Nancy Clark, M.S., R.D., specializes in nutrition for exercise and offers personalized consultations at SportsMedicine Associates, Brookline, MA.
From the Team In Training® Kitchen
If you are willing to make just one dietary change, I recommend you frontload your calories so you are eating at a hearty, hefty 500 to 800 calorie breakfast. This food provides fuel for your afternoon run, curbs the urge to snack on "junk" and helps control weight. If you are a morning exerciser, you can simply split breakfast into 200 to 300 calories before your workout, then 300 to 500 calories afterwards to refuel and satisfy your appetite.
Sounds fattening? No! Your body can naturally regulate your food intake. That is, if you eat a bigger breakfast, your body will be content with a smaller "diet dinner" - if desired. And you will wake up ready for breakfast again!
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because breakfast eaters tend to:
- Eat wholesome foods (like cereal, banana and juice, instead of a late-morning donut to stave off the hungry horrors until lunch)
- Have greater stamina and endurance for morning and afternoon runs
- Better regulate their weight. In a survey of people who have lost more than 60 pounds and kept it off, 97 percent of these successful dieters raved about the benefits of eating an adequate breakfast
You do not need to eat breakfast within the first 30 minutes of waking; it can be within three hours after your rise. But breakfast should be:
Planned, so that it includes three types of food.
Enjoyed as one of the day's pleasures.
Appreciated as an energizer that will fortify you with the energy you need to work hard and exercise well
Honored as a diet aid that helps you stay away from fattening evening nutrition temptations that lead to weight gain.
Breakfast of Champions
From: Nancy Clark's Food Guide for Marathoners: Tips for Everyday Champions:
Hot fruit on cold cereal converts breakfast into dessert! Any combination of fruit and cereal works well, but here's one winning suggestion.
One cup Life cereal
Half cup cup All-bran
Quarter cup granola, preferably lowfat
Half cup blueberries or any other fresh, frozen or canned fruit
1. In a microwavable bowl, combine the cereals.
2. Sprinkle with blueberries or other fruit of your choice.
3. Heat in the microwave oven for 20 to 40 seconds, until the blueberries are warm.
4. Pour the cold milk over the warm fruit and dig in!
Total calories: 500.
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