Hello Runner,
I hope your week has been good and full of running!
I have no complaints about my week! I ran to the beach twice, trained well, attended a very interesting yoga masterclass, and Roland Garros started on Sunday (anyone else a tennis fan out there?). Today, I hope to see Real Madrid win the Champions League!
Since last week, I explained what to eat before running, today I'm going to talk about what you should avoid eating before a run.
You know that famous desperation during a run to go to the bathroom and poop? Yeah, I've been there, you probably have too, and it's not very nice, is it?
So, if you don't want to rush to the bathroom in the middle of a workout or a run—especially since in many places you won't find a bathroom to relieve yourself—don't eat the foods listed below.
Avoid this before Running
High-Fiber Foods: fiber takes longer to digest, leaving your stomach feeling full for longer. Also, fiber increases fecal bulk. Less fiber = less poop.
Examples of high-fiber foods: whole-grain foods, fruits in general, legumes, and vegetables.
Common examples: whole-grain bread, pasta, rice, berries, broccoli, and lentils.
High-Fat Foods: foods with high amounts of fat will make you feel sluggish and heavy during your run.
Examples of high-fat foods: nut butters, nuts, processed meat, cheese, mayonnaise, fatty cuts of meat, and more.
Common examples: French fries, greasy sandwiches, ice cream, full-fat dairy products, processed baked goods (croissants, cakes, pastries in general), cookies, burgers, pizza with too much cheese, etc.
Caffeine: tends to get your bowels moving and can cause an upset stomach. If you’re more sensitive to caffeine, I wouldn’t recommend black coffee before going for a run.
Note: If you're not sensitive to caffeine, it is okay to drink coffee 1-1.5 hours before running. Sometimes it can even help you go to the bathroom before running.
Spicy Foods: can cause heartburn and indigestion, and irritate the lining of the small and large intestines. I would save spicy for the post-run!
Common examples of spicy foods: preparations with too much ginger, curry, pepper, real Mexican, Indian, and Thai food.
Gif by hotones on Giphy
The main options you should avoid are those mentioned above, but If you are going to eat something before running and don't know if it has a lot of fat or fiber, follow these tips:
→ If it is industrialized/processed: read the nutritional information on the product/preparation.
If it has more than 6g of fiber per 100g of product, it is considered high in fiber.
If it has more than 6g of saturated fat per 100g of product, it is considered high in saturated fat.
If it has more than 20g of total fat per 100g of product, it is considered high in total fat.
If it's spicy, well, you will know that it’s spicy, and you should not eat it.
APPS HIGHLIGHT
A quick and practical alternative is to download apps that scan products and show you nutritional information. Some can even scan your plate and estimate the nutritional information of your meal. This can be very useful for many runners.
Here are two options that I recommend:
Any questions or something you would like to share, drop me an email.
Wishing you a great weekend!
Here’s to health and good runs ⚡️
Ana Paula Alonso