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Debunking Current Running Nutrition Fads

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running nutrition

Of all the areas I know that I need to keep evolving, it’s my running nutrition. Of course, I’m slammed in the face daily with a new trend that’s going to change everything, which only adds to the confusion of what’s right, wrong and a waste of time.

Which is why I was thrilled when Marni Sumbal came out with Essential Sports Nutrition. Not only does she have alphabet soup behind her name MS, RD, CSSD, LD/N, but she actually practices what she preaches through Ironman racing and coaching!

I was lucky to meet Marni through Oakley over 5 years ago and have been blown away by her since then, which is why I asked her to come address some of the big myths and fads I see wrecking a lot of training!runners nutrition

Working out on an empty stomach?

The primary science behind fasting relates to its metabolic effects. Fasting before exercise (as in working out first thing in the morning without eating beforehand) may promote better fat burning because pre-workout carb consumption causes insulin to be released from the pancreas – reducing fat oxidation.

Thus, exercisers who voluntarily choose not to eat before a workout may help to train the muscles to more readily use fat as a substrate – thus burning more fat during the given workout. However, consuming carbohydrate before workout has consistently been shown to enhance performance despite increasing insulin levels and reducing fat oxidation.

What’s the best running nutrition option?

While it’s easy to workout on an empty stomach, fasted workouts are not as glamorous as they appear to be. They may:

  • impair the ability to use carbohydrate efficiently during long distance or high intensity exercise
  • may increase the risk of illness
  • reduce training intensity
  • compromise sleep
  • negatively affect mood
  • increase risk for overeating later in the day
  • compromise recovery

For the casual exerciser, you may not notice any negative effects of fasted workouts. If you are exercising for weight loss and health benefits, have a go at the occasional fasted workouts before a low intensity training session to see if it makes a positive impact on your health, fitness and dietary choices. Colorado Life

But for the athlete who is training for an event, as you balance work, family and training, optimizing fat oxidation will likely not make a substantial difference in your athletic performance.

Optimal sleep, healthy eating, proper hydration, good recovery and consistent training will give you more of a performance boost than the occasional fasted training session.

Far too many athletes and fitness enthusiasts have compromised health and performance at the expense of trying to become a better fat burner through fasted training.

By eating a well planned and balanced diet during the day, committing to consistent sleeping habits in the evening, optimizing recovery and fueling and hydrating appropriately before (and during and after) your workouts, you’ll be able to stay consistent with training/exercising so that you can create a body that is strong, fit, fueled and healthy.

Wondering what current nutrition fads are good or bad for your running? An R.D. and Ironman athlete is tackling 3 of the most common here! #sportsnutrition #running Click To Tweet

What about all this Low Carb High Fat Diet Stuff? Keto?

You probably know that one person who has succeeded on a low carb high fat (LCHF) diet and has raved about his/her success. On the surface, this type of diet sounds attractive, especially with success stories boasting about a drop in appetite, rapid weight loss and improved endurance/fitness.

But there are many individuals who have overhauled the diet only to disrupt or destroy metabolic and hormonal health. As a reminder, your health and fitness is influenced by much more than what is occurring inside of you on a cellular level.20 Easy Slow Cooker Recipes to make healthy eating a breeze - breakfast omelets

A ketogenic diet:

  • 75% of calories come from fats
  • 20% from protein
  • 5% from carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are restricted to less than 50g per day, which is ~1.5 tbsp honey and one five-inch sweet potato.

Under normal physiological conditions, glucose is the brain’s major energy source. Under ketosis, the body must find an alternative energy source to maintain normal brain cell metabolism. Fatty acids broken down in the liver produce ketones, which then travel to the brain to be used as the new fuel source. The ketogenic diet was originally developed as a drug-free way to treat epilepsy.

Although research on a HFLC diet has shown to improve fat oxidation on a cellular level, well-designed research studies and real-world applications on performance under ketosis is lacking. avocado egg

Drawbacks to a keto diet for runners?

A LCHF diet can support very easy training days and low intensity workouts, but ketosis is physically and mentally limiting during high intensity and prolonged exercise sessions, competition and peak season training.

Side effects can include:

  • fatigue
  • low motivation
  • dizziness
  • sleep problems
  • depressed appetite
  • sickness
  • injury
  • digestive issues
  • depression

More serious implications include impaired metabolism, hypoglycemia, increased sickness/injury, hormonal disturbance, dehydration, disordered eating, nutrient deficiencies, reduced capacity to utilize carbs, and central nervous system fatigue.

Despite strong evidence that a ketogenic diet can advance weight loss, long-term, there are no absolutes that this diet will help with weight maintenance, especially when dietary compliance may be challenging.

{Amanda’s Note: And there’s breaking research that this type of diet could shorten your lifespan!}

To ensure that your carb intake is benefiting your health and fitness, prioritize real-food carbohydrates such as whole grains, beans, lentils, fruit, vegetables, yogurt, milk and dried fruits.

Can you be successful as a vegetarian athlete?

An increasing number of health-conscious individuals are embracing a vegetarian-based diet and reducing some, if not all, animal products from the diet.

Regardless of the primary motive – weight maintenance/loss, religion, disease prevention, food safety concerns, animal rights, environment or improvement of overall health – a well-planned vegetarian diet can be appropriate for individuals during all life stages (ex. pregnancy, infancy and adulthood) as well as for athletes.lentil salad

However, many people are are skeptical of switching to a plant-based diet due to the costs, fears of not consuming adequate daily protein and health issues related to nutrient deficiencies and a decline in muscle mass. Adopting a vegetarian/vegan diet won’t necessarily make you a better athlete, but a well-planned vegetarian diet can adequately meet the demands of your sport.

What to pay attention to with food planning?

Athletes who choose to eat a plant-based diet should place special emphasis on certain nutrients, like B12, vitamin D, Calcium, zinc and Iron, as well as on adequate calories, protein and healthy fats. Fortified foods may help fill-in any running nutrition gaps.

Interestingly, there are just as many unhealthy meat eaters as there are “unhealthy” vegetarians for a diet high sugar, fat and processed food is far from nutritious and performance enhancing.

As with any “diet,” do not assume that eliminating certain foods from will make you healthier, fitter, leaner or faster. Regardless of the diet name, any style of eating that eliminates entire food groups places an athlete at risk for health issues. Plant-based diets should be carefully planned with the help of a sport dietitian.

Other fads you have questions about? Let us know!

About Marni Sumbal

Marni Sumbal, MS, RD, CSSD is a nationally recognized sports dietitian and triathlon coach. Through her renowned successful private practice, Trimarni Coaching and Nutrition, she helps athletes from around the globe prepare physically and nutritionally for athletic events.

As an elite endurance triathlete who has completed 14 Ironman-distance triathlons (including qualifying six times for the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii) and placed overall female amateur at 2017 Ironman Chattanooga, she uses her real-life experiences and formal education to help educate, motivate and guide athletes to achieve athletic and nutritional excellence in training and on event day.

Her unique “health first, performance second” approach of applying sports and daily nutrition science to real-world setting has gained popularity with many age-group and professional athletes who want practical and realistic nutrition and training strategies when preparing for athletic events. You can contact Marni through her website, www.trimarnicoach.com.

Get more running nutrition advice in her new book Essentials of Sports Nutrition.

Other ways to connect with Amanda
Instagram Daily Fun: RunToTheFinish

Facebook Community Chatter: RunToTheFinishRunning_motivation_thumb

Get more running tips: Pinterest

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Posted by amanda Categories: running fuel, sports nutrition

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Megan says

    December 6, 2018 at 6:49 pm

    I’d love to know your thoughts on intermittent fasting?

    • amanda says

      December 7, 2018 at 11:40 am

      I know Marni has some thoughts for sure! But here’s some info as well on hormones and all that jazz! https://www.runtothefinish.com/intermittent-fasting-weight-loss

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Amanda Brooks : Run Coach
A NEW PLAN DOESN’T FIX EVERYTHING. You might alr A NEW PLAN DOESN’T FIX EVERYTHING. You might already know what’s best for you, but aren’t doing it consistently. That’s the only way we really make changes.
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A PLAN can help, but I often don’t think that’s step one to making lasting change.
//
HABITS AND ROUTINES✴️
-Eliminate the need to make decisions.
-Which reduces brain fatigue.
-Which increases your chance of success.
//
TINY HABITS✴️
This is the smallest step you can take towards your goal. Often so small it seems insignificant, but is easy to make it a habit.
🌟
That leads you to another tiny habit, then another and suddenly it’s just your lifestyle.
👆👆👆
When people ask how I easily kept off 35lbs for over 15 years, while enjoying pizza, taking rest days and not obsessing about food.
👇👇👇👇
When people ask how I stay motivated to run year round and rarely race. Tiny habits.
//
Day one isn’t eat perfect or run for an hour.
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Day one IS drink a glass of water when I wake up. Put on my running clothes.
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Day 30 is then more like after I drink my glass of water, I do 5 push ups. After I put on my running clothes, I do a 5 minute warm up.
//
SLOW PROGRESS IS BETTER THAN NO PROGRESS, it builds momentum and is sustainable.
❔❔❔
Have you ever practiced creating tiny habits???
1️⃣ WORD TO DESCRIBE YOUR RUNNING THIS YEAR? M 1️⃣ WORD TO DESCRIBE YOUR RUNNING THIS YEAR?
Mine... satisfying.
😊
1900 miles blows away previous years.
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(swipe to see...because yes I love tracking.) Unfortunately I’m not positive what it was 2001-2007 because I wrote it on calendars.
//
SATISFYING
🥰I needed the long miles early on to process my business being thrown for a loop. Bye bye book tour and partnerships.
😊I needed it after that to get away from the news and pretend I wasn’t spending all day alone. Then as my business shifted again to keep ideas flowing.
🌲I loved the time outside to think, get lost in a comedy podcast or audiobook. Otherwise I’m at home working!
🤩Without a single race, I still checked a big goal off my list of running an ultra distance (solo was very interesting!).
//
I’ve seen some posts that make it seem like we’re wrong for talking about what we achieved this year.
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It was a HARD FCKIN year for everyone, but guess what lots of years are. And not every year is great even without a pandemic.
//
For all the lows this year, I also worked my ass off to make some really good things happen. And I’m extra proud of that.
//
So let’s hear your word for fitness in 2020??
⬇️
Hard, easy, strong, powerful, consistent, cleansing, relaxing, nature, grace, grit, grind, triumph, building...
HAIR EMOJI POLL!!! Seriously hair...it’s a lot r HAIR EMOJI POLL!!! Seriously hair...it’s a lot right?! Figuring out what to do with it, color it don’t color it, keep it healthy, breakage from ponytails, long, short. And yet a good hair day😃 🔥 🌟
//
POLL:
🥰Love your hair
🤪Frustrated with your hair
1️⃣Natural curls
2️⃣Stick straight
👇👇👇
Curly friends: share your favorite tips!!
Long hair friends: what helps you keep it healthy?
👆👆👆
//
At 7 I could sit in my hair it was so long.
At 10 we started perms.
At 16 I had a full mane of hair I loved.
At 20 I learned I have naturally curly hair 😂after years of perms as a kid.
At 25 I was going blonde blonde blonde.
At 29 I began losing hair and it got so brittle I had to chop it off, due to the hormone issues.😭
At 35 my hair started to recover (as did my body), but never like that mane I loved as a teen.
At 39 I got my first curly haircut! I’m still figuring it out, but was amazed at how it looked.
//
I don’t wear much make up, but I do admit to really caring about my hair and it was a tough time when it felt so unhealthy.
//
I’m still struggling to figure out this new curly style 😂but keep hearing from other curly girls ya just gotta stick it out. So we’ll see.
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#curlygirlmethod #hairtalk
ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO RUN? Why don’t you just ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO RUN? Why don’t you just enjoy a day off? Don’t you feel guilty about the time apart?
//
Yes.
It makes me happy.
No, if I’m happy our time together is better.
👇👇👇
MY VIEW IS THIS...
❌If you aren’t working out because of food guilt
❌If you aren’t missing big moments because you must workout
✅If you enjoy it and it improves your day
✅THEN GO FORTH and don’t let anyone make you feel guilty for improving your mental and physical health.
//
❓Do you have guilt or get guilted about workouts for n holidays?❓
//
This has been my lifestyle so long that our families just know to expect that I’m gonna sweat. And of course, I’m lucky David wants this lifestyle too.
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BUTTTTT I remember those first trips to David’s family, where it really threw them for a loop. They still find it weird, but I sneak out before everyone gets up or have gotten them to do family things like the rec center.
//
My best advice when asked has always been to try and calmly explain why it matters to you and then just go. They get over it or used to it.
🎁 🎄🕎
TAKE ANOTHER LITTLE PIZZA MY HEART 😂a reminder TAKE ANOTHER LITTLE PIZZA MY HEART 😂a reminder this holiday season that we all need to be loved differently...and pizza transcends all.
//
🍕Do you have a favorite local pizza place?🍕🍕
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Yes, I knead to know for when we can travel again.
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Here we fell in love in love with @saucyspizza and I wouldn’t be sad if I got it as a gift 😆
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#pizzamemes #eatlocal #denvercolorado #ilovepizza #lovememes #pizzagram #digiorno #papajohns #foodisfuel #longrun #womenwhoeat #carbsarelife
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