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How to fit healthy meals and running into your day with everything else you have to do.
All busy runners face the same problem meeting their nutrition requirements. It may seem impossible to maintain a healthy diet as a busy runner, but it isn’t as hard as you think. All it takes is a little bit of planning.
Low-fat banana bread with yogurt and berries makes a good breakfast for runners on the go.
Most runners cringe at the idea of eating breakfast before an early morning run, but fueling your body with something (even something very small) prior to hitting the pavement will prevent you from crashing halfway through. Try eating part of your breakfast before your run: a half of a banana, a glass of milk, a swig of one-hundred-per-cent fruit juice, a rice cake with jam, or a couple bites of a bagel. Everyone differs on what and how much food they can tolerate before a run, so experiment with different foods and beverages. Avoid anything high in fat, fibre, or protein right before a run, as these foods are slower to digest. Stick with small portions of easy-to-digest carbohydrate foods: fruit and lower-fibre grain products.
More pre-run snacks
• A small homemade muffin
• A small piece of fruit without the skin
• Half-cup apple sauce
• A handful of your favourite cereal (lower fibre is better before a run)
• Half of an English muffin with some honey
The most important meal of the day
If you do not typically run in the morning or if you’ve just returned from your morning run, make sure that you eat a healthy balanced breakfast. Include a whole grain or starch, a source of protein, and a fruit or vegetable. The key is to leave time to prepare it!
Quick breakfast
• Whole-grain toast, peanut butter, and a banana
• A bowl of cereal with low-fat milk and an apple
• Oatmeal with milk instead of water and frozen berries
• Yogurt with low-fat granola and a pear
Make a smoothie!
Blend half of a banana, three-quarter-cup frozen berries, half-cup milk, one individual yogurt, and a bit of fruit juice together. Add one teaspoon of ground flaxseed or Salba to add some fibre. Take it in an insulated mug to work. Pack a piece of low-fat banana bread to go with it.
Three great recipes for time-challenged runners.
Low Fat Banana Bread
(Recipe by Nancy Clark, Sports Dietitian, from Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook)
Ingredients:
3 large bananas, the riper the better
1 egg or two egg whites
2 Tbsp (30 gm) oil, preferably canola
1/3 to 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup low-fat milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups flour, preferably half white and half whole wheat or barley flour
Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease spray a nine-by-five-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, mash bananas with a fork.
3. Add egg, oil, sugar, milk, and salt. Beat well, then add the baking soda and powder.
4. Gently blend the flour into the banana mixture. Stir for twenty seconds or until just moistened.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan.
6. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for forty-five minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean.
Yields: One loaf, twelve pieces
Total Calories: 1,600
Calories per serving: 140
* If you are not having a smoothie, have a piece of this banana bread with some low-fat yogurt and berries.
Lunch times two
As far as meal importance goes, lunch comes in at a close second, especially for runners and other athletes. Again, planning ahead is crucial. Good nutrition starts at the grocery store. Like any other appointment, schedule your food shopping.
Another trick to making sure that you have a healthy lunch is to make it the night before. Make sure that you include a whole grain, a source of protein, and a vegetable or fruit. Bean or lentil soup can make a nice healthy and comforting lunch. Add a half of a turkey, chicken, or tuna sandwich and a piece of fruit, and you’re good to go!
Hearty Lentil Soup
(By Eileen Campbell, adapted from the Dietitians of Canada Simply Great Food cookbook)
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced carrots
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup dried red lentils well rinsed.
1 cup dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Instructions:
1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté onion, carrot, and celery until softened, about five minutes. Add broth, lentils and thyme; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for twenty minutes or until lentils are soft. Remove from heat.
2. Working in batches, transfer soup to blender. Purée on high speed until creamy. Add up to one cup (250 mL) water if purée is too thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Return to saucepan to reheat, if necessary.
3. Ladle into bowls and garnish with parsley.
Preparation Time: Ten minutes
Cooking time: Twenty-five minutes
Makes eight one-cup servings
* Double the recipe, freeze in individual containers, and have for weeks!
Speedy Suppers
Runners with busy family lives have next to no time to prepare a healthy, wholesome supper when they get home from work. Try to have two out of the three components of your meal pre-made so that you don’t have to worry about them when you are preparing supper. For example, prepare a big batch of brown or white rice on the weekend and freeze it in plastic containers so that you can easily thaw it. Buy some frozen veggies so that you can quickly steam or stir-fry them, or buy raw veggies pre-cut so that you can put them out on the table with dinner for everyone to snack on. And lastly, make sure to take meat, poultry, or fish out of the freezer and put it into the fridge the day before. Here is a quick and delicious recipe for chicken that takes less than thirty minutes to prepare and cook.
Easy Mexican Chicken
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (500g total)
Pinch salt
Pinch freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cup favourite salsa
1 cup shredded nacho cheese blend
Instructions:
1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Brown chicken breasts on both sides until lightly browned on the outside but still pink inside.
3. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add salsa.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for about fifteen minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside and has reached an internal temperature of 170 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Sprinkle each chicken breast with cheese and cook for five minutes or until cheese is melted.
Preparation time: Two minutes
Cooking time: Twenty minutes
*Serve with brown rice and a mixed green salad with low-fat vinaigrette dressing.
About the Author
Sarah Remmer is a registered dietitian and owner of Nutrio Nutrition and Wellness Consulting in Calgary, Alberta. To find out more about Remmers’s private practice and for more nutrition information, visit her Web site, www.nutrioconsulting.ca.
"Running on Empty" was originally published in IMPACT Magazine's March/April 2009 Running Issue.
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