“So What’s for Dinner?”
By Carrie & Joey LongoriaIn an ideal world, you'd prepare every meal from scratch, using the most nutrient-packed foods possible or have a private chef. In the real world, a hectic work schedule, family, kids and a commitment to training can leave you with little time and even less energy to cook. Two weeks into marriage, I have quickly learned that cooking is surely one of the reasons Carrie married me. However, she is so organized, I have yet to find my pack of hickory smoked salt!
Our “Running Together Separately” crosses over into mealtimes too. In this installment, we will discuss our different approaches to daily nutrition and how we fit it into our schedules -- our consistent being that dinner is always together unless one of us happens to be out of town. We hope this will give you ideas about how to approach your nutrition and the importance of balancing your diet as a runner.
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| Joey and Carrie running together. |
Joey: One of my biggest pet peeves as a runner is hearing people talk about their fad diets. “I’m doing paleo,” makes me want to gorge my eyes out with a butter knife. As a runner, or any athlete for that matter, nothing can replace a balanced diet over the long haul. But ‘balanced diet” means something slightly different for everyone. For me, it means a carbohydrate/protein/fat ratio of about 50/30/20. Do I do that at every single meal? Not really. I may not even do it daily. But, over the course of the week, I am generally on target with those numbers. If you are trying to figure out how to do this, it’s fairly easy. I use a popular app called myfitnesspal. Track what you eat, enter your meals, and the app spits out your daily and weekly nutrition percentages. Trust me -- after doing this for about a month, you will intuitively know what to eat and what foods to limit. Or, just marry a registered dietician. . . .
Carrie: Like Joey, I also get annoyed with the latest fad diets. Mainly because everyone wants to discuss them with me and get my thoughts, and because there are so many...I can never keep up. So, I’ve stopped trying. I’ve always followed the philosophy in life that everything in moderation is the best way to go. No extremes to the right or left, because eventually the food thought pendulum is going to swing the other way. It always does -- i.e. the evil dangerous egg is now the glorious lifesaving egg. Also? I’m a realist. Yes, it would be awesome to have everything made from scratch from my garden out back, and not leave a carbon footprint anywhere I go, but again – I live in a world where I travel for work within a five state radius, and I must find creative ways to get in my workouts and not eat fast food and gas station hot dogs every day. While I also used to follow the 50/30/20 rule of eating when I was running 30-40 miles a week, now I am approaching the slowing metabolism age of 40, and only running 20-30 a week, that ratio has changed for me. My daily goal is now 40/30/30, where 40% of my calories are from carbohydrates, 30% from protein, and 30% from fat. Why? A meal designed to be higher in protein does help with satiety (filling fuller longer), which I need because I am not running as much, and it also helps preserve lean muscle mass and faster recovery. I am also doing more weight resistance training to help keep my metabolism up, but that is a topic for another article.
A Daily Sample
Joey: Generally, I am on the road running by 5:00 or 5:30 in the morning and very rarely, if ever, eat anything beforehand. Most often I will drop a Nuun tablet in a glass of water and drink it on the way to my run. Once I get home, my go-to is two slices of whole grain toast (Sara Lee 45 calorie per slice bread) with peanut butter and honey, a small container of Greek yogurt and 20-30 ounces of water. Endurance coach Chris Carmichael suggests the following:
For post run meals, generally a 1 to 3 or 1 to 4 protein to carb ratio will help your muscle repair. Immediately after exercise, your muscles are primed to use the amino acids in protein and to refill glycogen stores. If you weigh 150 pounds, this means you should consume about 105 grams of carbohydrates in that meal. In addition, you need between 25 and 30 grams of protein to fulfill the ratio for optimal recovery. A sample meal with these nutrient amounts is a 4-inch cinnamon-raisin bagel topped with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, a small banana and 2 cups of skim milk.
Lunch usually depends on what leftovers are in the refrigerator. As I write this, my choices are baked chicken, sautéed zucchini, black beans, homemade red beans and rice and cubed watermelon. So, I opt for the red beans and rice, some watermelon and some pom-mango juice (600 milligrams of potassium goes a long way in the summertime!). Not to sound like I’m no fun, but fast food simply is not an option. The “I don’t have time” excuse is simply that -- an excuse. Heating up nutritious and yummy leftovers takes 120 seconds and costs far less (you know, because those race entry fees cost some serious dough). If I need an afternoon snack, I grab a handful of wasabi peas or fruit or a Clif bar. Slowly walk away from the vending machine.
The caveat to my typical breakfast and lunch is that sometimes after a long run, I’ll stop for a fried chicken breakfast biscuit and hash rounds and every now and then, the fried chicken at Publix calls my name like an opera. That brings us to dinner -- my favorite, because that is usually the meal we eat together. See dinner below.
Carrie: I am typically at the gym by 4:30am, so no food beforehand for me, either. I’m back home by 6:30, and I jump in the shower. Afterwards, I start to get hungry. Because time is of the essence, I don’t have time to cook eggs or hearty oatmeal with freshly squeezed anything, especially if I am in a hotel. It’s a Boost Calorie Smart for me most mornings – 190 cal, 16 g protein and 16 g carbs. This fits close to my 40/30/30 needs, and I can drink it while I dry my hair (Score!) Keep in mind, I am not in endurance training mode, so I watch my carbs more closely than Joey. I try to keep them lower in the morning, especially because it helps with not overeating the rest of the day.
I usually am not hungry again until 11am or 12pm. Lunch is usually a sandwich with yogurt and water, if I am home. If I am on the road, I have another Boost with a protein bar of some sort and a piece of fruit. I try to save my fun calories for dinner with Joey. While my eating plan may not seem glamorous at breakfast and lunch, and you are thinking I should include more actual food and not liquid meals, it works for me, and it helps me maintain my weight, while getting most of my vitamins & minerals for the day. The National Weight Control Registry reports that individuals who are most successful with maintaining weight loss two years after losing it, eat a consistent diet throughout the year. Most members reported eating the same way on weekdays and weekends, including during the holidays and vacations. Those who ate this way were 1.5 times more likely to maintain their weight within five pounds over time. Those who allowed for more flexibility on holidays had the greatest risk of weight regain.*
So it’s a tool for me, which helps with my lifestyle of consistency, not so much rigidity. I am not suggesting it’s for everyone, but if you are struggling to maintain your weight, and extra miles are not helping keep the pounds off, try utilizing a shake or a bar that provides at least 22 vitamins/minerals, has 30% protein and tastes good in place of a meal. If it doesn’t taste good, you won’t stick with it. The calorie and portion control of a meal replacement really helps you see the times you have been eating past satiety.
So What’s for Dinner?
Dinner is usually something fairly simple and fresh and not surprisingly, fairly quick to prepare. Again, I'm not saying we don't grab a pizza every now and then, or go out for Mexican food. But, that is not the norm. One of our most frequently eaten dinners includes pan seared salmon or tuna over zucchini noodles. Honestly, it takes maybe 20 minutes to cook (including prep time). Carrie got me one of those "vegetti" tools for Christmas. Since then, I've tried making noodles out of just about everything. Our favorite happens to be zucchini because it's easy, cooks quickly and most importantly, tastes good! We saute it with some olive oil, a little salt and pepper and some Italian herb seasonings. The fish, usually salmon, is cooked over medium heat in a little olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper and some turmeric. The turmeric gives it a nice gold colored sear, but it is also a natural anti-inflammatory. Plus, salmon makes you smarter, and I need all the help I can get.
Another quick go-to is avocado and tuna. Split open an avocado and throw out the pit. Fill the seed pockets with a can of water packed tuna (drained). Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with slivered almonds. Yes, avocados are high in fat – but it’s the good fat, and you need it every once in a while. So delicious and easy to throw together.
There you have it! Simple, quick and delicious. When it comes to dessert, we sort of differ. Carrie is more of a dessert eater than I am, in that she usually has some form of dessert after dinner, and I sometimes do and sometimes don't. Now, this doesn't mean chocolate cake and a pint of ice cream. Dessert usually takes the form of Greek yogurt and some chocolate chips or in the summertime, sautéed peaches drizzled with honey -- something with a little sweetness to satisfy your palate without ruining your diet. After all, food should be fun and enjoyable! Sure, as runners we need it to fuel our next run, but the more fun we have with our nutrition, the more likely we are to explore, enjoy and eat healthy.
We are still negotiating times we eat dinner. Joey likes to eat dinner later, as in after 8pm, and I like to eat earlier, as in before 7:30pm. We have compromised and are trying to eat by 7:30-7:45, but some nights it doesn’t happen and we eat the same dinner but not at the same time. Kind of like our running – together but separate. Best advice – be knowledgeable but open to experimenting with your diet to help maximize your training plan or recreational running.
* National Weight Control Registry website: http://www.nwcr.ws/