How to fuel long runs on a budget, according to a sports dietician
Over the years, sports nutrition has evolved hugely – from drinks and gels to chews and bars, with new compositions and ingredients designed to give your performance an edge.
With so many options, it can be impossible to know what to choose – or even if it’s something you need to spend your money on. So, can you take a DIY approach to fuelling your workouts?
First, a word on sports nutrition. It’s designed to deliver the ideal mix of nutrients, hydration and electrolytes to active bodies.
Your body’s preferred currency for energy is glucose and present guidance recommends taking on 40g to 60g of carbs per hour during endurance exercise of up to three hours, and 60g to 90g of carbs per hour for exercise over three hours.
Naturally, this will differ from person to person, with some requiring – and being able to tolerate – more than this.
In ultra-distance events (anything over 26.2 miles), more attention is required when considering sodium intake. As a rule of thumb, we tend to recommend around 700mg to 900 mg of sodium per litre of fluid consumed. But some people may need a lot more, others a lot less.
There are certainly scenarios where real food is preferable, both from a taste and acceptance perspective – particularly in ultra trail and mountain events. The average gel provides around 20g to 30g of carbohydrates, depending on the brand – an amount you can source from a medium-sized banana, five or six jelly babies, four pitted dates or two small boxes of raisins.
A word of warning on dried fruit, though: overconsuming fructose can contribute to higher rates of gastrointestinal distress (read: the runs).
As for sports drinks, they provide around 30g of carbohydrate per 500ml and 20mmol to 30mmol sodium; a simple alternative is to dilute 300ml of orange juice with 300ml of water and add 1⁄4 tsp of salt.
One area where you rarely need to use a specific sports nutrition product is in recovery. Studies have repeatedly shown that cow’s milk (or flavoured cow’s milk) is an excellent recovery option, as it provides the right mix of carbohydrate, protein, electrolytes and hydration. And while the plant-based among you will have to be more mindful, (some plant-based drinks aren’t quite as nutrient-dense), having a banana in addition to a carton of chocolate soya milk will ensure that any nutritional shortfalls will be compensated for.
You could also create your own pre/post-run recovery fuel. Good options for pre-fuel include flapjacks, banana bread or fruit-juice-based smoothies. For recovery, in addition to milk, you could also make your own recovery smoothies – try blending frozen fruit, milk and Greek-style yoghurt with a squeeze of honey for a quick and easy recipe. Or for colder days, try a recovery hot chocolate using milk fortified with skimmed milk powder to enhance the protein content.
Of course, when you’re working at a high intensity or going up an incline, trying to take on fuel that needs chewing can be challenging. In these situations, opting for sports nutrition products such as drinks or gels will ensure you don’t get depleted too quickly. But as we’ve seen, not all your performance nutrition requirements need to be met this way – there are plenty of DIY options that are more wallet-friendly and just as effective.
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