Nutrition
Healthy eating
Eating a healthy, balanced diet can help to prevent serious conditions such as heart disease and stroke. The main things to think about are getting the right balance of how much you eat compared with the amount of exercise you do, and eating a variety of different foods.
Try to make starchy foods (carbohydrate), such as pasta, rice and potatoes, the base of your meals. Eat wholegrain types as much as possible. Starchy foods provide lots of energy, as well as fibre and a range of nutrients.
Eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Dried, tinned and frozen types all count as well as fresh.
You also need some protein-rich foods. Good sources of protein include fish, meat, eggs and pulses. Choose lean cuts of meat that contain less fat, and grill rather than fry it. Include some dairy products such as milk, yoghurt and cheese in your diet too – but remember that most cheeses are high in fat.
Diet and running
Eating a healthy balanced diet can not only help to prevent serious heart conditions such as heart disease and stroke but also help you to improve your running performance by:
- maximising energy stores
- achieving ideal weight for performance
- ensuring you get enough vitamins and minerals, which are vital for certain processes that occur during exercise
If you eat a healthy, balanced diet, you will be getting all the nutrients you need to exercise regularly.
Carbohydrate and fat are the two main sources of energy used during running.
Carbohydrates come from starchy foods and supply your muscles with sugar (glucose) for energy during exercise. Starchy foods provide your muscles with the glucose they need.
During periods of prolonged exercise, fat is also used as an energy source. The longer the time spent exercising, the greater the contribution of fat as a fuel.
Protein is a minor source of energy but more importantly it helps to repair and build your muscles. However, even if you're exercising more, you probably won't need to increase the amount you eat as most people get enough in their usual diet.
Race day
No matter how far you're running there are some key points that will help you achieve your best performance on race day. One of the most important of these is not to eat or drink anything before or during your run that you haven't tried in training.
Before
If you're going to be running for longer than 90 minutes, for example a marathon or half-marathon, it's recommended that you follow a programme of carbohydrate-loading in the last three days before the race. This involves reducing your training and increasing the amount of starchy foods you eat. Sports dieticians recommend that 70-80 percent of your food intake during the last three days before your race should be carbohydrates.
The night before your race, eat a meal that is high in carbohydrate with a little bit of lean protein such as pasta with salmon. This meal, in combination with carbohydrate loading, is important for maximising your muscles' energy stores.
On the day of the race, again have a meal that is high in carbohydrate and low in protein, fibre and fat, for example porridge with a banana, toast with honey, or pancakes with syrup. This will top up the level of energy in your muscles – particularly important if your race is first thing in the morning after eating nothing overnight. Eat this between one and four hours before the start so your stomach has time to empty. Make sure you drink enough water and maybe a cup of tea or coffee.
During
If you will be running for more than about 90 minutes, you will probably need to eat something during the race to keep you going. Possible snacks include fresh or dried fruit, jelly beans or energy bars. You can also buy glucose gels.
Drinking enough while you're running is crucial. Plain water is fine but you can also try squash or sports drinks (although these aren't necessary unless you're running long distances).
After
Try to eat some starchy food within two hours of finishing the race – your muscles can replace energy twice as quickly during this time. You will also need to rehydrate after the run - although you may feel like celebrating, make sure you're fully hydrated with water or squash before you have any alcohol.
Publication date: June 2009
