BIG DAY PREPARATION

SPAR dietitian Lauren Wilson gives general guidelines about energy intake before, during and after the race

TO do your best for the SPAR Women’s 5km or 10km run, you need to eat a healthy, balanced diet. What you eat and drink during training and competing will affect your performance. Unhealthy eating can cause muscle loss, bone density loss, fatigue, injury, illness and, sometimes, menstrual changes. You need sufficient energy in the form of starches or carbohydrates (CHO’s). They help maintain blood glucose levels and are stored in muscles as glycogen. This glycogen is used as energy during exercise. Eating a snack or meal with CHO’s after exercising helps to replace the glycogen you have used up and prevents fatigue at your next training session!

CHO’s should form the main body of all meals and snacks. Include mostly high fibre CHO’s such as wholewheat bread, brown rice, baby potatoes, sweet potatoes and wholegrain cereals.

Include protein with meals to maintain muscle mass. Do not follow a high protein diet without CHO’s – it will not provide you with enough energy and will cause fatigue.

Rather enjoy low fat protein such as grilled fish, skinless chicken, lean red meat, lean pork, low fat cheese, lentils or dried beans. Fish such as tinned salmon, pilchards and sardines are good sources of protein and essential fatty acids.

Fat should be included in your daily eating. Choose unsaturated fats such as nuts, seeds and avocados which will also provide fibre (roughage) vitamins and minerals. Use small amounts of olive oil, low oil mayonnaise, low fat margarine and other cooking oils. Avoid deep-fried foods.

Vegetables and fruit provide CHOs, vitamins, minerals and fibre (roughage). Try to include at least five different vegetables and fruit daily.