Post Punk Kitchen Forum

I posted this in the other part of the spa, but i think it fits better here:

I am not a runner. but my husband is, and has been running marathons for about 3 years now. i have a question from him that i'm hoping to get some input on.

He's been vegan as long as me, but is kind of lazy about it (i.e mostly vegan cause i am, doesn't really check labels and stuff at work), but he is a pretty healthy eater naturally. i'm kind of at a loss as to what to feed him. i don't really feel like it's my responsibility to make sure he's eating properly, but he's been asking me about his diet for a couple months now and i don't run or do any hardcore exercise so i wasn't sure what to say.

basically, he says he wants a more high protein vegan snack to eat at work. he is basically always training for the next marathon, so is running a fair distance most days. i think the main problem is that he eats too little and too many simple carbs. he isn't the kind of person who craves a lot of fresh fruit and veg, like i do, so he wouldn't think to take that kind of stuff with him to eat during the day. i am personally on a pretty high fat/high carb diet right now (still breastfeeding and was losing a lot of weight), but i don't know if what i'm eating is what he should be eating.

His daily food intake right now:

Giant bowl of oatmeal with raisins and sugar, no soymilk
3 granola bars
1 apple
bagel sandwich with vegan lunch slices, no veg OR
leftovers
dinner (what ever i make, generally beans/tofu, veg, rice/pasta/potatoes/polenta/quinoa etc)

oh, and basically all he drinks besides water is gatorade, shitty powdered hot chocolate and coffee.

this is WAY less than what i eat during the day... i feel like our dinners are generally healthy and filling, but maybe not tailored to the needs of an athlete. i'm also generally cooking based on what i feel like *i* need to eat to have a balanced day.

ppk athletes, what do you think? what should he be taking for food during the day? what have you discovered is good for your overall health and training success?

I've only been running for just over a year now - about to run my first 25K in 3 weeks (15.5 miles). So I'm pretty new to all of this, but have managed to succeed in my training thus far.

I tend to focus on post-run recovery meals, in terms of eating any differently as an athlete. I usually go for a protein based smoothie with some fruit for carbs, within an hour after working out, to replenish muscle glycogen stores. I also keep hydration on my mind every day (the old, "your pee should look like lemonade" trick).

Otherwise, my eating is just my typical attempts to focus on nutrient density. I try to get no fewer than 3 servings of fruit and 5 servings of veggies a day (which means, veggies with lunch and dinner). Breakfast is usually oatmeal with fruit.

Check out No Meat Athlete - http://www.nomeatathlete.com/ - Some good food advice over there, and he recently went from vegetarian to vegan.

I would see if you can check Thrive by Brendan Brazier out of your local library. It has lots of good info and recipes in it.

thanks, you guys. those seem like good resources.

I find the easiest way to get enough calories and nutrition in my daily meals is to have a full dinner-like meal for both lunch and supper. That means making lots of dinner and freezing it in individual containers for quick and easy meals, and/or being prepared for easy meals. So lunch might be lentil soup with some bread or bun, plus at least one fruit, and dinner is baked tofu with rice and two veg. When I am running more I really notice the difference in appetite and if I am not careful I will eat too many lesser calories.

He should check out protein shakes, as epicorganic mentioned. I like to have a smoothie with spinach, berries, almond milk and protein powder after morning runs, but for the past few weeks I have been trying out running to work so take just almond milk + protein powder in a water bottle to have at my desk, and eat an orange or some berries along with it.

This! Thrive is excellent.