A-Z The Best Food For Runners: A

Everyone loves food. Every….some of us love running. So which foods are the best to stock up on while you pursue that illusive runner’s body? This is the first in a series going through each letter of the alphabet in which I’ll tell you what to eat during the day, what to eat before or during a workout and even throw a few healthy desserts in there. Let’s do this Sesame Street style, one letter at a time.

Lunch/Dinner

Most of us are searching for some new things to spice up our lunch and/or dinner menus, and don’t want to try anything too crazy. One of the simplest foods that can easily change your entire meal is the avocado.

Nutrition Facts: Avocados have 60 percent more potassium than bananas. Avocados are high in fiber, so avoid before runs. This will avoid an unnecessary trip to the bathroom! (speaking of which, if you need help in that area – try eating an apricot before a meal!)

There are so many different ways to use this versatile fruit. Making a salad? Dice up an avocado and mix it in with some olive oil. Making corn, peas or other mixed vegetables? Mix in some grilled avocado for a twist on an old favorite.  All of these are great, but the one idea that I’m seeing in more restaurants now is to top a burger with a few slices of avocado. I feel like it works best with a turkey burger, as the tastes just seem to compliment each other perfectly. Here’s a great turkey burger recipe that I found.

Snacks

Post-run:

Guacamole. Duh. Guacamole is made from mashing up an avocado and is relatively healthy, but eat in moderation or you’ll chock up the calories and fat. All it takes to make is to scoop out the avocado from the core, mash up in a bowl, and add things like salt and garlic to taste before blending for a few seconds. This recipe should come in under 1,000 calories, so sharing this with a few people is no big deal. Food Network recipe. Apples can also serve as a great snack after a run, or on any non-running day, especially when combined with peanut butter. Slicing up an apple and dipping it in peanut butter, the more all-natural the better, can serve as a tasty snack that won’t make your stomach churn.

Pre-run:

One of my favorite foods to snack on before a run, or during one, for some light protein are almonds. Although expensive, the almond is very tasty and easy to eat while on the run or in a hurry.

Nutrition Facts: Almonds are high in vitamin E and are relatively low in calories. (The Blue Diamond oven roasted almonds I have contain only 170 calories, while providing 6 grams of protein per serving of 24 almonds!)

Dessert

This is the section you were looking for right? I found a great way to incorporate almonds into dessert! Gross right? Well it turns out that almond biscotti tastes great! Originating in Italy, biscotti is a popular type of Italian cookie cake which my grandmother has perfected over the last 50+ years. If you don’t trust her recipe, try another great one from Runner’s World.

I hope you enjoy this series, and I hope you learn about some foods that you may have never known are healthy! Like beans? Hmm…more on that next time.