Running Nutrition
Protein Shakes and Supplements
Running nutrition is especially important if your a mom and a runner.
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Protein Shakes
When it comes to running nutrition, few things will give you the energy and nutrients without the feeling of being starving all the time like a healthy protein shake.
I first found out about protein shakes when I stopped eating red meat. I had heard of protein shakes before but I always saw people taking them when they were on a diet, so I associated them with self-denial and martyrdom and just assumed they must be awful.
However, after going on a health kick and cutting red meat, chicken and pork from my diet and eating mostly vegetables, whole grains and fish, I was feeling tired and hungry all the time. That's when I started drinking a protein shake, and surprisingly it was pretty good. You can mix it with your favorite drink for the perfect pick-me-up snack or for a great after-workout snack.
It is good to eat right after your run, because your body processes it in a certain way in those 30 minutes that is very important to take advantage of. I'm not sure of the technical terms, but from the way my coach described it, this helps with both muscle recovery and weight loss.
Seven Reasons To Add a Protein Shake to Your Diet
1) Working out tears your muscles. Recovery helps build your muscles back up. A protein shake helps this recovery process.
2) Protein powder contains the necessary amino acids without the added cholesterol of red meats and other similar proteins.
3) It is important to have something to eat immediately after your workout. Protein shake is a quick and very nutritious meal to take immediately after you workout.
4) You are hungry during the day and want to go for snack that won't stack on the pounds.
5) A protein shake is the best After 7pm snack. It is not recommended that you eat carbs late at night. This is one of the top reasons people gain weight. And if you go for a piece of meat, your body is not going to digest that, so it will probably keep you up. So the perfect snack if you are hungry at night that will not stack on the pounds and that you will easily digest is a protein shake.
6) If you are a vegetarian, you are likely not getting enough protein. A protein shake is suitable for vegetarians and the perfect way to get the protein you need.
And last but not least, if you're current snacks give you an immediate heightened sense of energy and then leave you feeling even more exhausted, you're going to love the next one, both for advice on running nutrition and throughout your day.
7) If you eat protein as a snack instead of carbs, it keeps your blood sugar stable so therefore your mood and energy levels will also be stable.
What is The Best Kind of Protein Shake?
Weigh protein is the best because it is broken down more than soy and other types of protein powder, so it is more easily absorbed.
Another tasty supplement to the protein shake is chocolate milk.
Supplements
Vitamins are best derived from the food we eat, but sometimes we don't get enough of that and need to take a supplement in order to get enough running nutrition.
Here is a list of some of the vitamins and minerals that are especially important for runners. If you're not getting these in your food, you might try taking a supplement.
At least, you should probably be taking a daily multi vitamin. And if you're not crazy about dairy or broccoli, you should probably be taking calcium too. But you should check with your doctor before you take a supplement, because it is possible to overdose on supplements.
