Thursday, May 21, 2009

Eating to run.

I haven't read the book Eat This, Not That! yet but that's the theme of this week's Take it and Run Thursday at Runners' Lounge.

I'm not the best eater in the world but I do try. I want to be healthy and I want my family to be healthy so I make every attempt to prepare healthy foods. But they have to taste good. And we have to want to eat them. I mean, what's the sense of eating food that you don't enjoy or don't want to eat?

Exactly!

So, here's my food thing. I try to keep my overall diet fairly clean -- minimally-processed foods, mostly plants. I'm not a vegetarian; my diet is probably 80% vegetarian and 20% not. It might also be characterized as 80% healthy and 20% not. I like jelly beans (clearly neither minimally processed nor plant). And ice cream. And I do believe I've mentioned that I enjoy a good vodka & tonic as much as the next guy. Or gal.

But, overall healthy.

Specific to running, though, is this: The better I eat, the better I perform. I've been modifying recipes lately, to make them healthier -- using fewer refined and otherwise processed ingredients, etc. -- and I've started to put them together here. I'll be adding more recipes soon, so stay tuned!

Also specific to running is this tip: After a run, I eat a carb/protein combo right away. My choice is about 10 raw almonds mixed with a handful or so of dried cranberries. Best post-run treat! Or anytime treat, really. In fact, I could go for a handful now . . .

That's the thing with eating. You need to find the things that work for you. I believe you need to enjoy your food and, hopefully, those foods will also be good for you and performance-enhancing. Don't be afraid to tweak your diet! Don't be afraid to try new things before runs (but not races!) to find out what works for you.

* * *

Busy day today, ending with Owen's race this evening. Conal and I will be cheering hard!

Have a great day!

~ Felice

16 comments:

X-Country2 said...

I love almonds too. Although I've never thought to combine them with cranberries. Hmmm, that does sound good.

Marlene said...

I like that almond/cranberry idea, too!

I think you're absolutely right that we have to enjoy what we eat. I'm just not going to eat a plain chicken breast, brown rice and spinach leaves every day! Balance is key.

Thanks for sharing and have fun cheering!

Denise said...

Can't wait to check out the recipes!! And that's a great little post run treat!

J said...

Good luck to Owen in the race! Cranberries sound good...actually i want a snack now too!!

tfh said...

Ooh, I love that you're sharing your recipes! Have fun tonight.

Relentless Forward Commotion said...

"The better I eat, the better I perform"

I was thinking about this on my ultra-sucky run today, contemplating the krispy kreme donuts and mountain dew they gave me at work this morning. ugh. I'll be looking forward to the recipes!

Lindsay said...

i try to live by "garbarge in, garbage out" (pretty much the same thing as you said) but sometimes i still stuff my face with the garbage. kudos to you for being mostly healthy! i think we deserve to treat ourselves once in awhile :)

Diana said...

Good luck Owen!

Mostly healthy is good! A sneak once in a while is not bad. Just not all the time. I hope to be 80% good someday soon :)

Chic Runner said...

i'm reading this while eating a cookie. FAIL. ha ha. :)

Unknown said...

My problem is that I run to eat instead of the other way around. ;-p

kara said...

Yeah for almonds! They have calcium in them too : )

Lauren @ mostly i run said...

Thanks for the cranberry idea! I've just added a jar of raw almonds to my snack drawer at work; that would be a good addition!

I know I eat too much processed food -- it's just so convenient! But the first step is admitting you have a problem, right?

Heather C said...

Ooh I LOVE your post-workout snack! so easy!!! Also - I was definitely a "maple syrup" girl, for a LONG time (on oatmeal). I looove the stuff, but seriously, try pb. you won't regret it. ;)

Being Robinson said...

I'm with you here. I love a good vodka martini. And I try and eat healthy, but I could never be vegetarian again (I was for many years)... I just need food too much! And I have a little problem called sour patch kids....

But for the most part I stay away from processed, try and go organic most of the time. But sometimes, a girl just needs some beef and sugar!

I Run for Fun said...

I agree...the healthier you eat, the better you run.

Hope you and Conal enjoyed the race.

EricaH said...

Thanks for the post I joined Runner's lounge after reading your post. :)

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