Pre and Post Workout Diets for Runners

They say, “Everyday is a good day when you run”. Running is surely a great exercise that helps you stay fit by body and mind every single day. Runners have to keep their eye on various things while running or before and after running. One of the major things to have a check on before and after running is the diet what you take for running. In this current article we will talk about some of the essential mouth watering pre and post workout diets for runners.

Pre and Post Workout Diets for Runners

Running And Diet: A Brief Note On Pre And Post Workout Diet For Runners!

What type of diet you need while running depends on your run; what distance, or how far you plan to run? Long distance running requires a significant amount of carbohydrate, protein and a low fat diet before the run and diet rich in proteins and carbohydrates after the run. However, easy run or the runs that goes anywhere less than an hour do not require heavy meal. Apart from this, one must keep in mind to eat only if you feel hungry before the run; else only water will do to start your run. In case you are feeling peckish, you can look for the essential pre-run diets or the pre-workout diets for runners at least 30-45 minutes back. Do not take the diets rich in fat before you are going for a run.

Re-fueling your body after run is highly essential so as to encourage the muscle repair and replenish the glycogen store. Diets rich in complex carbohydrates and proteins help you in this. So, it is recommended to take some of the healthy post-workout diet for runners after the run within one hour and give your body what it seeks for a better fitness and quick post workout recovery. It is good to maintain the carbohydrates by protein ratio at 4:1 in the post-run diet, i.e. for every 4 grams of carbohydrates take one gram of protein in your meal after the run. It must be kept in mind not to take more of protein contents in the post-workout diet after running as it will inhibit the absorption of carbohydrates in your body. It is also essential to take plenty of water within 30 minutes of the long-distance running or the run that goes beyond 60 minutes.

More about the pre and post workout diets for runners will be discussed in the section below.

Pre-Workout Diet For Runners:

Some of the Pre-workout diets for runners which can help you greatly while running are listed below. You can try any of these before 30-45 minutes of your run.

  1. The Powerhouse Smoothie: Prepare a smoothie out of one small banana, a cup of berry, half cup plain Greek Yogurt, 2 cup chia seeds, 2 tablespoon of honey, half tablespoon of organic coconut oil, one scoop of whey protein powder and water/ice as per requirement. Mix all these ingredients in a blender and prepare the powerhouse smoothie to be taken an hour before your run.
  2. Beet Juice As A Pre-Workout Drink For Runners: Beet is known to promote health longer, easier workout and helps in healthier heart and arteries. Beet juice can be taken directly by preparing from the fresh and clean beets or can be taken with some other ingredients added to it like, apple, peppermint, carrot etc. You can grind all of these ingredients together to make the healthy drink as your pre-workout drink before running.
  3. Salty Lemonade: Prepare this Salty lemonade recipe to be taken before an hour of running. To prepare this you need 3 ounce lemon juice, 12 ounce cold water, 2 tablespoon honey and ¼ tablespoon salt. Mix all of them and drink with ice or plain before running or training in heat.
  4. Fig Cookies: You can eat 2 fig cookies( 3 inch each) before 30 minutes of your run. These Fig cookies contain essential level of protein, carbohydrates and vitamins in them which are essential for an improved performance and better strength while running.
  5. One Cup Berries With Half Cup Of Cottage Cheese: Berries are known for high carbohydrate contents and cottage cheese provides vitamin, calcium and potassium to the body. You can take them together one hour before your run.
  6. Oats With Skim Milk And Strawberries: You can add half cup of oats to skim milk and top it with well sliced strawberries and eat the dish 30 minute to one hour before running. This works as a great source of pre and post workout energy diet for runners.
  7. Peanut Butter And Banana Sandwich: Now, this is something real healthy! You can prepare the peanut and banana sandwich on whole grain breads and eat it one hour before running or workout. Peanut butter provides excellent amount of protein, whole grain bread contains enough carbohydrates, and you get significant amount of potassium from banana. So, this surely makes a great pre-workout diet for runners.

Post-Workout Diet for Runners:

Now here we are with the list of some post-workout diet for runners. These are the diets containing complex carbohydrates, proteins and fiber which are essential for post workout recovery in running. Check out for your favorite post-workout diet and try them next time you put on your running shoes and run your miles for health.

  1. The 30 Second Post-Workout Snack With Fruits, Almonds And Nuts: Combine half cup of almonds, half cup of walnut, half cup of blueberries, half cup of dried cranberries, half cup of chopped pineapple in a bowl and take it after your run.
  2. Cherry Juice After Run: Cherries are the fruits known for anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It is recommended to take one cup of cherry juice, especially after the long distance running that lasts for more than 60 minutes to 90 minutes. But make sure not to drink more than a cup for cherry contains a lot of natural sugar and high calories in it.
  3. Cookies With Anti-Inflammatory Sources: There are cookies which comprise of ingredients like pineapple, berries, omega-3 fatty acids, olive oil etc which help in lowering the inflammation and thus assist in quick and effective muscle repair and recovery after run. This would be a great snack to be taken after your run.
  4. The Dessert Made Of Greek Yogurt: Greek yogurt is known to be rich in fiber and is thus an essential post-workout diet for runners, especially for the runners who are into the easy run, i.e. the run below 45-60 minutes. You can prepare a dessert by combining peeled almonds, berries, fruits and honey and adding in the Greek Yogurt for better taste and health.
  5. Banana With A Protein Smoothie: Banana is a great source of carbohydrate and is beneficial when taken after run. You can take banana along with a protein source like the smoothie prepared from the blend of almond milk, butter, peanut, ice, honey, and cocoa powder etc.
  6. Almond In Pasta: Almonds can be taken alone for post-running recovery or can be added to the pasta along with the greens for better taste and health.
  7. Chicken Sausage Pasta: One of the healthiest meals after running is Chicken sausage pasta. This post-workout meal for runners contains enough proteins to help you in muscle repair and also contains significant amount of carbohydrates for restoring the glycogen level after the long distance run.

How To Prepare:

  • To prepare this, you need to heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a pan along with two cups of frozen broccoli and one cup of frozen sliced bell pepper.
  • Now, cook it till the veggies go warm and then remove from the pan.
  • Add two pre-cooked chicken sausages to the pan with oil and cook it till it turns brown.
  • Next, cook the rigatoni.
  • After all these are done, drain pasta and add the veggies, chicken sausage, and top it with fresh basil and black pepper.

Conclusion:

Now that we are known to some of the crucial pre and post workout diets for runners, why not quickly get the new pair of running shoes, have some healthy bites and get ready for the wonder run of health!!

Believe it, “Running never takes more than it gives back!”

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Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:March 4, 2019

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