If you bump into Ultramarathonman Dean Karnazes at your local Whole Foods, I bet it won’t be in the supplement and food bar aisle…
In “Nutri-lize This,” National Geographic Adventure magazine reports that “the fittest man in the world,” and many more elite and endurance athletes, “are questioning the benefits of vitamins and supplements, opting [instead] for all natural [foods].”
As reporter Karen Asp summarizes:
Packaged powder may goose you during a hard run or ride, but eating au naturel, it seems, can help separate the winners from the also-rans. Suzanne Girads Eberle, a sports dietitian and authors of the highly regarded handbook, Endurance Sports Nutrition, says “Vitamins and minerals don’t give us energy. That comes from carbs, proteins, and fats in healthy foods.”
So what to eat? “Some dietary standouts” include low-fat milk, edamame, peanut butter, lentils, albacore tuna, and lean red meat.
Slow carbs to run fast… Pass me some muscat melon!
Play, think…
J.R. Atwood
Additional reading: Real Thought for Food for Long Workouts by Gina Kolata compares the nutritional science market of recovery products to the benefits of eating real food after engaging in vigorous exercise.
Filed under: The Body, Health & Exercise , carbs, Dean Karnazes, endurance, exercise, four-to-one carbohydrates to protein ratio, muscat melon, nutrition, nutritional science, real food, ultramarathon
