Can you out run a takeaway diet?

2 mins to read

Can a dedicated runner still perform well on a not so healthy diet? Online weight loss coach Andrew Cate looks at what some of the world's best runners eat, and what it means for your diet.

Weight management

Diet and sports performance
Runners with a busy schedule may be tempted to eat takeaway foods, because they are convenient and easily available. However, a healthy diet is an important part of a successful running program, helping to provide:

• fuel to help you meet the demands of running training and competition
• protein for the maintenance and repair of muscle tissue
• contribution to hydration levels through water rich foods such as fruits and vegetables
• a diverse range and vitamins, minerals and antioxidants for your body to function at its best
• replenishment of lost fuel and nutrients after running

Just as you can expect a good diet to improve the way your run, a poor diet can impair performance and recovery. Eating a diet high in processed and takeaway foods is like adding poor quality petrol to your car. Just as your car won't run as well, neither will your body.

The research
To get an insight into the sort of foods that help fuel elite runners, the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism published a study on the diet of Kenyan runners. Kenyan runners have achieved astonishing success in middle and long-distance events. There is strong evidence to support the advantages of optimal nutrition in endurance events, and the unique dietary intake of Kenyan runners may help to explain some of this success. The study followed10 elite Kenyan runners and recorded their dietary intake for 7 consecutive days during a period of intense training. The runners typically ate 5 times a day, with their training performed twice a day before breakfast and dinner. A majority of their diet was made up of plant based foods, while only a small amount was from animal sources such as beef and dairy. The diet was high in carbohydrates and low in fats, while protein intake was moderate (at 1.3 grams per kilogram of body weight). Fluids came mainly from water and tea.

Implications for your diet
The diet of elite Kenyan runners met recommendations for endurance athletes for carbohydrate, fat and protein. While their diet wasn't perfect, take away foods certainly weren't on the menu. There are some valuable dietary lessons that can be taken from this research, which are highlighted below.

Get enough protein - The Kenyan runners ate enough protein to meet the daily amount recommended for endurance athletes (1.2g - 1.4g per /kg body weight). Protein intake is vital for the health of runners, which can prevent the loss of muscle mass, reduce the risk of fatigue, and help to prevent injury and illness.
Eat quality carbohydrates - The Kenyan diet was very high in carbohydrates, making up 76.5% of total kilojoule intake, and equating to approximately 10.4 grams per kilogram of body weight. According to the studies researchers, this is approximately 50% higher than the carbohydrate intake of elite distance runners in Australia, the United States, the Netherlands, and Southern Africa. Their staple carbohydrate foods included vegetables, bread, boiled rice, boiled potatoes, porridge, kidney beans, and ugali (a dish made with maize flour). These are mostly unprocessed or minimally processed low GI carbohydrates, which are a good fuel source for running.
Eat plenty of vegetables - The majority of kilojoules from carbohydrate foods in the Kenyan runners study came from vegetable sources. Vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, and are an important source of dietary fibre.
Eat within an hour of exercising - The Kenyan runners always ate with 60 min of exercise. The timing of your post-exercise meal is important in helping your body to replenish depleted glycogen levels.
Eat regularly throughout the day - Generally, the Kenyan runners fell into the pattern of eating five times a day, including: