Get Faster In Four Days Eat Mediterranean, speed up!

Switch to a Mediterranean diet for a speedier 5K

A MEDITERRANEAN DIET ISN’T JUST GOOD for your ticker – it could also help you to cut seconds from your parkrun PB. A study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that eating like the Italians and Spanish can knock six per cent off your 5K time in just four days – that’s a remarkable 90 seconds off a 25-minute 5K. In the small study, athletes running on treadmills performed better after switching from a Western diet (low on vegetables and high in saturated fat) to a Mediterranean one (rich in whole grains, vegetables and good fats). Mountains of pasta were not involved, which is a shame. The study involved recreationally active men and women, and you’d expect smaller improvements in more seasoned runners, but it’s still worth considering if you’re looking to pick up the pace from largo to allegro.