Top 3 Dietitian-Approved Running Tips

We asked Dietitian Cassie, Registered & Licensed Dietitian and Best-Selling Author, to share her top nutrition for running tips! Check out this taste of what she’ll be teaching us in the MOTRwell program next month.

Hi! Dietitian Cassie here from DietitianCassie.com.

There's something I've been seeing that really bothers me...

So many runners feel frustrated when it comes to nutrition.

You’re kicking butt during your runs, but not seeing the results in your energy levels, or perhaps your waistline, that you’re hoping for.

Where is all that hard work going?

Runners, especially, should pay extra attention to what and how we eat due to the intense type of workouts we’re doing. What you eat can make or break your runs and your recovery. That’s why it’s important to eat the right foods before, during, and after a run. Don’t sabotage your results by neglecting your nutrition! Follow up your routine with healthy foods to maximize workout results and reduce recovery time. Eating the wrong foods can undo all your hard work, and with the right fuel for your body, you can be your most energetic, fittest, strongest self!

Today, I’m sharing my top 3 nutrition tips for running:

1. Don’t forget fat. Perhaps not what you expected to hear from a Dietitian—although I hope you’re excited! Because this is important! Healthy fats—like avocados, coconut oil, olive oil, nuts, seeds, olives and butter (yes, butter!)—give you energy and the fuel your body needs to both run and recover. And then WON’T cause you to pack on pounds like we’ve been previously brainwashed to believe. Yay!

2. Prioritize the afternoon snack. When you run in the morning, are you “starving” by mid-afternoon? (There’s even a word for that…. “runger!”) Or do you find yourself hitting a wall in your evening run? This is frequently caused by skipping your afternoon snack! The right snack (about half the size of a meal) containing a combination of protein, fat and carbs will keep your blood sugar levels stable, which keeps your energy levels steady and consistent. A beef stick with an apple and nut butter. Canned tuna made with olive oil or full fat mayonnaise and a handful of grapes. Cut up strips of dried beef and mix with dried fruit, nuts, seeds and a few chocolate chips for trail mix does the trick, too. Don’t skip that afternoon snack!

3. Focus on timing. It’s not just about what you eat, but when you eat that matters. Wait 30-60 minutes post-workout so your body has time to transition from the “fight or flight” mode it’s in while you’re exercising to “rest and digest” mode. This allows for optimal nutrient absorption so healing and regeneration can happen. Just don’t wait much longer than an hour after you wrap up your workout to refuel or your body won’t be able to maximize your post-run meal. This is because your cells are more sensitive to insulin right after your workout.

Alrighty… that’s a wrap!

Those are my top 3 nutrition tips for running!

For 7 more tips, check out the free video I shot:
“My Top 10 Nutrition Tips for Running!”

You’re going to get so much value from it, as you learn 7 more of my best nutrition strategies for runners that have worked for myself and thousands of our runner clients.

Download this video (for free) at https://www.dietitiancassie.com/top-10-nutrition-tips-running — see ya there, and hopefully see you next month in the Well program!