TEN NUTRITION TIPS TO HELP YOU RUN YOUR BEST

Whole Foods
Eat mostly whole foods with minimal processing. Supplements cannot replace the benefits of whole foods, which provide hundreds of natural ingredients in an ideal mix.

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate
Lack of thirst means you are not properly hydrated. A good indication of proper hydration is having pale yellow color urine. Hydrate before, during, and after physical activity. The proper way to hydrate is drinking less fluid more frequently. The key is not to overload your system.

When to Eat
Fuel your body 2-3 hours before physical activity to supply your muscles with energy and delay fatigue. Focus on carbohydrates, with moderate protein and low fat. Have a sports drink if you’re planning a run lasting an hour or longer. Replenish muscle energy stores by choosing carbohydrate- rich foods within 30 minutes after a run and again within 2 hours. Recovery meals and snacks should be high in carbohydrates, moderate in protein and more liberal in fat (good fat that is).

Sports Drinks vs. Energy Drinks
As runners we all know about Gatorade and why we drink it (for energy and electrolytes to keep us hydrated). Caffeine is a stimulant, not a source of energy. If you’re used to your cup of coffee in the morning it’s fine but keep in mind if you are saving that coffee or energy drink for race day and you’re not accustomed to having it you may find yourself jittery or even running to the nearest porta potty.

Get Some Sleep Dude!
 Endurance athletes need adequate rest so your body can recover.

So You Want To Lose Some Weight
Changes to body composition do not occur quickly. Rapid fluctuations reflect changes in fluid balance. Gradual weight loss or weight gain, about ½- 2lbs per week is ideal.

Don’t Skip It
Breakfast, yes still the most important meal of the day. Eat within an hour of waking up to stoke your metabolism and give you the energy you need to have a productive day.

Calories = Energy
Pre-plan all your meals and snacks so fuel options are available when needed. Aim to eat every 3 to 4 hours and always have a drink available, and I don’t mean PBR or gin-and-tonics.

C.P.F. is a Team
That’s Carbohydrates, Protein, and Fat as well as vitamins, minerals, and water are all necessary to optimize performance and overall health. Your plate should be mostly carbohydrates/ whole grains vegetables and fruit (up to 75% depending on how much you run) with a small of fat and even a smaller portion of protein.

Balance
Follow a balanced diet with whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and plenty of fluids is ideal. And if you are a carnivore and like to indulge in eating animal carcass, then remember lean meats and low-fat dairy foods.

Transitional meal options to eating raw

Here are some transitional meal options for eating mostly raw

Organic is best!

Breakfast

Green/vegetable juice

Fresh fruit

Blended raw soup/smoothie

Almond milk nut porridge/granola

Lunch

Salad with (cold pressed oil) oily dressing, avacado, or nut pates.

Include sea vegetables, raw sauerkraut, herbs, sun dried tomatoes, olives etc.

Dinner

Please eat only raw food during the day, and limit cooked food to evening meals.

Try at least one small salad with your dinner.

Here are some options…

Organic steamed vegetables-

Broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, spinach, kale, collards , cabbage, turnips, celery,

bell pepper , peas, okra, asparagus, etc.

Top generously with raw tahini dressing or oily dressing or organic cooked marinara sauce.

Soup-homemade is best.

Vegetable based ( no chicken, beef, or dairy). Eat a soup and salad for dinner.

Cooked grains such as quinoa, millet, or brown rice with steamed vegetables and oily dressing. Always begin with leafy green salad.

Sweet potato with steamed vegetables topped with avocado. Begin with leafy green salad.

Occasionally eat sprouted grain or mana bread (if your not allergic to wheat) toasted with avocado and salad.

Occasionally eat small amounts of beans legumes with steamed vegetables.

Lentils, pinto, aduzi, black bean, split pea, kidney, lima bean, garbanzo, tempeh, tofu, (no soy milk)

Snacks or Meal

Fresh fruit, Vegetable juice, vegetables with raw nut butter, dehydrated snacks, raw flax crackers, herbal tea.

how to eat

How to eat? what kind of blog is this?? of course I know how to eat I've been doing it every day of my life! I'm sure most of you are thinking that to yourselves when reading the title of this blog post.

We don't really eat in the way we our ancestors did or cave men for that matter, some where along the line we as human beings messed up. Food should be simple natural and should always be healthy because food is really the fuel to bodies it's what keeps us healthy. Eat the wrong foods and you gain weight, become obese, get cavities, have low energy and even get cancer. Eat the right foods and you avoid all that.

Think of you body like an exotic car, if you drove a Ferrari would you use regular gas in it? would you substitute high grade motor oil for cooking oil or lard? of course not. Then why do it to your body?

I see the way people eat and it makes me think of drug addicts addicted to a substance that they believe to be OK because they bought it at the local supermarket. Some of the stuff labeled as food and snacks are just plain poison. Ask yourself this question " do I want to look the majority of people I see in my local McDonald's?" Pass by any fast food joint and look in the window and you'll see sad over weight people with little or no self control.

So how do we eat? Well lets think back to our closest relatives, monkeys. Monkeys and all animals in the wild for that matter will eat new foods by first smelling it, tasting it (to make sure it's not poisonous) and then eating. Non of these animals cook their foods, think about that for a second, humans are the only living species that cooks food. So whats wrong with cooking food? well for starters if you can't eat it raw then maybe it's not all that good for you cooked, for sure you're losing vitamins and minerals by cooking. Another thing is that if it comes in a can or its pre packaged avoid it, buy your food local and organic if possible, organic to avoid additives and local because local food is truly fresh food , you want to eat produce that gets ripe on the vine (to get all the nutrients) not in a truck. Eat food that is in season, there's a reason why we life certain foods like watermelon in the summer rather then the winter. And lastly eat mostly raw fruits and vegetables through out the day and save the grains and cooked foods and heavy protein for dinner.