A healthy, well-balanced diet is important for everyone, but runners have specific dietary needs that can't be ignored. For optimum health and performance, it is important to pay close attention to what you eat and drink, making sure to include the right things in your diet at all times. Fortunately, adopting the right runner's diet is only a matter of making a few small changes to your eating habits.
Stay Hydrated
Water is one of the single most important elements of any healthy runner's diet. The body is made up of about two-thirds water, making proper hydration essential. This is especially important during your workout, when your body needs hydration the most. The classic rule of thumb is to drink eight glasses of water per day, but the Mayo Clinic suggests drinking enough so that you don't feel thirsty and drinking until your urine is pale yellow or clear.
Focus on Complex Carbohydrates
With the popularity of the Atkin's diet, many carbohydrates are getting a bad name. As a runner, cutting carbohydrates out of your diet could have negative effects on both your health and your performance. The Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine and Athletic Trauma, or NISMAT, recommends 3 g of carbohydrates per day for every pound that you weight. For example, a 100-pound runner should consume about 300 g of carbohydrates on days she works out.
Simple carbohydrates should be kept to a minimum; NISMAT suggests that they should take up 10 percent or less of your total diet. The best carbohydrates are complex carbohydrates, which can be derived from plant sources such as whole-grain breads, vegetables, fruits and beans.
Ditch the Fats
Just as carbohydrates are a necessary part of the runner's diet, fat is an unnecessary part. CoolRunning.com, an online resource for runners, suggests that fats should take up only about 20 percent to 25 percent of the runner's diet, although most people in the United States consume about 35 percent. Red meat, whole milk, milk chocolate and butter are the main culprits. Saturated fats should be kept to a minimum as they can cause you to pack on the pounds, which can slow you down.
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