Friends and Diet

Well, there's really no connection between Friends and Diet. Forgot to mention about my friend and training partner Naga Bhushan in my previous blog. Bhushan and I have been training together for the past few months and looks like this friendship and training would go on for a long time. Bhushan insisted that we drive in his car from Bangalore to Hyderabad. So, we left early in the morning on Aug 25th towards Hyderabad. The highway was immaculate and 2 of Bhushan's relatives also joined us in the drive. Bhushan drove at a very good speed and we reached Anantapur for breakfast. We had breakfast at Bhushan's aunt & uncle's home. Nice hot idlis and upma was the perfect breakfast before a marathon day. We finally reached Hyderabad around 2pm and went straight to the expo to collect our bibs.

Bhushan completed the HM on Aug 26, 2012 in 02:22 hrs!! Well done Bhushan! Right after the marathon, we drove back to Bangalore in Bhushan's car! A smooth Sunday drive on the highway!

Coming to diet, you burn about a 100 calories for every 1 mile (1.6 km) that you run. So, make sure that your calorie intake doesn't outweigh the calorie you burn while running.

What to eat?

1. Eat carbohydrates. Carbs are very important for producing energy during your run. Complex Carbs should be part of your lunch and/or dinner. 
2. Add an egg to your diet every day, if possible. 
3. Proteins are very important. Eat proteins in whatever format you can - veg or non-veg! Seeds and food with seeds are very important. 
4. Replace snack with fresh fruits like apples, pears, bananas, pomegranates, oranges and grapes. 
5. Drink a glass of milk everyday. Add cheese, yogurt and curd to your diet. Eat curd rice for lunch or dinner. 
6. Drink plenty of water throughout the day. 
7. You need fat to a certain extent. But don't over dose on fat. 
8. Green Tea or coffee without sugar. 

What to avoid?

1. Mid meal snacks
2. Oily & deep fried foods. This includes chips, murukkus (முறுக்கு), bajji (பஜ்ஜி), vadai (வடை) and pooris.
3. Soda and aerated drinks
4. Alcohol
5. Sweets (all kinds).
6. Fast foods - Pizza, KFC, McDonalds etc. They have no nutritional values. 

On a running day, this could be your diet:

Breakfast: (one of the following)

1. Idli or Dosai. You may have an egg on the side as an omelette or scrambled. 
2. A couple of toast and jam sandwiches along with an egg (omelette or scrambled) on the side. 

Lunch: (one of the following)

1. 3 or 4 chappatis or rotis and a bowl of curd rice. The subzi could be veg or non-veg.
2. A bowl of rice (boiled or bissibelabath or briyani or pulav) and a bowl of curd rice. Side dish could be veg or non-veg. 
3. A bowl of pasta and bowl of curd rice. 
4. A bowl of noodles and bowl of curd rice. 

Dinner: (one of the following)

1. 3 or 4 rotis or chappatis and a bowl of fresh fruits, followed by a glass of milk.
2. Pav Bhajji (as much as you can eat) and a bowl of fresh fruits, followed by a glass of milk. .
3. Steak and a bowl of fresh fruits, followed by a glass of milk.
4. Fajitas, Tacos, Burritos or Enchiladas and a bowl of fresh fruits, followed by a glass of milk.

On non running days: (only the breakfast menu changes. The lunch and dinner are same as above). 

1. A bowl of cereal or oat meal or Raagi. 

Note: Ice cream and cakes can be had in moderation. 

Just before you run:

1. Eat 2 or 3 fully ripe bananas
2. Drink 1 liter of water. 
3. If you are running more than 10 km, carry Gatorade with you in your fuel belt or on your hand. 
4. Try GU for instant energy. You may also eat organes for instant energy. 
5. Keep hydrating yourself with water or Gatoraade every 15 to 20 minutes. 

Have fun running folks! Write a comment below if you would like to contact me.