Forums >Running 101>Nutrition for Runners
Hello!
So I am a new runner (I have historically hated running), but I have packed on a few extra pounds this summer. We recently moved to a house on a lake and I'm on vacation until September so I figured now I have run out of excuses to get back into shape.
I recently came across this guide for nutrition for runners. It has some really great information but I wanted to get some feedback from others in regards to nutrition and supplements. What do you take to supplement your run? Protein, natural sources, BCAA/Chia? I am all new to this so any info is really appreciated!!
KElizabeth:
That article, from a supplement company, is kinda all over the place, but there's some decent information there. Don't know why they spend so much time on keto but emphasize that you probably should be eating carbs.
A few notes and observations:
- Losing weight is all about controlling your diet. Running by itself is unlikely to do anything. It works for some people, but for most it's too easy to eat back the calories you burn. https://www.vox.com/2016/4/28/11518804/weight-loss-exercise-myth-burn-calories
- Eat a well-balanced diet with enough protein. Don't be afraid of carbs but also don't purposely eat carbs to "fuel" your workout.
- About BCAAs. Here's what Luc Van Loon, the world's leading researcher on protein and exercise, says: “in short, there is absolutely no evidence that BCAAs enhance performance or recovery if supplemented at any time”. Just eat actual protein.
- The complete list of supplements that have strong evidence of helping your running performance is:
- caffeine
- creatine
- whey protein (if you call that a supplement)
- but you don't "need" even those if you get enough protein otherwise. People get their underwear in a bundle about whey protein, and say you should eat "real food". Whey protein is just dried milk (a fraction of it) and is cheaper per gram of protein than just about any other protein source except perhaps eggs and is fewer calories per gram of protein. You don't need the special grass-fed protein that the company that wrote that article is pushing and, again, you don't "need" whey protein, it's just a cheap and convenient source of protein.
- There's no evidence that magnesium supplementation does anything for someone with a balanced diet. That company is trying to sell you their magnesium supplement. Counterpoint: some people, including my wife, do anecdotally claim that magnesium supplementation is magic for them.
- The beet thing might be a real thing. When you're looking for a little edge at the Olympic Trials, you might give that a shot. Ditto for creatine.
- Chia is good food, but again nothing magical or necessary.
- Keto can be an effective way to control calories. Keto proponents have turned it into a religion and claim all kinds of nonsense about it being the Only True Way. It might help you lose weight, but it will likely make you feel like crap during your runs for a few weeks and has never been shown to have any performance benefits after that.
- I'd say keep running, cut out the obvious crap in your diet, eat a well-balanced diet and see what happens.
GC100k gives some excellent and pragmatic advice above. But this quote is especially true. I lost close to 40lbs on a high-fat/low-carb diet, but my workouts suffered immensely in the beginning. Eventually I reached a sort of equilibrium I guess as my body became fat adapted, but I think complex carbs are pretty essential when you're looking for athletic performance.A lot of keto dieters have become proselytizing zealots and make outrageous claims that make it seem like every other magic bullet diet out there. But I think this is overshadowing the true value of cycles of high fat dieting, which is in training your body to burn fat more efficiently. I think where most of us grew up and lived most of our lives consuming carb-centric meals, our bodies are not as effective as they could be at burning fat. For me, after about a year of mostly high-fat/low-carb eating, I wanted to really ramp up my running regimen so I have found that adding in a few servings of complex carbs a few times a week really helps. Sweet potatoes and whole grains are pretty regularly on the menu at my house.
Wow, you read that whole thing?! That's amazing.
Commenting on what the other two posters said, i do the protein powder thing and have done so for about a year now. I don't know why you would limit it to just whey protein, though. Mine is a tri-source, consisting of whey, casein, and soy. They each metabolize differently so the thought is that one derived from several sources is more likely to be metabolized more completely.
I've found that it works for building muscle.
On BCAAs, i do them on more intense workouts just to make sure i metabolize proteins within the workout and post-workout recovery window. For most workouts their probably unnecessary, but the fact that they are common ingerdient in some of the better energy gels leads me to include them periodically as insurance, esp. when on a marathon cycle.
Magnesium - i wanted to make sure i was covered with that essential mineral/nutrient, so i just keep a bag of raw pumkin seeds in the fridge or freezer and gobble down about a handful every night. Likewise, i eat a Brazil nut at the same time to get selenium covered.
I watch antioxidant intake carefully for recovery and eat stuff like blueberries, pomegranites, cacao chocolate, fruits and vegetables, regularly.
You get the idea,i prefer natural sources when i can, but i'm not above lowering my standards to include some powders and supplements for the sake of convenience.
I don't know why you would limit it to just whey protein, though. Mine is a tri-source, consisting of whey, casein, and soy.
Luc Van Loon, whom I mentioned above, does think casein as a slow-release protein overnight is a good thing. I got one batch of casein powder one time, but prefer to have greek yogurt, which is almost all casein. The powder is a bit cheaper, but I like the yogurt. I noticed that Team Sky takes an "overnight" protein from their sponsor Science In Sport, which is part whey and part milk protein, which keeps the casein. Obviously plain milk will have both along with the lactose.
More sources are probably good. If you think of cottage cheese ("curds and whey"), the solid curds are casein and the liquid is whey.
- The complete list of supplements that have strong evidence of helping your running performance is: - caffeine - creatine - whey protein (if you call that a supplement)
Does anyone actually take creatine and have noticed a difference? I thought it made you gain some extra water weight. It helps with recovery and improving lactate threshold though? Do the benefits outweigh (pun intended) the weight gain?