Follow these seven simple strategies for healthy, high-performance eating
People often ask nutritionist Ann Grandjean: "How should women and men eat differently?" Many expect her answer will sound like a dietary version of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, setting the two s*xes at opposite ends of a nutritional spectrum. But it doesn't. Of course, a few physiological facts, such as menstruation and pregnancy, make women different from men. Otherwise, women and men have the same physical operating systems, says Grandjean, Ed.D., director of the International Center for Sports Nutrition at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
The reality, however, is that women tend to be more extreme in their nutritional habits than men. In the name of weight loss, we women runners will banish entire food groups, eat the same meals day in and day out and rigidly restrict calories. In the process, we often miss out on many important nutrients that are necessary for performance and health--nutrients that men consume in abundance, since few of them have such finicky eating habits. The good news: You can easily get what you need without hurting your health or your performance and without gaining weight. Read on to discover the top seven nutritional mistakes that female runners make--and how to fix them:
1. Restricting calories(¿·®À» Á¦ÇÑÇϱâ)
Eating too few calories is the most common and most damaging mistake women make. Because most women have a slower metabolic rate, we should eat less than men. But many women go too low. "Your body can function on too few calories for a while, but to perform well, you can't keep shortchanging yourself," says Leslie Bonci, R.D., director of nutrition for the University of Pittsburgh Center for Sports Medicine.
Constant calorie restriction causes three problems. First, you don't eat enough food to fuel your training. Second, you can't consume enough of the nutrients you need, leaving you open to potentially dangerous deficiencies. Third, research now shows that insufficient calories--not overtraining--may cause amenorrhea, or the cessation of your menstrual cycle. Runners who experience amenorrhea are at greater risk for stress fractures and osteoporosis because their bodies don't produce enough estrogen, the female hormone needed to maintain bone strength.
The Fix: Serious runners should eat 18 to 20 calories per pound of body weight and recreational runners 15 calories per pound of body weight, Bonci says. That means a 120-pound woman who logs 30 or more miles a week should eat at least 2,100 calories a day, which is considerably more than the 1,600 calories many women consume. Don't worry about your weight, Bonci adds. The additional calories will increase your stamina, making it easier for you to train longer, harder and faster. Therefore, you'll burn more calories and body fat. If you don't want to increase your daily calorie intake all at once, step it up by about 200 calories and keep it at that level for a week. Once you adjust, add another 200, and so on, until you work your way up to where you should be.
2. Not consuming enough calcium(³Ê¹« ¸¹Àº Ä®½·À» ¼·ÃëÇÏÁö ¾Ê±â)
Fact: Osteoporosis is not just a problem for elderly women. "We see women in their early to mid-20s with bones that look like those of 80-year-old women," Grandjean says. Many women runners with chronic stress fractures are deficient in calcium, she says.
In a quest to avoid fat, women often skimp on calcium-packed dairy products. But there are plenty of low-fat and nonfat ways to get calcium. Low-fat cheese, yogurt, frozen yogurt, skim milk, soy products and calcium-fortified orange juice are good sources. The Fix: To take in the 1,200 to 1,500 milligrams of calcium you need daily, eat a serving or two of calcium-rich foods at every meal, and even as a snack, says Kristine Clark, Ph.D., R.D., director of sports nutrition at Penn State University in State College.
If you still come up short, take a calcium supplement with one of your meals. (Your body absorbs calcium better with food.) Better still, take the supplement with whichever meal contains the least amount of calcium. Your body can absorb only 500 milligrams of calcium at a time. So if you take your supplement with milk and orange juice at breakfast, you'll be able to absorb only about half of the calcium you've consumed.
3. Avoiding red meat(ºÓÀº »ìÄڱ⸦ ÇÇÇϱâ)
Clark vividly remembers the day she told the members of the U.S. women's soccer team to eat lean red meat three times a week. After the initial shock wore off, these women thanked her for giving them "permission." "They were operating according to this myth that red meat causes heart disease," she says.
To be sure, red meat contains saturated fat and cholesterol, both of which contribute to heart disease. That's why the key word here is "lean." Fact is, a 3-ounce serving of a lean red meat, such as round roast, contains only 4.2 grams of fat. Yet many female runners would rather eat a doughnut with a whopping 10.8 grams of fat than a piece of lean red meat.
The Fix: So consider eating more of it, as it's the best source of iron. "Iron is part of a healthy red blood cell, and when it doesn't have enough iron, the red blood cell isn't going to be able to bond with oxygen. Ultimately you won't be able to deliver enough oxygen to your muscles while running, and you'll end up feeling tired," Clark says.
Iron is found in other foods such as raisins and spinach, but in a less absorbable form, Clark says. For example, a half-cup of spinach contains 3.2 milligrams of iron, but your body absorbs only around 0.06 milligrams. Whereas 3 ounces of red meat provide 3 milli-grams of iron, and your body absorbs 0.66 milligrams. Combined with a healthy diet, just three 3-ounce servings of lean red meat a week will keep your iron stores healthy.
If you are a vegetarian, Clark recommends taking a multivitamin that contains 100 percent of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for iron, which is 15 milligrams. Decent nonmeat sources of iron include beans, peas, spinach and raisins. Combine these with vitamin C-rich foods, such as juices or fruits, because vitamin C boosts iron absorption from nonmeat sources.
4. Skimping on protein(´Ü¹éÁú¿¡ ´ëÇؼ ÀλöÇÑ °Í)
In the push to cut calories, protein often falls by the wayside, just like calcium, says Terry Karl, M.S., R.D., assistant director of food and nutrition services at the Women's Sports Medicine Center at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. Without enough protein, your body isn't able to repair your muscles as quickly after exercise. You may experience more injuries, fatigue and illness. Research also shows that consuming protein and carbohydrates after a race helps you recover faster than eating carbohydrates alone.
The Fix: Runners need more protein than the rest of the population--roughly 0.5 to 0.64 grams of protein per pound of body weight. In other words, a 130-pound runner needs 65 to 83 grams per day. Fortunately, good sources of protein also tend to be good sources of other important nutrients such as calcium and iron. High-quality protein sources include lean meat, poultry, eggs, beans, tofu, dairy products and peanut butter.
5. Aiming for a zero-fat diet(¹«Áö¹æ ½ÄÀÌ¿ä¹ý¿¡ ´ëÇؼ)
We live in a fat-phobic society. "We have this idea that if 30 percent of calories from fat is good, then 10 is better," says Grandjean. "If 10 is good, then zero is better still. Many women are trying to reach zero body fat by putting zero fat on their plates."
Because of fat's bad reputation, many women forget that it's an essential nutrient. And it's even more essential for runners than for sedentary folks. "Tapping into fat during a run delays the use of glycogen (stored carbohydrate), but if there is no fat, your body has to use glycogen earlier," says Bonci. In other words, you'll feel tired faster. As for the fear of gaining weight, a little fat can make you feel full longer, so you'll be less likely to eat more, she adds.
Stick with the heart-friendly mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in vegetable oil, nuts and avocados. Add a teaspoon of olive oil and vinegar to your salad. Grab a tablespoon or two of nuts and seeds as a snack. Enjoy a dinner of Atlantic herring, salmon or swordfish. Fish contains omega-3 fatty acids, which may protect your heart and boost immunity.
6. Eating boring meals(ÆÇ¿¡ ¹ÚÈù ½Ä»ç)
Nutritionist Terry Karl sees it all the time--the female runner's "classic" diet: plain bagel for breakfast, nonfat yogurt for lunch, a salad or pasta with tomato sauce for dinner. That's it--every day. In the name of calorie-counting and convenience, many female runners steer their daily menu into this rut.
Limiting your food choices sets you up for various nutritional deficiencies. "The key to nutrition is variety. If you eat the same thing every day, you're not getting all the nutrients you need," says Karl.
The Fix: Make simple changes to add variety. One morning have whole-grain cereal, the next day a bagel, the next day whole-wheat bread with cheese and a piece of fruit. For protein, eat chicken one night, beans another and lean red meat the next. In terms of fruits and vegetables, let color be your guide. Each hue contains a wealth of different nutrients. Pepper your meals with a rainbow of foods such as sweet potatoes, butternut squash, apples, spinach, honeydew melon and broccoli.
7. Running while dehydrated(Å»¼ö»óÅ¿¡¼ ´Þ¸®±â)
You lose water when you exercise. Even if you aren't sweating heavily, moisture escapes through your skin and breath. And dehydration can seriously hamper your performance. Just a 1 or 2 percent drop in body fluid--equivalent to a half-cup of water--impairs your ability to run.
The Fix: Nutritionist Kristine Clark recommends drinking at least 64 ounces of fluid a day (that's eight 8-ounce glasses). Consider taking in more fluid by drinking a variety of beverages. Clark has created some of her own flavorful, noncarbonated, calorie-free drinks. Such as, in a pitcher filled with water, she tosses in four sliced lemons and three packets of sugar substitute. Presto: quick-and-easy lemonade. She then fills several smaller bottles with the drink and carries one of them with her during the day. She also makes herbal iced tea. The many different herbal teas offer an endless list of calorie-free, high-flavor refreshment. "There's no reason why herbal tea can't be used as a hydration beverage," Clark says.