Runners Diet Made SimpleI am not a nutritionist or a chef. However, I can pass on to you the runners diet that's been handed down to me from nutritionists, coaches and other health professionals, as well as chefs, friends who like to eat and stay healthy and most importantly, some of my personal favorites that have worked for me. 
I have learned that it is important to have lots of good and healthy food available to eat. That's why I say this nice looking chef is welcome to come cook a meal for us. Meanwhile, we will look at some nice, healthy, delicious meals and recipes.
Runners Diet: Protein Shakes and SupplementsNow let's move on to some specifics when it comes to the runners diet. Here you will find some specific recommendations for healthy meals before, during, and after your run. But first let's look at some general tips for running nutrition. It is also good to add a protein shake and some healthy supplements to your diet. For details on the benefits of protein shakes and supplements in the runners diet and information on when to add these, click here. I also recently learned that chocolate milk is a good substitute for a protein shake. Everyone has their preferences. I like the protein shake, but maybe you will like chocolate milk. That's the great thing about the runners diet, there are so many things to choose from, you will find something that works for you and tastes good too. Share your protein shake recipes or other healthy meals and snacks. Runners Diet: Before the RunBefore you run (the night before and the morning of if you're running in the morning, the meal before if you are running in the evening), you want to eat a meal with some protein but a good amount of healthy-carbs (carbohydrates).
My favorite dinner the night before a long run is whole wheat spaghetti with meatballs or white clam sauce and a salad. I also enjoy a bowl of lentil soup before or after a long run. There are many things you can do to jazz it up like add chicken, chicken broth, Indian spices and vegetables. For breakfast, I toast a whole-wheat bagel, spread some peanut-butter and 100% fruit jelly and eat it with a banana. Another favorite breakfast of mine before a run is leftover pizza. For more carb-healthy, delicious dinners and breakfasts ideas, click here. It's never fun to eat a big meal right before a run. That will just weigh you down...literally!!! It is good to give yourself at least an hour and a half to digest your meal before running. So what if you ate a big meal for lunch and 3 hours later you are ready to run. Of course you don't want to eat another big meal now. But will the meal you ate 3 hours ago get you through? Maybe not. If you're doing a long run, probably not. A good source of nutrients right before a run is a snack of 100-120 calories. Besides the gels, bars and sports drinks, some of my favorites are a banana, nuts, whole wheat crackers or pretzels. I also like the special runner's jelly beans sold in many runner's stores called Sport Beans. They come in a variety of flavors such as lemon-lime, blueberry, orange and fruit punch. My favorite snack for right before or during a run is the Gu brand energy gels. I try to get the ones without caffeine, especially if I am nursing. My favorite flavor without the caffeine is "Lemon Sublime." Or if I'm not nursing and I need an added boost of energy, I'll get the vanilla or chocolate-mint with the caffeine, but since caffeine is dehydrating, it's important to make up it by taking in extra water. Runners Diet: During the RunNow if you are running a long run, you're also going to want to eat during your run. Many times during a half marathon or long run, I have had this feeling like the bottom of my stomach just fell out and I don't have the energy to take another step. I have since learned there are two reasons for this: one reason comes from just not having enough to eat. The other reason comes from not having enough sodium and potassium. To avoid this, you are going to want to have some 100-120 calorie snacks with you to replenish the sugar, electrolytes, sodium and salt that you are sweating away as you run. One thing to keep in mind is you don't want to try out something new before or during your run the day of a race. That is one thing my coaches always told, but did I listen to them. No - I found out the hard way. After trying something new for breakfast right before my first half marathon and spending the entire half marathon with a queasy, rumbling stomach, slowing me down by forcing me to stop at every stinky outhouse along the way, I understood. Now rather than trying something new on race-day because I'm unprepared, I've learned to introduce foods into my digestive system during training runs and make sure they agree with me WHILE I AM RUNNING. Yeah, that's another thing, just because a food normally sits on your stomach, that doesn't mean it will agree with you while you're running. Most of our digestive systems are very unstable when we are running. We get used to stinken, filthy, fly infested out-houses and learn to carry around plenty of hand sanitizer, but the more we can avoid these the better. PS. My research is still out on other ways to avoid race-day queasiness. As soon as I learn any new strategies I will share them with you. Meanwhile, subscribe to my Inspiring Running Moms Ezine to receive a monthly newsletter full of updates, tips and motivation for the running mom. Or if you have a special food you've found that settles your stomach for your runs, share this helpful tip with moms everywhere. Runners Diet: After the RunAfter you're run, it is good to have a meal that is high in protein in order to stimulate muscle recovery. I recommend a
protein shake
immediately after running or working out if you're not ready to eat a big meal, or if it is going to take you time to prepare a big meal. My personal favorite is vanilla protein mix blended with orange juice. It tastes like an orange creamsicle. I have one of these right after my workout and as a snack if I'm hungry after dinner.
Runners Diet: Running to Loose WeightSpeaking of carb loading, the entire time I trained for the San Francisco marathon, I did not loose one pound. I didn't gain a pound either. But I got most of my carbs from pizza and beer. There is a way to keep yourself fueled up, and still loose weight. The key is to watch what kind of snacks and carbs you take in.But you do want to take something in. In fact, not eating enough can make you gain weight because your body, thinking it is starving, slows down the metabolism. So make sure you have enough to eat, but if you are trying to loose weight, pay attention to what you eat. 
One thing to pay attention to is what kind of carbs you are taking in. For example, white rice, white bread, white potatoes, fill us up, but they don't give us many nutrients, so all they are really doing is tacking on the pounds. For healthier carbs, always choose the whole grain. Brown rice, Whole wheat bread, and sweet potatoes are good choices. Beans are also a very healthy carbohydrate if they don't give you too much gas! Also, the carbohydrates in beans and sweet potatoes give you long-lasting energy, so these are good carbohydrates to eat in the week leading up to a marathon, half marathon or other long run. For more about the benefits of cooking with whole grains, check out this article by Jessica, the author of Healthy-Eating-Simplified.com. Here are some more ideas about how to
lose weight while running.
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