Trending Food Habits for Endurance Athletes

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a half marathon runner, triathlete, or long-distance swimmer. If you’re an endurance athlete, you’re no stranger to working out for long stretches of time.

You also know that because you put in far more miles than your average gym-goer, you need a lot of fuel to get you through your workouts and to recover properly.

Here’s a look at the diets that nutritionists say are best for endurance athlete.

Endurance athletes are mainly doing aerobic activity That means that they have somewhat different dietary needs compared to a bodybuilder or sprinter. “Endurance athletes may need to adjust their diets slightly to have more calories and more carbohydrates than other active individuals,” she says. “Aerobic exercise burns glycogen, the stored form of carbohydrates, so people exercising for a long time need to refuel regularly.”

That doesn’t mean that endurance athletes should only eat pasta and potatoes. Whole grain carbohydrates will fuel you, too. Just make sure that you are getting enough variety. “Carbohydrates should make up at least 50 percent of an endurance athlete’s diet,” “A good guide is to look at your plate and make sure half is covered with carbs, such as fruits, starchy vegetables, rice, noodles, or whole grains.”

High Calorie VS Low Calories

Endurance athletes who are hoping to slim down or are in training for an important race and trying to get a faster time may look to lower calorie diet .Instead, you would be better off figuring out the ideal number of calories needed per day to fuel your lifestyle, she says. (Of course, too many calories each day isn’t good for your body, either.)

“A general rule of thumb for endurance athletes is to consume about 40 calories per kilogram of body weight,” she says. “For most people, this is around 2,500 calories per day, but it can vary. The more muscle and bulk you have, the more calories you can eat. Men also generally need more calories than women.

How Much Protein is too much protein ?

Endurance athletes don’t need to go overboard on protein to get enough to build lean muscle, . “Protein for endurance athletes is the same as a regular diet”.

Try Plant Based

Plant-based diets, which involve eating lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes, with less meat, may be ideal for endurance athletes.

Researchers found that plant based diets improved the heart health of endurance athletes, who are at an increased risk for heart damage and atherosclerosis, a disease where plaque builds up in the arteries. Plant-based diets are also anti-inflammatory, which is beneficial for athletes who are constantly pounding the pavement.

It may take some trial and error for endurance athletes to figure out their optimal meal plan.