Hey, new runner. If you’re reading this then I’m sure that you’re slowly starting to fall in love with running. If you stick with it, you won’t regret it, I promise. This post is here to help you to get the most out of your new hobby by helping you understand what you should eat (and avoid) before and after running.
- The basic food groups
- What to eat before running
- What foods to avoid before running
- When to eat before running
- What to eat before a race
- How to fuel during running (if you’re running more than a 10k)
- What to eat after running
- Hydration
- Alcohol and exercise
A runner’s diet
As a new runner, one way to make some quick and simple progress is to understand the basics of nutrition and how fuelling your body will affect your running performance.
That doesn’t mean that you need to overhaul what you eat, but you should certainly try to keep things healthy and balanced.
An excellent example of this would be a Mediterranean-style diet with lots of fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, healthy oils, and fats.
Eating the right things at the right times
What is probably most important to understand, is eating the right foods at the right times because that will make a difference in how you are fuelled for your run.
If your goal is to lose weight, then running isn’t going to be the most effective exercise for that specific goal.
However, if you stick to running over a long period of time (while eating a healthy, balanced diet), you will more than likely lose weight.
Related: Cardio or weights. Which is better for weight loss?
But before we get into the running specific detail, here’s a quick overview of the different food groups and what they do.
Macronutrients
Macronutrients are the foundation of what you eat and are comprised of carbohydrates, protein, and fat – the nutritive components of food that the body needs for energy and function.
Carbohydrates (Carbs)
Carbohydrates are the body’s primary source of fuel and are the sugars, starches, and fibers in fruit, vegetables, grains, and dairy products.
When you eat carbohydrates your body will break them down into smaller sugars to be used as fuel for your muscles.
Carbohydrates are the most efficient way to convert food into fuel.
There are three main types of carbohydrates.
Sugars: (Simple carbs) convert the quickest and can give you a short sharp burst of energy but will be spent quickly.
These carbs have been stripped of their nutrients and fiber and are found in sweets, sugary drinks, and processed food. These are best eaten only occasionally and in smaller quantities.
Additionally, fruits and vegetables contain simple carbs but they also come with added fiber and vitamins – which is good 🙂
Starches: (Complex carbs) take a bit longer to be metabolized and will therefore give a longer source of energy.
They also contain higher amounts of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Foods high in starch include food such as pasta, rice, oats, potatoes, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, couscous, and other grains like rye and barley.
Fiber: Another complex carb that the body is unable to digest but plays an important role in regulating the body’s sugars.
Fiber is found in fruits, vegetables, whole grain products, nuts, seeds, and beans.
Protein
Proteins are the body’s building blocks and help it to grow and repair itself. Protein is found in lean meats, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs, dairy, nuts, seeds, lentils, and beans.
Fats
There are many different types of fats – saturated and trans fats (the bad ones) unsaturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated (the good ones).
Fat is important as part of a healthy diet as it helps the body to absorb vitamins A, D, and E.
Unsaturated fats can lower your risk of heart disease and can be found in oils from plants and fish.
Monounsaturated fats also help to protect your heart and are found in olive oil, avocados, and nuts, such as almonds.
Polyunsaturated fats (Omega-3 and Omega-6) can help to lower ‘bad cholesterol’ are again found in oily fish and vegetables.
Micronutrients
Micronutrients are the nutrients that your body needs less of and work together with macronutrients to give your body everything it needs.
Vitamins and minerals
Vitamins and minerals are micronutrients that are vital for the body to function. Nutrient-rich foods that contain lots of vitamins and minerals are found in fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fish.
So, they’re the basics and as you can see, getting a healthy balance of all of these nutrients is one of the best ways to be and stay healthy.
Now, let’s get running specific.
What runners should eat before running
How you fuel your body for your runs is crucial for giving you the energy you need to run well and recover better.
Like a car, your body needs fuel in order to be able to function properly.
The type of fuel you have in your body will depend on what you have eaten prior to your exercise and your body processes them all differently in order to get that fuel quickly and efficiently to your muscles.
Your body gets fuel from two places. Glucose and fat.
Carbohydrates are your best source of fuel as they convert to glucose quicker than other macronutrients and are therefore the most effective source of fuel for your body when running.
When that energy source runs out the body looks elsewhere for its fuel and starts taking fuel from fat reserves. However, this process is quite slow compared to using glucose as fuel.
Therefore it’s important to fuel your body with complex carbohydrates before you run to give your body the energy that it needs.
A perfect pre-run snack is a banana, an energy bar or dry cereals eaten about 30 minutes before your run.
Other foods high in carbohydrates such as rice and pasta dishes are best eaten a few hours before your run so you have time to digest them.
Which foods should runners avoid before running
You should try to avoid eating foods high in protein, fiber, and fat before you run as these nutrients are more difficult for your body to absorb and so it will use energy digesting these foods rather than giving that energy to your muscles.
Additionally, skip dairy and spicy foods which might upset your stomach.
When runners should eat before running
This depends upon when you are running and for how long you will be running.
Early morning runs
If you are going to run as soon as you wake up, early in the morning, then aim to have a bigger ‘carb-loading’ meal before you go to bed (pasta or rice dishes) and then just take a few bites of banana or a bagel with peanut butter before you go on your run.
Ideally, your pre-run snack should be around 15 to 30 minutes before you run.
Then, when you get home, eat your usual breakfast.
Running later in the day
If you’re running later in the day, again aim to eat some complex carbs (think pasta, potatoes, or rice dishes) before your run, leaving around 2-3 hours between eating and running so that your food can digest well.
Eating too much too close to your running time may leave you bloated, feeling sick, or getting a stitch – or as I have experienced, vomiting into your mouth. Lovely.
What runners should eat before a race
Every runner gets really excited as race day approaches and many will try and make race day feel more special by eating new foods on the day.
Guilty as charged.
This could spell disaster.
If you want to experiment, do it during training. Not on race day. Then keep to what you know when the big day arises.
If you want to increase your fuel levels, then a lot of runners start carb-loading the evening (or even days) prior to the run.
A big hearty meal the night before a run is a great idea, as long as you then get to bed early so you have time in the morning for any errrr… necessary toilet usage.
How runners should fuel during longer runs
If you’re only running 5k or 10k distances, then you shouldn’t need to take on extra fuel during your run, especially if you’ve taken on enough fuel beforehand.
“The capacity of your body to store muscle and liver glycogen, however, is limited to approximately 1,800 to 2,000 calories worth of energy, or enough fuel for 90 to 120 minutes of continuous, vigorous activity.” Source
Once you start running longer distances such as half and full marathons, then you’re going to need to refuel yourself while you’re running.
Energy gels, energy bars, jelly beans, pretzels, or raisins are all good simple things to carry with you while on your longer run.
What runners should eat after running
Once your run has finished it’s time to go into recovery mode. This means replacing lost nutrients and fluid.
Within 30 minutes of your run, you should refuel by eating foods that contain protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats.
Also be sure to drink water and consume mineral-rich foods (sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium, and magnesium) to replace electrolytes.
Protein, as the body’s building blocks, will help your muscles and fibers to prepare quicker than any other food type.
This is a good time to get a protein shake inside you or a good grilled chicken sandwich.
Hydration
Hydration is crucial for runners.
However, it’s hard to know how much you should drink as this will depend on a number of different factors.
Your size, sex, weight as well as the distance you’re running, the altitude and the climate will all play a part in knowing how much to take onboard.
Do be aware though, that you can over hydrate, which can be dangerous.
Plan to drink more water in general throughout the day rather than suddenly gulping down huge quantities of water before your run – there’s nothing worse than a belly full of water sloshing about.
Be sure to drink a glass of water after your run to rehydrate.
Adding a little salt can be beneficial too.
Alcohol & exercise
Alcohol is a toxin and will dehydrate your body.
You don’t need to give up alcohol just because you’re starting a new running plan, but it is going to impede your performance if you drink too much, too close to your run.
The other thing with beer and alcohol is that in terms of fat burning it plays a very important and detrimental role.
Alcohol is sometimes known as the fourth Macro along with protein, carbohydrates, and fat (you were right all the time, it is a fuel).
The problem with alcohol is that your body sees it as a toxin and therefore will always try to burn the alcohol away first before it burns off any fat.
So if you were to drink a few pints on a Friday night and then go for a run on Saturday morning, it’s likely that you’ll only burn off the alcohol from the night before and not touch any of the fat that you’re trying to get rid of.
This is why it’s a really good idea to take a break from alcohol if you’re trying to lose weight.
Running hungover is never fun either and will more than likely see you skip training altogether.
So with alcohol, the best plan is to limit how much you drink and not to drink the day before you run (or the day that you run! Imagine!!).
Related: How to get rid of a beer belly
Related: 21 benefits of giving up alcohol
To conclude
- Fuel with carbs a few hours before running
- Have a quick pre-run snack around 30-minutes before your run
- If you run early in the morning, eat more before bed
- Hydrate throughout the day not just before your run
- Refuel with water, minerals, protein, fats and carbs after your run
- Don’t worry too much about what you eat but try to eat a healthy, balanced diet
- Drink less alcohol
Using these guidelines could be a game-changer.
Enjoy.