This Week in Food, Health, and Fitness

This week, read about how to fuel for a faster marathon, more reasons to eat Mediterranean style, the health benefits of oats, Halloween candy to fuel training, and more.

Want to Run a Fast Marathon? Make Sure You Fuel it Right with Carbs!

Many athletes don’t consume enough carbohydrates in training and racing, despite a significant body of research showing that consuming carbohydrates during endurance events leads to better performances. Endurance or intensity sessions deplete muscles of glycogen, so it’s important to consume carbohydrates to delay the onset of fatigue and replenish these stores.

The New York Times reports this week on a study showing that proper timing and dosage of sports gels during a marathon led to better performances than a group who used their usual nutrition strategies. The “gel” group consumed more carbohydrates during the marathon than the “usual” group, which supports other research showing that optimal carbohydrate consumption improves performance. Of note, the gel group didn’t experience more gastrointestinal distress than the usual group, and practiced this fueling strategy during training – something many athletes neglect do do. Research shows that you can train your gut to tolerate and increase its ability to absorb carbohydrates . . . don’t wait until race day!

More Reasons to Eat a Mediterranean-Style Diet

Two new studies out this week add to the growing body of research showing that eating a Mediterranean style diet is good for your health.

One study, published in the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke, updates recommendations for stroke prevention, and recommends a Mediterranean-style diet; another study showed that eating a Mediterranean-style diet could reduce the risk of kidney disease.

What is a Mediterranean-style diet? A Mediterranean diet typically focuses on plant-based foods like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains; healthy fats from nuts, seeds, and olive oil; moderate intake of fish and poultry, and low intake of dairy products, red meat, processed meats, and sweets.

A Mediterranean-style eating plan can include many delicious foods, is not restrictive, and an extensive body of research links eating “Mediterranean-style” to numerous health benefits.

The Health Benefits of Oats

This week I discovered that there is an International Oat Day. Oats are certainly a dietary staple for me: a typical breakfast includes oatmeal and fruit or muesli, and I usually incorporate oats into other foods and baked goods. As an endurance athlete, my diet is typically high in carbohydrates, and oats are an inexpensive, healthful, and versatile source of carbohydrates to fuel my activity. Also out this week was a journal supplement dedicated to a scientific review of oats (summary is here; and you’ll find all the articles in the October 2014 supplement of the British Journal of Nutrition October ). Among other topics, the supplement reviews research, including the following:

Oatmeal is more filling than ready-to-eat, oat-based cereals (calorie for calorie)
Oats contribute to digestive health
Oats improve cardiovascular health, and the beneficial impact of beta-glucan fiber in oats on low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C)

I”ve incorporated oats into the following recipes: Sheila’s Quick & Easy Oatmeal Bars; Traditional Swiss Oat Muesli, and Tasty Veggie Burgers