Post-Run Nutrition | Top 5 Recovery Foods for Runners

Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a professional athlete, ensuring that you eat the correct foods in the hours following a hard run is essential for good recovery. Appropriate strategies to support your recovery from training are fundamental to your overall ability to consistently perform at a high level, whether in training or competition.

Given the physical demands of running, the aim of solid recovery nutrition would be threefold:

? Rehydrate (fluids.)

? Replenish muscle glycogen (carbohydrates.)

? Repair damaged muscle tissue and promote exercise adaptation (protein.)

As such, the following ‘top 5 foods’ would be consumed with the aim of achieving one or more of these three aspects of recovery.

#1 Milk

Milk is nature’s answer to an all-in-one recovery product, with added calcium for good bone health to boot. Containing good quality protein and carbohydrates, milk is able to help you replenish muscle glycogen stores and repair damaged muscle tissue following training.

Milk is also an excellent rehydration drink, with one study showing that it can replace water lost through sweat to a greater extent than Powerade or water (Shirreffs et al. 2007).

? Opt for around half a litre of whole milk after exercise (or semi-skimmed if weight loss is a goal).

? For the small percentage of people with lactose intolerance, ‘lactofree’ milk would offer the same benefits. If you really don’t like the taste of plain milk, flavored varieties are also a great option (Karp et al. 2006)

#2 Whey protein

The aim of a whey product would be to maximise rates of muscle protein synthesis throughout the day in order to repair damaged muscle tissue and promote exercise adaptation.

Whey protein is one of the two proteins found in milk, with the other being casein protein. Given its cost effectiveness and portability, it is very convenient way to hit targeted daily protein goals. In addition to its convenience, whey consists of a high proportion of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) and leucine (isolate: 25% BCAA & 12% leucine).

Owing to its amino acid profile and rapid rate of digestion, whey protein results in a rapid increase in protein synthesis in comparison to whole food protein sources (Tang et al. 2009).

Other beneficial properties of whey protein are:

? Its effects on reducing hunger (Zhou et al. 2011)

? Improving immune function (Rusu et al. 2009).

Contrary to popular belief, whey – or any other protein for that matter - does not harm the liver or kidneys (Poortmans et al. 2009).

Consume 25-30g of whey isolate soon after training for maximum benefit.

#3 White potato

The white potato has taken a back seat in recent years due to the popularity of its sweet cousin. Despite the health halo surrounding sweet potatoes, white potatoes are typically higher in iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, protein and selenium, though are lower in fibre, vitamin A, most B vitamins, calcium and manganese.

With a glyceamic index of 85, white potato is quickly broken into glucose to be stored as glycogen (the storage form of carbohydrate) within the muscles (Foster-Powell et al. 2002; Donaldson et al. 2010).

It's never been a big secret that top level cyclists used to carry cooked potatoes with them on long rides!

#4 Mixed berries

Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are all good sources of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, making them great for maintaining your immune system function after that taxing winter run (Wintergerst et al. 2007).

Containing both glucose and fructose, mixed berries are ideal for restocking both muscle (glucose) and liver (fructose) glycogen levels (Decombaz et al. 2011).

Mix with natural yoghurt for the perfect carbohydrate-protein snack.

#5 Beef Steak

Similar to whey protein, the aim of eating a steak would be to maximise rates of muscle protein synthesis in order to repair damaged muscle tissue and promote exercise adaptation.

Though not as quickly digested as whey protein, it does a very good job in achieving this goal (Kim et al. 2015).

Steak is also rich in iron, B-vitamins, zinc and taste; all of which are vital for the endurance athlete’s performance.

Combine with potatoes for the ultimate recovery meal.

 Take home message

In order to take your recovery to the next level, remember the three R’s when planning your post-exercise nutrition:

Donaldson, C. M., Perry, T. L., & Rose, M. C. (2010). Glycemic index and endurance performance. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 20(2), 154–165. Foster-

Powell, K., Holt, S. H. A., & Brand-Miller, J. C. (2002). International table of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2002. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 76(1), 5–56. Karp, J. R.,

Johnston, J. D., Tecklenburg, S., Mickleborough, T. D., Fly, A. D., & Stager, J. M. (2006). Chocolate milk as a post-exercise recovery aid. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 16(1), 78–91.

Kim, I.-Y., Schutzler, S., Spore, J., Williams, R., Ferrando, A., & Wolfe, R. (2015). Higher protein intake during a mixed meal ingestion increases net protein accretion through a reduction in protein breakdown. The FASEB Journal, 29(1 Supplement), 270.4.

Mitchell, C. J., McGregor, R. A., D’Souza, R. F., Thorstensen, E. B., Markworth, J. F., Fanning, A. C., … Cameron-Smith, D. (2015). Consumption of Milk Protein or Whey Protein Results in a Similar Increase in Muscle Protein Synthesis in Middle Aged Men. Nutrients, 7(10), 8685–8699.

Poortmans, J. R., & Dellalieux, O. (2000). Do regular high protein diets have potential health risks on kidney function in athletes? International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 10(1), 28–38.

Rusu, D., Drouin, R., Pouliot, Y., Gauthier, S., & Poubelle, P. E. (2009). A bovine whey protein extract can enhance innate immunity by priming normal human blood neutrophils. The Journal of Nutrition, 139(2), 386–393.

Shirreffs, S. M., Watson, P., & Maughan, R. J. (2007). Milk as an effective post-exercise rehydration drink. The British Journal of Nutrition, 98(1), 173–180.

Tang, J. E., Moore, D. R., Kujbida, G. W., Tarnopolsky, M. A., & Phillips, S. M. (2009). Ingestion of whey hydrolysate, casein, or soy protein isolate: effects on mixed muscle protein synthesis at rest and following resistance exercise in young men. Journal of Applied Physiology, 107(3), 987–992.

Wintergerst, E. S., Maggini, S., & Hornig, D. H. (2007). Contribution of selected vitamins and trace elements to immune function. Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism, 51(4), 301–323.

Zhou, J., Keenan, M. J., Losso, J. N., Raggio, A. M., Shen, L., McCutcheon, K. L., … Martin, R. J. (2011). Dietary whey protein decreases food intake and body fat in rats. Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.), 19(8), 1568–1573.