A healthy diet for runners not only prevents nutritional deficiencies, but also helps prevent injuries and maximize your training. Most runners base their diets around carbohydrates, and choosing the right ones can improve your performance. Good carbs for runners are high in essential nutrients, and they provide you with the energy you need to keep training.
The glycemic index describes the potential for foods with carbohydrates to spike your blood sugar levels. Most of your carbohydrates throughout the day, and especially before a workout, should come from low-glycemic foods because they are slow to digest and lead to sustained energy levels for your run, according to Iowa State University. Rice, pasta, beans, dairy products, peanut butter, popcorn and sweet potatoes are examples of nutritious low-glycemic or moderate-glycemic choices.
High-glycemic carbohydrates are good for runners after exercising to restore stored glycogen, or your body’s carbohydrate fuel stores, according to Iowa State University. A food with a high glycemic index is quickly broken down and released into your bloodstream as glucose, or blood sugar. Eating high-glycemic carbohydrates within minutes after finishing your run helps you recover from exercise faster so that your body is ready for your next run more quickly. Fruit juice, sports drinks, white bread and white potatoes are examples of high-glycemic carbohydrate sources.
Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are nutrient-dense sources of carbohydrates, and a 2,000-calorie diet should include at least 2 cups of fruit and 3 cups of vegetables per day, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Runners often have higher calorie needs, and a 3,000-calorie diet should include at least 4 cups of vegetables and 2.5 cups of fruit per day. In addition to carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables provide nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin A, dietary fiber and potassium. Adequate potassium can help prevent cramps in runners.
Runners should get up to 70 percent of calories from carbohydrates, according to Iowa State University. That means that runners who eat 2,000 calories per day should get at least 1,400 calories from carbohydrates, or 350 grams of carbohydrates per day, since carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram. Added sugars, such as those in desserts, provide carbohydrates, but your overall diet will be more nutritious if you choose nutrient-dense carbohydrate sources, such as fruits, whole grains, beans, reduced-fat dairy products and nuts.
- female runner image by jimcox40 from Fotolia.com