Tag Archives: Diet

Keeping fast and fit as spring rolls in: Nutrition tips for runners

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By Phillip Janowski
WKTV Contributing Writer

A whole food diet is important for runners as they gear up for the summer running season. (pxhere.com)

Running is back in season! Spring means warmer weather, and warmer weather means more running. Whether preparing for that early morning run, or for a marathon such as the Amway River Run or the Grand Rapids Marathon, proper nutrition is the key to success. YMCA dietitian Nicole Holmes and Dr. Elizabeth Albright of University of Michigan Health offer advice and tips for getting the most out of your sprint.

“Include protein in all meals,” Holmes said is her first recommendation. “Protein is an essential building block for muscles, helping them recover from training.” She goes on to include such foods as meat, eggs, fish, milk, yogurt, cheese, nuts, tofu, seeds and legumes as great sources of protein.

Albright notes that “there isn’t necessarily one specific eating plan” she would recommend for all athletes. In general she encourages following a whole food diet, a plan which includes decreasing the amount of processed foods eaten. Carbohydrates are highly regarded in particular, such as “whole fruit, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, brown rice, whole grain bread, cereal, and pasta.”

Nicole Holmes

“Carbohydrates provide the major source of energy when training,” Holmes agreed. Fruits and vegetables are key as well. “Fruits and vegetables are important components of every training plan because they are packed full of vitamins and minerals essential for proper recovery of trained muscles, prevention of illness, and overall health and wellbeing.”

Fluids, especially water, are also extremely important. Holmes recommends drinking five to 10 ounces of fluids every 15 to 20 minutes. When it comes to healthy, electrolyte-laden energy drinks, such as Gatorade or Powerade, she says the longer the run, the more important they are. Albright recommends these drinks when running for over an hour.

Stretching before runs is an essential practice. Rather than classic “static” stretches that are often practiced in school, such as holding a stretch for a period of time, Albright recommends “dynamic” stretching, or stretching with movement. “Essentially you perform gentle repetitive movements that increase range of motion, provides muscle lengthening, and gets blood flow circulating through the area.” She recommends Runner’s World’s article on the topic: https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a32616143/standing-prerun-stretches/

Dr. Elizabeth Albright

In the end, everyone needs to find their own pace and rhythm when it comes to exercise. Holmes notes that “it may take multiple training runs to figure out what nutrition combination works best.” Similarly, Albright explains that there isn’t really a best time of day for running, whether training or in a marathon: “The most important thing is to plan for what you are likely to stick to.”

Perhaps most important, Albright concludes, is to HAVE FUN! “You are running a marathon, something 99% of the world will never do. Congratulate yourself, be proud of yourself, and enjoy it!” 

In Love and Health: Our local farmers markets provide a fresh outlook on health

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Greens like kale, spinach, collards, or darker colored lettuces promote brain health. (Photo courtesy Southeast Area Farmers Market)

By Dr. Erik Johnson
Love & Health Chiropractic

Here in West Michigan, farmers market season is in full swing. Have you been to the Kentwood Farmers Market? It takes place at 4900 Breton Ave. SE on Thursdays from 4:30 to 7:30. In Wyoming, the Metro Health Farmers Market, also take place on Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 5900 Byron Center Road SW. We all know that we should be eating more fresh fruits and vegetables. And there’s no time like now to get started on building a healthy habit.

According to the Harvard School of Public Health publication, The Nutrition Source, eating lots of vegetables and fruits can lower blood pressure, reduce risk of heart disease and stroke, prevent some cancers, reduce eye and digestive problems, and help maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Eating apples, pears, and leafy greens might even help you lose weight.

You can go bananas trying to figure out which fruit or vegetable provides the exact vitamin or mineral you need. Or you can simply eat a wide variety from the nine different fruit and vegetable families. Next time you stop by the farmers market, choose a variety of types and colors to give your body all the kinds of nutrients it craves. There’s a lot to be said for fresh, local produce. When produce is picked green to accommodate long shipping distances, it loses nutritional content. In fact, eating quick-frozen local produce is probably more nutritious than eating fresh produce shipped thousands of miles from California or South America.

Fruit for your lungs. Veggies for your brain.

Living through the COVID-19 pandemic has brought a lot of attention to respiratory illness. British researchers found that people who ate fruit, even if they smoked, had much stronger lungs. Seems the extra vitamin C the fruit eaters ate reduced harmful free radicals and helped their bodies repair tissue damage. Researchers at John Hopkins University discovered that tomatoes and fruits, especially apples, slowed lung decline.

Closer to home, a Chicago Rush University Medical Center team found that people who ate one to two servings of leafy green vegetables each day experienced fewer memory problems and cognitive decline. In fact, people who ate 1.3 servings of greens like kale, spinach, collards, or darker colored lettuces each day had brains that were about 11 years younger compared to those who didn’t.

As I chiropractor, I love sharing how adjusting the spine helps all of the body’s organs to function better. And I love seeing my patients regain strength and mobility—and experience less pain. But I also love seeing patients who eat the healthy foods that support the work that I and the rest of their healthcare team provide.

 

Like I said, there’s no better time to start building a healthy habit than now—and there’s also no better time to visit your local farmers market.

Dr. Erik Johnson DC is a chiropractor at Love and Health Chiropractic in Wyoming at 1586 44th Street SW.

The role of fat in your everyday diet

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Fish provides a great source of healthy fat. (Courtesy MSU Extension)

By Dawn Earnesty, Michigan State University Extension

 

Common perceptions about fats are often not true and avoiding all fats is not healthy because it is important to have healthy fats in our diet. There are fats that contain essential fatty acids that are necessary for good health and fats that help the body to use certain vitamins.

 

The United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) makes the following recommendations in the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans:

  • Keep trans-fatty acid consumption as low as possible, especially by limiting foods that contain synthetic sources of trans-fats, such as partially hydrogenated oils, and by limiting other solid fats.
  • Reduce the intake of calories from solid fats and added sugars. Such as:
    • Butters, stick margarines, and animal fats from beef and pork. These are all solid at room temperature.
    • Soft drinks, candy, cakes, cookies, fruit drinks and ice cream. These are all processed foods that have added sugars and syrups.

Here are some actions you can take every day to keep your consumption of saturated fats, trans-fats and cholesterol low while consuming a nutritionally adequate diet.

  • Check the Nutrition Facts label to compare foods. Our interactive label can help you find what to look at on the label.
  • Choose alternative fats. Replace saturated and trans-fats in your diet with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Sources of monounsaturated fats include olive and canola oils. Sources of polyunsaturated fats include soybean, corn, sunflower oils and foods like nuts.
  • Consider consuming fish and cuts of lean meat. Examples include:
    • Poultry: chicken or turkey white meat or ground meat
    • Beef: flank steak, top loin, sirloin, lean ground beef
    • Pork: pork tenderloin
    • Seafood: salmon, trout, cod, flounder, mackerel, mussels and clams
  • Choose foods such as dairy products, lean meats, fish, skinless poultry, whole grain foods and fruit and vegetables.
  • Beware of diets that tell you to eliminate a nutrient, such as fat.

Daily essential fatty acid consumption contributes to our overall daily health in moderation. For more information please contact your local MSU Extension office or visit the MSU Extension Health and Nutrition site.

 

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).