During the 2012 indoor season, I went through a period when I tried to eat like a caveman. It was the paleo diet, a way of eating that is supposed to mimic the way our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate by including only fruits, nuts, vegetables, and meats. It was difficult to achieve—I couldn’t eat sweets, bread, rice, or really anything that I like—but for a few weeks I felt really good. I Ask the Coaches: Foamy Sweat (okay, not that ripped).
Then the wheels started to fall off. I was training at a high level, but my races were awful. I had this plan to have an immaculate diet so that I would run well, but I ended up miserable. Not only because I wanted a piece of pizza, but also because I lacked the nutrients to run at a high level.
“There’s no such thing as perfection with eating,” says Leslie Bonci, the director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. So instead of making perfect eating your goal, instead the goal should this: Feeling good when you run.
Timing matters, too. “Somebody could be eating really healthy foods,” says Bonci, “but if you’re eating them at the wrong time then that doesn’t optimize your performance.”
So here are two easy tips to try at practice this week. First, make sure you have enough fuel for when you go on a run or have a race. When you eat and drink, the nutrients from those solids and liquids leave the stomach and fuel your muscles. If you don’t have food before you run, the muscle-fueling process will not be nearly as efficient as it could be. Lacking the needed energy, your run could feel sluggish and harder than it should be.
Bonci recommends eating something about an hour before your workout. You don’t need that much—a granola bar and some water right before your last period class is a perfect snack. Or a Gatorade, which provides both calories and fluid, might be enough. The amount of calories is different for everyone and depends on what you’re eating throughout the day, but you want foods or drinks that are easy to digest.
Second tip: It is important to eat within 15 to 30 minutes of the end of your workout. Your body needs to be refueled after a hard effort. Fluid, protein and carbohydrates are important for recovery. For exact numbers, Bonci says to “replace 24 ounces of fluid for every pound lost during a run, eat 12-15 grams of protein, and 35-50 grams of carbohydrates immediately after a run.” Foods and drinks that are great to fill that quota include chocolate milk, trail mix, and sports bars.
In future installments of the Furnace, we’ll discuss more specifics about what to eat for other meals, and how much junk food you can get away with. But for now, remember the goal: Foods That Cut Inflammation to Improve Performance. Keep your diet balanced, so you don’t want to steer too far in the direction of eating like a slob or a snob. This is what I did when I tried to eat like a caveman. I forgot to eat carbs and it ended up catching up with me. Enjoy your food and eat a variety.
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