I’m looking for a good book or website on eating correctly for Ironman training. I want to learn basically everything about what I should and should not eat. Anyone know of any good resources?
On a related note… I’m big on cereal. Usually eat 2 or 3 bowls a day of either Cheerios, Raisin Bran, or Honey Bunches of Oats (I figure it’s better than candy bars and cheetos). Anyone know what the “best” cereal out there is nutrition-wise for endurance athletes?
Best cereals? Maybe oatmeal or some homemade whole-grain concoction. I’m working on the latter, and I’ll let you know if I come up with something palatable.
As for books, I’ve just come across “The New Becoming Vegetarian” (Vesanto Melina and Brenda Davis, 2003), which seems to have more detailed (but understandable) nutritional advice in it than anything I’ve ever seen. This book fits into what you might be looking for as far as “eating right…correctly” is concerned, but as for being applicable to Ironman training, I can’t really say. However, as I prepare for my first IM next July, I am closely examining vegetarianism, or at least semi-vegetarianism, as a way to make sure that my diet is as far from processed and overly-refined foods as possible. The more I read, the more I’m convinced that nothing nutritionally has to sacrificed in a vegetarian diet. I followed a vegetarian diet almost exclusively for the month leading up a late-November marathon in which I qualified for Boston by running 3:29 (I’m 54), so I’m thinking that my nutritional needs must’ve been well-satisfied. This is all a very interesting and illuminating adventure, and while I’m not yet sure where it will end up by the time Lake Placid rolls around, I can tell you that, for the past couple of months, I’ve been eating “better” than I ever have before in my life. Have fun with your quest, and I’ll let you know if I come up with any other resources.
If you are training for an Ironman I say eat whatever you body says it wants. There is enough to deal with in the training to worry about the perfect diet. Plus, you will crave what you need once the rides get up to 5+ hours.
What I like most about Nancy is she realizes that many athletes simply aren’t going to spend 3hours a day preparing meals. So, instead of trying to change that, she works with it.
I first came across nancy’s stuff at “Maximum” Bob Whelan’s strength training website.
Here’s the link to her section there. Many articles to give you a sampling of her “no fluff” writing, just gives you the info you need to know.
I used to practically live on Lucky Charms. The perfect cereal: Lucky Charms after you pick out all those stupid oat things.
Seriously, I eat lots of Mueslix now. It tastes great, has a lot of protein, some fat, and quite a bit of fiber in it. Sugar is way down on the ingredients list, unlike almost every single cereal on the market today.
I am getting the Sports Nutrition Guidebook and Endurance Sports Nurition for Christmas. Those books have both been highly recommended here and on Amazon. I hope to use them to fine tune my diet, which I think is pretty good at this point.
Thanks everyone for replying… I’ve bookmarked all the sites you’ve mentioned and intend to read as much of them as I can. I’ll keep Meuslix in mind… never tried it. As for the oreo in milk and cocoa crispies… that can’t be good for you! I’m going to look into the Nutrition for Endurance Sports book(s) - hopefully they will help.
If anyone else cares to weigh in… please do. Thanks again!
I think one of the best things I’ve done for my training is get a library card. the library system in the seattle area is great. I’ve found many books on sports nutrition. everybody says something different. I love my cereal too, but I cut out Raisin Bran after one book where I’d read how bran isn’t a good choice for endurance athletes. It was awhile ago, but I think it related to how the bran binds water through the digestive tract, leaving less available to other tissues.
one of my goals is for 2004 is to acquire a taste for oatmeal, since there’s very little processing to it. My current cereal choices are cheerios and mini-wheats. both processed, but they have a short ingredient list.
There is a similar product that is called Alpen. I think it’s just another Muslix competitor. This is a European product that has nuts, oatmeal and not alot of additives. You can get it on line, just do a search for Alpen cereal. Good stuff. This has also become the cereal that cleans me out prior to an event. A big bowl 24 hours before a race alows me to take care of business in a big way before a start. I would hate to be late with that though. Must be the raisins.
