Eat Cleaner to Run Meaner

I run to eat and I eat to run! What does this mean? Running allows me to enjoy guilty pleasures with less guilt and eating allows me to run with more energy and stamina. There is a fundamental link between food and running. For any runner, food is more than just nutrition. Food is the fuel we need to complete our runs.

A good diet does not only enable us to run better but has also been linked to improved mental health. According to clinical psychologist Dr. Barbara Greenberg, a well-balanced diet improves physical health by increasing energy levels and protecting the immune system. At the same time, she says “there’s no question that a well-balanced diet relates to better emotional health”. I always knew that fueling my body with the right food was important, but reading this confirmed it. Optimal sanity comes from the combination of running and healthier eating.

Does a good / clean diet mean that I cannot enjoy a glass of wine or a piece of cake? Of course not! A clean diet in my opinion is an eating plan where I focus on fueling my body with the necessary nutrition it needs to maintain energy and stamina while maintaining a healthy relationship with food.

A clean diet consists of eating non-processed foods. Food that is free of preservatives and additives. A clean diet consists of eating more vegetables, fruit and whole foods. I found this awesome article with loads of examples on clean eating (it includes examples for general clean eating but also for pre-run/ mid-run and post-run): Clean Food for Runners: How to Fuel the Healthy Way (howtorunguide.com).

How to start with clean eating:

1. Education on nutrition is so important. Learn to read and understand the labels on food (one key tip – avoid sugary foods).  
2. Plan your meals and go shopping with your grocery list. Make sure the majority of that list is filled with “clean foods”.
3. Make cooking fun. Try new recipes and eat at a table rather than in front of the television.
4. Treat yourself with your favourite “cheats”. Monday to Friday I stick to a clean eating diet, but on weekends I enjoy a drink and I love trying new recipes or eating at different restaurants. I must admit, it’s not a weekend of cheating, but I do allow myself to enjoy the finer things in life. We only live once after all.

My biggest lessons learned, that helped me to clean up my eating:

1. I realized that food is the most essential fuel source I need for feeling energised while exercising. Exercise is not punishment for bad eating and loving good food is more normal than not loving it. I learned that that my love for food and my love for running creates the perfect healthy-body-healthy-mind balance.
2. Healthy habits drive more healthy habits, BUT the inverse is also true.  I learned that the cleaner I eat, the more energy and motivation I have to exercise. When I have eaten bad for a few days, I feel sluggish and unmotivated to exercise.

This picture was taken on my first trip to Italy: Tomato spaghetti on a little slice of pizza (yes you read correctly). This is of course not a good example of a balanced meal, but it is a pretty awesome memory!

To wrap up this post, I want to recommend two books that I loved reading. These books are all about food and running:

1. Eat and Run – Scott Jurek
2. Run fast. Eat slow – Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky