The always demanded topic that never loses its appeal regardless of how many cuisines and food supplements we get access to. There is still nothing new on planet Earth. The best foods are the simpliest - which is being echoed among nutritionists and elite performers.
As we took a look on the runner’s and triathlete’s daily menu we figured some common threads in ingredients as well as so-called morning and evening foods. We can safely say you can add those in your shoping list without hesitation:
Fruits: Loots of bananas, mango, and orange (preferrably for a morning treat); avocado if ‘feels like it’ but not daily.
Dairy products were rarley spotted, but SKYR, kefir or other type of fermented milk seem to be a hit. For carbs, the favorite are those releasing energy slowly: rice, bread, pasta, and nut butter.
Snacks: granola bowl, dark chocolate & energy bars.
Well, turned out many athletes say they will not add anything specfic at the big day (except for energy gels and, later, proteins to replace the teared issue). The food is a fuel and it’s better to stick to your familiar diet not to have any unpleasant surprises. However, we believe, a little more variety and new interesting tastes will not hurt motivation (if tested in advance) and can nicely add up to the satisfaction after a hard run.
BEFORE
Let’s begin with classics - The Oats, SIR!
1 JUMBO Cholocate Oats
- Wholegrain oats
- *Milk if preferred
- Jobbie peanut butter or Maple syrup
- Half a banana
- Cacao powder
- Butter & Vanilla
- *Toasted almonds
- Cook 1 cup oats in1 1/2 cup water and 1 cup milk of choice.
- At the time, stir in 2 tbsp cacao powder and 2 tsp maple syrup and a nice pinch of salt.
- *To make a caramelised option - add 2 tbsp of water to the pan, 1 tbsp of butter and a pinch of vanilla. Half and slice a banana and let fry for 2 minutes.
- Serve the cooked porridge, place banana slices on top, a little of butter (if not added earlier), drizzle with the remaining caramel. Decorate with chopped almonds.
Taste and adjust! Add berries, joghurt or melt in a piece of dark cholocate.
2 If you have a couple of hours ahead and getting hungry - Egg salad Toast is your choice.
- Bread
- Half an avocado
- 2 eggs
- Cheese
- Sour cream / fat joghurt
- Greens like parseley & dill
- Salt & pepper
- Fry a big slice of bread oil-free in the pan on low heat with slices of cheese on top.
- Cook two eggs - 5 minutes in boiling water; cool and cut finely.
- Cut half an avocade, mesh it out, mix with cooked eggs. Add greens to the mass.
- Once bread is crispy and cheese is melted - spread the eggsalad on top evenly. Finish with greens, salt & pepper.
Enjoy!
Pastry hint: we know that whole bread is an only go-to for people conscious of their health, yet if you are short on time, apt for white bread - quickly gives you the energy you needs and easily absorbed having less fiber, e.x. a good idea for an early run would be a white toast with honey or peanut butter.
AFTER
3 Backed Chickpeas salad (can be a main dish or an ddition to meat or fish)
- 1 Iceber lettuce
- 1 Avocado
- 40 g Hard cheese
- 1/2 cup Chickpeas
- 1 Feta Cheese
- Dried fruits/ nuts - optiona
- Lemon juice and Olive oil
- To cook the chickpeas, put into a saucepan. Add cold water to come to about 8-10 cm above the chickpeas and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 45 mins. (Soak it overnight for a swifter cooking).
- Drain water and put cooked chickpeas into a bowl. Sprinkle with olive oil and lemon juice, add garlic, salt, and red pepper. Mix everything with grated hard cheese.
- Lay out the mix on a baking pepper and send to the oven for 15-20 min at 180°C until golden.
- Cube the avocado, chop feta and Iceber lettuce. Add a little bit of lemon juice and salt&papper.
- Baked Cheesy chickpeas put on top to the bowl and serve!
4 After-race ‘Ugali” from the world record holders (for curious and dedicated cooks:)
- 3 cups water
- 1 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon Vegan Butter, optional
- Vegetable/ Cheakpea Stew or
- Smothered Tofu
- Cook salted water until boiling, add maize flour in portions followed by continuous mixing to make a paste.
- Allow a minute for the sprinkled maize flour to absorb some heat and continue breaking up lumps with a spoon until the porridge has pulled away from the sides of the pot and is very thick, about 10 minutes.
- Place the porridge in a large serving bowl. Let it cool. Wet hands with water, form into a ball.
At this point the meal is ready. Serve with brown sauce and BBQ meat, stew, herbs. (You can also serve ugali with buttermilk or kefir and maple syrup for breakfast).
24 hours before. Pre-race supper is just as important to provide a needed energy tank and be easy on the stomach. We suggest going with the good-old Carb + Protein + Veggies scheme. Better no broccoli, beans, or legumes.
5 Salmon Pasta
- 3/4 pound of salmon (or two fillets)
- Noodle of choice
- Butter (for sauce)
- 3 minced garlic cloves
- Heavy cream – optional
- Baby spinach
- Capers
- Rosemary
- Lemon juice
- Salt and spices of choice
- Boil a big pot of water and start cooking the pasta as per package.
- Place salmon, skin side down, on prepared pan and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bake 12 minutes or until salmon is almost opaque throughout
- Cook garlic in butter, add cream, lemon zest, salt & pepper. Stir for about about 5 minutes or until it thickens into a sauce consistency.
- Then, stir in spinach and capers and cook over low heat 1 to 2 minutes until spinach is just wilted.
- Take salmon out and remove tskin. Serve as is or break into large chunks over pasta. Add sauce mix, garnish with lemon wedges, if desired.
Simple yet impressively nutritious!
Good luck!