Sugar free nutrition for runnings (Read 229 times)

our household is sugar free - which I find pretty easy ... except for pre/during/post run nutrition. Difficult to find something to do the job in place of those jet planes I used to scoff down at the top of a big hill!
Frooze balls (datey things) are OK for during a run.  I'd love to hear from other sugar free runners as to what is good (and practical for hauling in your camelback) for during runs!
I am however excited to discover these high protein cookies - I think they'll be good for before a run packing in a heap of nutrition and protein without loading up my stomach

http://intelligentbiped.blogspot.co.nz/2015/05/test-kitchen-high-protein-cookies.html

We have cut out sugar proper - as kind of an experiment.  What we do wouldn't suit people who cut back for specific health reasons, such as diabetics, because of the fruit sugar.  Basically, we are all active and not worried about calories - we're worried about processed, empty calories.  So, our rules are:

• no sugar itself (white, raw or brown) - sugar has a specific effect on the gut stimulating the release of cortisol and causing inflammation and stress, which releases more cortisol.  It's the specific way the sugar is processed by the gut that makes it so bad for you.  (as opposed to sugars)
• nothing with sugar (or its pseudonyms - glucose, maltodextrin, sucrose, etc) in the ingredients list
• no chemical additives
• minimal honey

We are not worried about whole foods, such as fruit, that contain sugars along with the vitamins, minerals, fibre, flavonoids ...

This recipe can actually be made without dried fruit (dates or apricots) and the banana - if you added nuts it would be like a wee savoury nut cookie ...

I specifically added ingredients that are good for running, such as dates with their magnesium and potassium and the coconut milk with the electrolyte and fat benefits.  I'm looking for high energy in a small bundle - that's going to mean sugars - trying to get around it meaning sugar

Thinking I might put up a referenced blog post on what sugar does and why its different to whole food sugars - might take me a wee while, though

maybe bring along orange slices and munch on those throughout the run.

I've done similar by getting rid of a lot of sugar in my diet... no concentrated sugar things (cakes, cookies, candy,  flavored lattes etc.). I was using Hammer for a while until I decided maltodextrin didn't sound like a good thing once I learned what it was. That said, I have to take in something while running long distances and real food isn't available. I noticed you said you limit honey so what I do might not work for you. I've been using the organic honey stinger gels. The regular honey stinger gels have 27 grams of sugar. The organic ones have 13 grams. Neither have maltodextrin. I prefer the organic pomegranate ones.

Congrats on cutting down on the sugar! I've found I still get more than I want in my diet simply by eating without adding in sweet things. Mine started out as an experiment as well and to support my diabetic mom who said she had to quit eating it. That was almost 4 years ago. Glad I made the choice I made, and I don't see myself ever going back.

 I decided maltodextrin didn't sound like a good thing once I learned what it was. 

What's the problem with maltodextrin?

Is it bad that I'm eating peanut M&Ms while reading this...?  Yeah, it probably is.

Me too!  But I only eat them for the peanut protein.  And I only read Playboy for the articles.

My take on it... it's a way to have sugar without listing it as sugar. It isn't exactly like sugar as it is a complex carb, but it has a very high glycemic index so it absorbs super quickly into the blood stream. As I mentioned, I used to use Hammer... mostly because it had a lot less sugar listed on the label than all the other gels. I felt a bit betrayed when I found out maltodextrin has the same effect on blood sugar as sugar.

 

Exactly! If you watch the youtube video on ultragen, they talk about the reason they maltodextrin in ultragen is because it is very quickly absorbed into your system, which presumably is very important in a recovery drink.

Perhaps, but perhaps not a great idea if your family has a history with diabetes. There are no guarantees, and the right answer for you may be different than the right answer for me. I've found skipping out on foods with processed sugar/maltodextrin is a good idea for me so I'm sticking with it.

mta: in response to boilertom