Now, what are good foods to eat to fuel your running?  Having a well-balanced diet is crucial. 

You need plenty of carbohydrates for energy, plenty of protein for muscle recovery, and some good fats.  Fruits, vegetables (just be careful when you eat them), skim milk, and whole-grain pasta and breads are great sources of energy.

A good balance is 60-65% carbs, 25-30% protein, and 10% fats.  Those numbers are a general rule, but you don't necessarily need to count out every calorie, just think about whether or not you are getting most of your food from carbs like bread, cereal, pasta, fruits, and vegetables; a few servings of protein from foods like lean meats (lean chicken and turkey are good choices), egg-whites, skim milk, soy, etc; and some fats (omega-3's from nuts, olive oil, fish, etc). 

Sugars have their place, but are best used as energy during a long run over 1 hour or immediately following a run.  Think sports drinks and energy gels if you are going to be running for more than an hour.  Also, I have heard that in the first 15 minutes after you finish a run, your body converts calories to glycogen (usable energy in your body) at 3 times the normal rate, and whatever you eat in the first two hours after your workout is converted to glycogen at about twice the normal rate.  This means that if you have a sports drink or something with a little higher fat content immediately after a run, it will not be as detrimental as if you had that 6 hours later. 

In fact, it is good to have at least 150 calories in that first 15 minutes after your 30-60 minute run, and to plan a meal inside the 2 hour window.  This will allow you to replace the energy stores, and help you to feel full so that you don't overeat later. Post has no comments.