endurance and
nutritional consultant for The Sports Clinic in Riverside, California.
As the name says, these potatoes are sweet; add a pinch of margarine or
butter and you're good to go.
Dairy: Get a Milk Moustache
28.Skim milk :
Provides protein, carbos, calcium and potassium. Milk protein is
absorbed well, says Penn State dietitian Christine Clark, adding, "No
one over the age of 2 needs anything but skim."
29.Low-fat yogurt : Any kind, plain or with fruit, provides calcium, protein, carbos. Grab-and-go food.
30.Low-fat cheeses .
Versatile choices like provolone, mozzarella and feta cheese are
excellent for salads, sandwiches and snacking. Provides protein and
carbos.
31.Frozen yogurt :
Great fruity dessert or instead you can have lower-fat ice cream,
within limits. (Normal ice cream portion size is a cup-and-a-half.
Sorry, you can't eat the whole container.)
32.Milk-based soups :
Add skim-milk to soup, advises Christine Clark, to increase protein
intake. Excellent for broccoli and tomato soup. These soups are
considered "volumetric"-they fill you up on fewer calories.
Meat/Fowl: Darker is Better
33.Lean roast beef: With an abundance of vitamin B, iron and zinc (which aids in healing),
lean roast beef is the most nutrient-dense red meat, says Nancy Clark.
As in bread and lettuce, the darker the meat, the more nutrients it
contains (and the added iron is especially important for women). Have a
roast beef sandwich (dark bread, of course) for a power-packed lunch.
34.Top round ground beef :
The top cuts of beef and sirloin are leanest and provide needed
protein. Have as part of a meal-an accompaniment-for portion control.
Add to a stir fry or burrito, says iz Applegate.
35.Chicken : Have baked, grilled, or broiled but not fried. Lean protein but not as much iron as red meat.
36.Turkey : Similar to chicken. Have turkey sandwiches with tomato and dark-leaf lettuce for a nutrient-dense lunch.
37.Lamb : You'll get protein, iron and zinc in roast lamb but make sure you trim away the fat after cooking.
Protein Alternatives: Go Nuts
38.Soy milk : It's fortified with calcium and vitamin E. Also for those who are lactose intolerant.
39.Tofu :
Made of soybean curd, tofu contains protein, important for bone health
and neuromuscular function, says Samantha Heller, Ph.D, senior clinical
nutritionist at New York University Medical Center, and an exercise
physiologist. Get ready-made soy burgers, suggests Applegate, and
crumble into pasta sauce. One patty has about 70 calories and no fat
and plenty of potassium along with protein. Tofu is rich in
phyto-chemicals associated with reduced risk of heart disease and
cancer.
40. Nuts :
Have nuts, like almonds or walnuts, several times a week, urges
Applegate. Nuts contain heart-healthy fat. Add to dried fruit like
cranberries for a mini-trail mix.
41.Peanut butter :
Get the natural kind with oil on the top and no added ingredients.
Though high in fat (about 16 grams per serving), it's the good fat and
there's no cholesterol. Peanut butter on whole grain or multi-grain
bread makes a great breakfast, says Heller.
Snacks: The 200 Calorie Dessert
42.Rice crackers : Crunchy, thin, digested well, give you energy, says Dorfman.
43.Organic brownie : Not as tasty as the real kind but only about 1 gram of saturated fat per serving and you get a good amount of carbos.
44.Baked chips : If chips are baked, not fried, there are only 110 calories per 1-ounce serving and no saturated fat. We said one serving.
45.Chocolate :
"I eat chocolate every day," says Applegate. "Everyone is allowed up to
200 calories of their favorite treat daily." For example, 55 M&Ms,
20 peanut M&Ms or one Hostess cupcake (180 calories, which means
you can also have 5 M&Ms).
Sidebar One: Quick Bites
*The darker the color of certain foods, like red meat, bread and lettuce, the more nutrients it contains.
*A healthy diet may include 2 to 4 portions of lean red meat per week.
*Red meat has roughly the same amount of cholesterol as in chicken or fish. Choose lean cuts to reduce fat content.
*Use
the 80-20 approach to healthy eating: If 80 percent of your diet is
nutrient-dense (a lot of nutrients per number of calories), then 20
percent can be lower in nutrient amounts.
*Studies show that eating fish one a week can reduce heart attack risk by about one-third.
*Protein is more important for runners than once believed. A 118-pound runner should take in 64 to 86 grams of protein per day.
*Apples
are good for you but many other fruits have more nutrients. Says Nancy
Clark, "An orange a day helps keep the doctor away."
Sidebar Two: Nutritional No-Nos
*Pre-sweetened cereals: few nutrients and too much sugar.
*Fish-and-chips: high in fat and wastes your fish choice.
*Pure cream like whipped cream or sour cream (so have your baked potato with salt, pepper and parmesan): too much fat.
*Spare ribs: high in saturated fat.
*Iceberg lettuce: little nutritional value compared to other lettuce.
Sidebar Three: Steps To Improve Your Diet
Madelyn
Fernstrom, Ph.D, director of the Weight Management Center at the UPMC
Health System in Pittsburgh, suggests the following steps to improve
your diet:
*Make small dietary changes because they'll last. Radical changes don't.
*Have
5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Any combination is okay.
Canned fruit is acceptable. Choose foods of many colors: orange, green,
red. A cup of salad counts as one vegetable. Corn, peas and potatoes
are "starchy carbos" and don't count. You don't need enormous variety
and don't have to like everything.
*Go
to the market once a week and buy produce that's not going to rot
quickly so they will be convenient to eat all week long. Keep a bag of
apples in your place of work.
*Consider
portable food like liquid protein shakes and energy bars when you're on
the go. It's better than skipping a meal. Don't rely on fruit alone as
a meal because you'll go hungry.
*Think
before you eat. Avoid mindless eating. Acknowledge that you can choose
to eat certain foods and not others. One study showed that the more
food put in front of you, the more you eat. Don't eat "just because
it's there."
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