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An Olympic Runner's Diet

Jun 22, 2011 | By Benna Crawford
An Olympic Runner's Diet
Photo Credit Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images

Boost your race times with the help of a TeamUSA diet. The professional nutrition specialists at the U.S. Olympic Committee recommend nutrition guidelines for all elite athletes involved in intensive training at the U.S. Olympic Training Centers. Every diet is specific to the athlete who follows it, but there are principles to incorporate into an eating plan that will improve endurance and overall health as well as distances and times.

Pretraining

Hydration is important all the time, but be sure to start daily training sufficiently hydrated and provide for drinks throughout a training run or workout. Water is fine. Fuel up with lean proteins, fruits and vegetables and whole grains before a run. Have a meal three to four hours before training or a snack one to two hours prior to the run.

Antioxidants

Hard training creates free radicals in the body that can lead to serious degenerative diseases. Boost your immune system, and battle those free radicals with foods high in antioxidants. Eat lots of fruit and vegetables, and choose the most colorful ones you can find. Blueberries, oranges, strawberries, red cherries, kiwis, apples, broccoli, carrots and yams all contain high levels of powerful antioxidant flavonoids such as quercetin that are easily assimilated.

High-Energy Carbs

Athletes' diets emphasize carbohydrates to meet exceptional energy demands. Runners should get about 50 percent of their diet from healthy carbs, and that amount can spike to 70 percent for the days preceding competitions. Good carbohydrates come from whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Breakfast might be a whole-grain cereal with fruit, a bowl of oatmeal with raisins or nuts, or an omelet with vegetables and whole grain toast.

Protein Precautions

Protein builds muscles and bones and regulates hormones and antibodies. Get proteins from lean meats, poultry and seafood, low-fat dairy and plants. You don't need more than 10 to 15 percent of your diet from proteins, and you definitely don't need a high percentage of calories from fatty meats or creams. Too much protein can interfere with kidney function and place you at risk for dehydration.

Fats

Eat a limited amount of healthy fats for energy, tissue rebuilding, maintaining body temperature, processing vitamins A, D, E and K, and other critical functions. Get unsaturated fats from olives, avocados, salmon, nuts and seeds. Avoid fatty meats and anything processed or deep-fat-fried. Have no trans fats --- those are contained in most commercial baked goods and snacks such as chips. Saturated and trans fats can cause inflammation, and they supply poor nutrition for the calories.

Vegetarian and Vegan Runners

Follow basic diet principles developed for elite athletes by the Olympic Committee nutritionists, but be sure to substitute for foods you don't eat. Get zinc from whole grains, nuts and seeds; B-12 from vitamin supplements; iron from tofu, beans and vegetables; calcium from soy, fortified foods and legumes; omega-3 fats from almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds and flax seeds; and protein from peanut butter, almonds, tofu, edamame, soy milk, beans, some grains and other seeds.

Recovery Nutrition

After you work your body hard, use good nutrition to repair it. Within 30 to 60 minutes of training consume rich, healthy carbs with protein such as peanut butter on whole grain bread, cereal and milk or yogurt, or chocolate milk. Save sports drinks and sports bars for long training runs or right after a run for a quick snack. Plan to eat a full meal within two to three hours of finishing training.

References

Article reviewed by Marie Slade Last updated on: Jun 22, 2011

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