There was a post last week about pizza as a pre-race meal that really surprised me. When I’m training often, I tend to eat extremely healthy, maybe too much. No pizza, no red meat, no cheese, no fried foods, etc. And defenitely not the night before a race. After reading that post, I’m thinking maybe I’m a little overboard. I’ve also been eating more pizza.
I’m thinking I don’t eat all that well. All I keep an eye on is carb, protein, and fat intake. But the fact that I keep an eye on these things doesn’t mean I eat appropriate amounts of each. Really though, the one thing I do regulate is carbs, so unfortunately I don’t eat as much pizza as I’d like. But I love my red meat and fat. So in addition to lots of chicken, pork, fish, fruits, and veggies, I eat plenty of red meat, cheese, peanuts, cashews…
I’ve also discovered how much I love all types of sausage. Talk about fat!!! I think that at any given time I have at least three different types of sausage in my fridge.
no red meat, no cheese
I guess it all depends on what you consider “eating healthy.” I certainly don’t consider abstaining from meat and cheese as eating healthy. I consider eating healthy to be staying away from foods made in a lab with ingredients that have 8 or more syllables. 
Seriously, I’d love to hear how meat and cheese are unhealthy.
I think the best approach is to eat a balanced diet and aim for a good deal of variety. I think it is okay to not eat certain things as long as your individual nutrient requirements are being met. The more strict you are about your food intake, the more strict you need to be in monitoring the amount of nutrients. In the past, I have tried to be very disciplined about not eating certain kinds of foods; however, I have found that variety couple with a little moderation is really the best approach. I personally do not eat red meat and I try to eat a good deal of vegtables. Other than that, I don’t worry about eating “bad” foods occasionally like fries, chips, cookies, etc. For me, the more restricitve I was on my diet, the more prone I was to injury or sickness.
I personally do not eat red meat and I try to eat a good deal of vegtables. Other than that, I don’t worry about eating “bad” foods occasionally like fries, chips, cookies, etc.
Unless for moral reasons, I’d have to question anyone who would give up red meat, but doesn’t have a problem with fries, chips, and cookies.
But I certainly do agree with the idea of balance and moderation.
According to my physiology books elite endurance athletes can require 1.7g/kg/day of protein to maintain nitrogen balance, around double that of couch potatoes. Based on that critters is good food.
Normally I don’t eat that much meat, mostly because I hate to cook, but when the burger ads start looking like the best food ever invented and I start muttering and drooling like Homer Simpson I make the effort to reestablish myself at the top of the food chain with a slab o’ flesh.
Marcel -
No. You’re not a little overboard. Considering the fast “food” diet of many industrialized countries, it’s highly unlikely that you’re eating too healthy.
Here’s my healthy eating plan: I eat whole foods as opposed to processed foods. What that means is, if it looks like it just got picked off a tree branch, cut off a plant stem, or pulled out of the ground, then I’ll eat it. I also eat meat - preferably organically grown.
I also believe that all good health begins in the intestines - you know, friendly bacteria and stuff like that. If you can’t efficiently get rid of waste, or effectively absorb nutrients, it doesn’t matter how healthy your diet is.
Popeye’s chicken 1-2X per week, Sushi 1X per week, Roast Beef sandwich from local chain 1-2X per week, Mc Donald’s chicken Mc Nuggets 1X per week, Met Rx xhakes about 3X per week, GNC’s own brand of protein shake 3X per week, A nice juicy steak 1X per month, other fish products 1X per month. I also supplement with energy bars (Zone) along the way.
I drink beer every night, except for three days prior to race day, drink almost water exclusively through the day, will have strong (3 shots of espresso) almost every day.
Night before race meal: Spaghetti and meatballs or sushi. Pre race meal: one, nice smooth Met Rx shake and two Red Bull.
How about Hooter’s wings, fries, and single malt scotch? Not all at the same meal. I’ve got some buddies that can down this swill and still PR the next day / week. I say whatever the body can handle. Then again, I’ve got a spare suitcase around the middle heer that can handle quite a bit.
We eat lots of pasta, grains, fruit, vegetables, salads. We eat very little meat but enjoy chicken and fish. We make our own veggie pizzas. We eat virtually no fast food. I thank my wife for this. In my bachelor days I wasn’t near so discriminating.
Bunnyman, your diet is brilliant. I can only aspire to such greatness.
You should talk to Tom Demerly. In a post similar to this he gave an example of his cutting edge eatting habits.
This is more related to race nutrition but has anyone ever considered sliding a few doughnuts over their aerobars? You could even have some onion rings on one bar (savoury) and doughies on the other (sweet). A near perfect dining experience could be at hand. Or the burger fans could spear a few of their favourites on…endless possibilities…
Seems to me like I may have hit on something here that’s been staring us in the face. I may be booking some windtunnel time soon to make sure the numbers add up (I suspect they will from the few basic calculations I’ve worked through).
I have my moments… About a year ago I flirted with a strict “modified Paleo diet” a la Gordo, and achieved excellent results. Then I got really busy, and everything went to hell. Currently I try to make intelligent choices about what types of fuel to use, but I don’t beat myself up over anything either. I will eat potato chips, mars bars, cookies, ice cream, chocolate, and the occasional saussage. But I try to limit both the frequency and quantity of that type of thing, knowing that my body runs better on fresh fruit and vegetables, lean meats, and whole, unprocessed grains. I drink tonnes of water, and have significantly cut back on soft drinks. Coffee is life. I feel the same way about coffee that Charlton Heston feels about guns. Perhaps more so.
I find it helps if I view my body as a high performance vehicle. If I gave you a Ferrari, would you try to run it on corn oil? The same (basic) principle applies. If I don’t want to perform like crap, I can’t live on crap. But hey - I’m human…
I find snickers, twix, gummy bears and pepsi to be very healthy. if it is in the fridge and not smelly, overly moldy or moving to much its fair game. I probably eat out 2-3x week for lunch but that is due to work. Mainly pasta, cereal (cocca crispies are a favorite), fruit and vegis, chicken or steak 2-3 times week, a multivitamin 4-5 x week, a couple of beers and lots of water even on cool days like today when its 98 or so.
“no beer for three entire days before the race? I have only been able to work myself up to beer free the day immediately prior to the race.”
Same here. But definately always have a cold one immediately after the race. It’s become tradition.
“But definately always have a cold one immediately after the race.”
If by cold one you mean 6 pack, then I’m with you.
I really do not have a great diet. Too many carbs, too much fat. But I have cut down on the 6-7 cokes a day and eat healthier snacks when traingin harder.
Breakfast: Cereal. Rice Krispies usually low sugar AM: Snack is yogurt Lunch: Sandwich turkey ham etc with chips and 1 oz of nuts + fruit + 1/2 coke rest water. McDonalds 1 x week with wife. PM snack: Nuts, fruit or 1/2 energy bar etc. Dinner: usually chicken with breadding but not fried. 1 x week will have a beast on the grill, other times will have pasta or club sandwiches with pasta side or something like that. Desert: 2-3 cookies or 100-150 cal of sweets.
Weekends suck: Hooters wings, Pizza, McDonalds, Chili’s etc. a bunch of beers 1 x a month or so 4-8 at a sitting (Miller Lite though!!!) Cant seem to get a hold of the weekends! My gut shows it. I complain why at trainign 12 hrs a week I still have a smidge of flab at the gut but still eat like that. I am taking the slow approach to lifestyle change. I also figure… for me… life is too short to be so restrictive to my diet that I do not enjoy it. That is why I am slowly moving towrd a better diet. I know you would not know it by the above info.
I remain on a strict diet of worms, grass, grubs, and other things I find beneath the surface of the Earth.
My wife joined weight watchers a few months ago and the results have been benficial for the both of us. She is not nearly as active as I am, and despite my activity level, I have eaten crap for most of my adult life.
Since going on the program, not only has she been losing weight and being more active, it has been easier for me to keep weight off even though I’m not as active as I would like to be at this point.
For those not aware of the system, food is given points based on how many calories, fat, protein, and fiber are in each item and you are given a point limit per day. Naturally the healthier the food the fewer points it contains for the most part. Sure you can treat yourself to a candy bar, but if you don’t want to go go a little hungry later it pays to eat as healthy as possible all the time. Since I am a little more active I just eat larger portions.
Anyway, long story short, I now eat much better than I ever did, even when I was doing hardcore training last year. Probably doesn’t apply to this group too much, but I thought some may be interested.