Don't Sabotage Your Workout with a Low-Carb Diet!

We keep hearing that in order to lose weight, we need to eat fewer carbohydrates. But what if you're a runner?

Carbohydrates fuel exercising muscles. If you run, swim, bike, or even line dance on a regular basis, carbohydrates are crucial for both performance and endurance. Try to follow a low-carb diet and you'll feel sluggish and weak. At least 50 percent of your total food intake should be carbs, a simple task if you follow these guidelines:

Choose foods high in complex carbohydrates, fiber and B vitamins. Why? These foods provide fuel for exercising muscles and help prevent fatigue. Eat at least six servings each day, and if you're hungry, add on more. Top choices:

Bran cereals (peferably fortified with vitamins and minerals).
Whole-grain and dark, heavy breads (look for the word "whole" in the first ingredient).
Whole-grain crackers.

Include plenty of fruits and vegetables -- at least five servings, and preferably nine -- each day. You know they are packed with vitamins, minerals and fiber. But did you know the phytochemicals and antioxidants help post-exercise recovery? Top choices:

Citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruit, tangerines).
Dark green leafies (broccoli, kale, spinach).
Bananas, potatoes and tomatoes (packed with potassium).

Drink at least four cups of skim milk or eat four cups of yogurt every day. Yogurt contains carbohydrates and protein, and you need both to fuel your muscles. Plus it's a great source of calcium and vitamin D to keep your bones strong. Top choices:

Skim milk (you don't need the fat in any other type of milk).
Plain yogurt (flavor with fruit to get in all those fruit servings).
Low-fat cheeses (look for less than 5 grams fat per ounce).

Skip the protein powders and shakes and eat real food instead. Runners need additional protein to fuel those muscles, but you can easily get all the protein you need, plus essential vitamins and minerals, from delicious food. One serving is about the size of the palm of your hand; your goal is two servings a day. Top choices:

Skinless poultry.
Seafood.
Lean beef (an excellent source of iron and zinc).
Soy products such as soymilk, tofu or tempeh.
Legumes.

Choose foods high in iron. Liz Applegate, Ph.D., nutrition editor for Runner's World, says that most female runners are iron-deficient. Without enough iron, your blood isn't able to carry enough oxygen to exercising muscles, and you end up fatigued and weak. To get your 15 mg of iron each day, try these:

Lean red meat and dark poultry; both are packed with iron (eat at least three times each week).
Legumes (lentils, garbanzo beans, black beans, etc.) and dried fruit. Iron-fortified breakfast cereal.
A glass of orange or tomato juice whenever you eat a high-iron food (to increase the iron absorption). Avoid drinking coffee or tea with these high-iron meals, as the tannins decrease iron absorption.

In addition, eliminate these high-calorie, low-nutrient foods:

Sugary sodas and fruit drinks. You don't need the sugar, and you'll find more vitamins in 100 percent fruit juice. And don't forget plain old water.
Low-fat yet high calorie foods (reduced-fat cookies, cakes, candies). The labels make these snacks look good, but what your body really needs is fruit, veggies and whole grains.
Alcohol (have no more than one drink per day at the most).

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