What You Need to Know About Sports Nutrition - I

What do you know about Sports Nutrition?  Are you eating the right food before and after your runs?  And why is it so important anyway?  I’ll tell you why, because you want to feel energized when you run, and you want your body to recover so that you will also feel great on your next run.  Eating the right foods before, during and after your run, will make a huge difference to your performance - trust me. 

Last week I had the opportunity of going to hear a Registered Dietitian do a talk on Sports Nutrition.  She was talking to my daughter’s competitive swim club about the proper nutrition that they need for training, racing and recovery.  The information is much the same for runners, so I would like to share what I learned.

Understand the different types of food “fuels” and “fluids” that our body needs when we run:

• Carbohydrates
• Proteins

Carbohydrates are the main fuel source for your muscles and brain.  They maintain you blood glucose during exercise and help replenish your muscle glycogen after exercise.

Proteins help repair the muscle damage caused when you run and will increase your muscle mass.  Proteins also aid in a small amount of energy production.

You will find carbohydrates in fruit, grains (including potatoes and corn) and milk (and milk alternatives).  Protein can be found in milk (and milk alternatives), cheese and meat (and meat alternatives).  As for vegetables, we all know that they are huge source of vitamins and minerals, but as far as fuel for sports - they are fuel free.

Next week - I will tell you what I discovered about the foods that you should eat and when you should be eating them.