Diet and Nutrition for Arthritis | Anti-inflammatory Diet | FODMAP diet

Fuel your run: City to Surf

Written by Chloe McLeod | 08-Jun-2014 17:40:06

I was recently asked by the lovely team at Central Performance Physiotherapy to give a talk about nutrition and running for their clients who are planning on running the City 2 Surf in August.

Here are some of the key summary points to take home from the session:

Carbohydrate:

  • Carbohydrate is the major fuel that is used when running
  • Will benefit from including as part of training diet to optimise performance
  • Carb rich meal the night before, and a meal/snack in the morning before longer runs
  • Carb loading only necessary once doing further than ½ marathon distance
  • Less time before start = higher GI
  • GI doesnt matter when it comes to recovery
  • Timing of intake is important
  • Practice -There should be nothing new being used come race day

Protein:

  • Recreational endurance athletes need 0.8-1g/kg/day (less 15% for females)
  • No need for ‘extra’ protein, but must be included as essential part of training diet.
  • Helps muscles recover properly post training
  • Timing of intake is important for recovery
  • Include regularly over course of day
  • Different types of protein have different benefits - include a variety of plant and animal based proteins for best health and performance
  • Consuming prior to sleep assists with muscle protein synthesis overnight

Recovery:

  • Combo of protein and carbs essential: 1-1.2g/kg carbohydrate, 15-25g protein (including 3g of leucine)
  • Consume within 15-30mins if finishing, definitely within 1 hour
  • Try to include animal protein (eg milk, eggs, fish)
  • No need to eat extra food in most instances – can result in weight gain
  • Train in morning = breakfast as recovery meal
  • Train in evening = dinner as recovery meal
  • Low fat chocolate milk

Good luck to everyone who attended, along with everyone else who is getting stuck into training for the event!

Chloe McLeod is a dietitian at BJC Health. This blog focuses on diet & nutrition generally and diet & nutrition in relation to the treatment of arthritis and arthritis-related diseases. Contact us if you’d like our help in managing diet-related health issues