15 Best Foods for Runners

You know you and your husband have a slight addiction when you look over to his screen and he is also being a running nerd and reading all about running.  If it makes you feel any better I went to Martha Stewart’s website to research my next batch of cupcakes right after…..weird, even reading about running makes me hungry!

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I took these straight from Runner’s World, so if you want more info on each food click HERE.  These are the 15 foods that they recommended for runners to make sure they get enough of!  I hope my shortened summaries make sense to you and not just in my weird little mind.

ALMONDS: Vintamin E, decrease your risk for heart disease, lowers LDL.

EGGS: One egg=10% of daily protein needs.  2nd most complete food protein=helps with recovery!

SWEET POTATOES=250% Daily Vitamin for Vit A……also a great source of Vit C, potassium and iron

WHOLE-GRAIN CEREALS WITH PROTEIN (Kashi GoLean is a great example)= Lots of fiber and protein!

ORANGES= 100% Daily Value of Vit C….which can reduce muscle soreness after a workout.

CANNED BLACK BEANS= 30% Daily Value of protein and 60% DV of fiber (in one cup).

MIXED SALAD GREENS= AKA my ginormous salads:)

SALMON= High-qulitiy protein….one of the best food sources of OMEGA-3 FATS!

WHOLE-GRAIN BREAD= They talk about weight loss reasons for this one.

FROZEN STIR-FRY VEGGIES= Full of antioxidants…which can also reduce muscle soreness.

WHOLE-GRAIN PASTA= More fiber than regual pasta plus more B vitamins.

CHICKEN= 1 four-ounce serving can offer 1/2 a runner’s daily protein needs.

FROZEN MIXED BERRIES= Once again, a TON of antioxidants that fight off disease and help in muscle repair.

DARK CHOCOLATE= To make you happy and not bite off your husband’s head when he messes up the kitchen you just cleaned.

LOW-FAT YOGURT= Protein, calcium and good bacteria that your digestive tract needs to be happy.

Um, I think I want to add in number 16…….homemade popcorn (12 cups=1 serving) and must be eaten with nap hair…..I apoligize, I have no idea how I allow my hair to go so crazy. PS I don’t know how those oreo’s got there:)

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And 17-39 involves fro-yo, swedish fish and pb cups (each one repeated a few times).

The best part of the list above (1-15) from Runner’s World is the fact that they are probably some of the best food’s for EVERYONE, whether you run or not.

PS Talking about YOGA on the TRAINING PAGE!

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What are your FAVORITE’S from the list above?

Do articles that include a number in them catch your eye?

-I fall victim to anything with a number…whether it is 10 ways to tie your shoe, the top 15 foods to eat with a spoon…..I don’t know why, but I love reading something in the form of a list!

What food/nutrients are you trying to get MORE OF?

-Whole GRAINS….I have slacked off in this area this summer and I will be eating more whole-grain foods!

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61 comments

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Love hard boiled egg whites, hate the yolks.

Love grilled salmon – lemon pepper especially!

LOVE LOVE dark chocolate.

I always try to focus on foods high in fiber – so broccoli, and high fiber tortillas, etc :) I make a killer black bean dip!

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I hate hard boiled yolks too! Always have, always will! LOL!

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Since chocolate is on this list I HAVE to agree :) This completely justifies my salad / almond butter addiction!!!

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Ahhh LOVE that list- probs bc i eat everything on here. loveeee dark chocolate!!! I guess that means we should eat 1-2 bars per day then

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LOVE dark chocolate (with sea salt and almonds in it!) I also have been craving eggs lately which is weird but must be because my body NEEDS more protein! Great list!!!

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I love that I know exactly what’s on the right macbook!! and the entire list is great :)

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ha good point about how the foods are probably the best for everyone. They must have been gathering the research on this article for yearssss.

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I’m always trying to get more veggies!!

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I am a SUCKER for number lists. Top Tens, Fifteen Bests… I’m a list-maker at heart, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.

I love eggs. Love. Eggs for dinner is one of my favorite dinners. I made them Billy’s faux-poached way, and they were amazing!!! Also from the list… frozen berries for smoothies, almonds (or walnuts for my veggie omega-3 needs) in my oatmeal, FROZEN YOGURT, pb cups, Greek yogurt! :-)

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Dark chocolate, obviously. Because of the antioxidants.

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mmm, a bunch of my faves in there!! love my daily 2 eggs :)

Sam @ fitness food & faith

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My daily staples include nuts, oats, and Kashi cereal…I would say my fav is my oats and cereal..of course carbs lol. Foods that I should eat more of is probably fruit. I eat fruit sometimes with my salads at lunch and of course in my oats, but I always grab protein bars or shakes instead of fruit for a snack.

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I love love love salmon (especially the salmon burgers from costco!) and of course I love dark chocolate. However, I’m intrigued that not just Runner’s World, but everyone seems to be recommending low-fat dairy as opposed to full fat. I could be wrong, but recently I’ve read that full fat dairy lowers the risk of heart disease, reduces childhood obesity, and decreases weight gain. Check out this article and let me know what you think!

http://thehealthyskeptic.org/whole-fat-milk-benefits-for-moms-kids

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Dark chocolate – check, egg whites – check, whole grain wheat bread – check — gummi bears OH…those weren’t on the list?!? hmm they should add those…and pretzel M&M’s!!! xoxo from Trinidad

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I am tatolly wowed and prepared to take the next step now.

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what about walnuts!? great anti-inflammatory and omega-3’s! :D

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The only thing I really don’t eat off of that list is salmon … so I guess I’m doing pretty good?! But I don’t eat ENOUGH of a lot of those things, such as black beans, eggs, or oranges.

Awesome list! Thanks for sharing, Janae! :)

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I love little fun facts!! Esp. about nutrition!! My fav. is sweet potatoes! They are just so good!!

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I eat 11 of those! Woohoo!

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I LOVE when articles are lists instead of articles.

It’s funny they put whole grains for weight loss, a couple of months ago I started eating whole grains because my stomach was/is a bottomless pit. Whole grains have helped me not be hungry 24/7 and weirdly whole grains made my nails to be a lot healthier/ grow longer.

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trying to UP MY PROTEIN and BUILD MORE MUSCLE :)

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That’s an awesome list! I’ll definitely try to include more of that stuff in mydiet! :D

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10 ways to tie your shoes, I’m pretty sure I read that (kidding!) because I am definitely attracted to articles with numbers and list form. It’s like they are just a fun little but if information rather than a long article to read.

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I LOVE eggs, sweet potatoes and black beans. I often eat them all together too :) I’ve been slacking in the fruity area though. I try to get them in smoothie form but I don’t get them nearly often enough. Veggies are easy though!

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My favorite foods from that list are definetly the eggs, Kashi GoLean cereal, frozen mixed berries, and yogurt.
I’m a total sucker for articles with numbers in them!! Every possible article that has a number in the headline is one that I’m flipping through. &I ussually just skim through the bullet points/numbered list…I don’t actually read the whole article. lol.
More nutrients that I need may be whole grains, but I’m not tooooo worried about it. :)
Have a great night!

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Nice! I just had some eggs! I know I need them because of protein! :D
I’m about to go out for a run and am totally hydrating!

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I eat a lot of almonds but rarely eat salmon! Love this list though!

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shouldn’t froyo be #1????? :-P

I’m a fan of the whole grains! I eat them at every meal and snack probably haha. I looove seedy grainy bread. And berries! Really sad that nut butters didn’t make the cut :( I’m definitely trying to get more healthy fats in! I’m going to make it my goal to eat fish at least twice a week!

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I THOUGHT fro-yo must be on that list somewhere!

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I love lists, especially numbered ones! I’m disappointed that you didn’t put numbers for that list actually. I live my life through lists. It’s a sick obsession.

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why are these top 15 for runners? It just seems like a “top 15 foods for all humans who want to be healthy”. If it was just for runners, I would expect it to be about iron, or quick-digesting carbs for energy, or chocolate milk for recovery. In fact, shouldn’t the list include Gu, Electrolytes, Caffeine, all those things that actually are proven to help RUNNERS?

anyway, my best foods AS A RUNNER: banana, dried fruit, coconut water, pretzels, jelly beans, licorice. etc

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protein! i need more and i’m seriously struggling. i feel like i eat a ton of protein but i don’t want to increase my consumption of meat (in fact, i want to decrease it). i’m trying to keep my macronutrients at 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fat but i always end up with 50/30/30. mostly, i find it hard to think of high protein snacks. any ideas? i’ve got nuts, protein shakes, protein bars, greek yogurt and boiled eggs on my list (and quinoa which i’ve yet to develop a taste for despite several attempts). all of which i get tired of. but that’s not the point now, is it? (now i’m having a conversation with myself).

anyhoooo …

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I loved this article when I saw it too! Good stuff!

Ps. I know you’re off having fun with the Billster but I had to tell you, I went to my first ever spin class today! My legs are trashed, and I loved every minute of it!!

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Ok, I should be a super runner, I eat ALL of those! :)
Number titles totally get me too. every time.

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I needed these reminders – thanks!

I could not agree more on items 17-39. I have totally convinced myself that a Snickers counts for carbo-loading.

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I truly believe that items 17-39 must also contain cupcakes. Essential training food doncha know!

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hey, you also forgot to add in number 17- the oreos pictured next to that vat of popcorn…i tink 12 cookies also counts as one serving. ;)

actually, i’m glad i like most of the foods on that list. top picks go to black beans, fruits/veggies, and the whole grains. but like u, i need to make sure i’m eating the right kinda carbs…hehe.

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I’m addicted to popcorn but I can’t make it on the stove without burning it and today I decided to make it in the microwave and it exploded. Any tips?

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I always try to get enough good oils! I’m a vegetarian so EPA and DHA are on my wanted from supplements all the time.

Also, I truly believe that peanut butter should be on the list. Most amazing stuff. Ever.

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I love CEREAL and BERRIES!!! Yummy!

I definitely love “number” articles! They catch my eye and definitely don’t feel as long to read!

I am trying to eat more PROTEIN! That’s why I brought yogurt back into my life :)

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Hi!!! I am a long-time reader, first time commenter! I love your blog to bits– I am also a runner/teacher/obsessed with family, and I love reading about your summer vacation adventures! I seriously am getting so bummed that our vaca days are numbered. Anyways, great list– I especially like your take on dark chocolate! I eat it for the very same reasons. :) I also am trying to eat more protein, since I tend to slack on that as a vegetarian.

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http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-301–13102-2-1-2,00.html

they mention popcorn and salsa as good foods here. those two bases are officially covered :) if runners world says it, its gotta be legit

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Thanks for sharing sweet girl!!! I must be a runner ’cause I love all those foods!! ;)

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sweet potatoes = my crack :) Love them!

And I love lists. Seriously, I am such a sucker for list articles.

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I just so stinkin’ love your blog posts! You’re hillllll-arious! From that list I love sweet potatoes and mixed frozen berries, not together =)

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I LOVE HOMEMADE POPCORN. like…. obsessed. seriously.

can we mix it with the dark chocolate? ;)

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Black beans and sweet potatoes. Always in the same bowl. HEAVEN.

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Great list of food for anyone really!! Love your explanation for dark chocolate. ;) I know how you feel on that one. lol

I always have to try to eat more iron! Lotss of spinach. I was severely anemic after a surgery a few months ago(could barely walk) so I learned my lesson on that!

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This list makes me feel like a better person, I ate some whole grain bread pre-run, had a big ol mixed frozen berry smoothie after, and have already planned a ginormous salad full of veggies and a couple of hard boiled eggs for protein! I hate to say that I also eat popcorn in 8-12 cup servings and count it as a meal, because popcorn is just so much better than normal meal food! Melted dark chocolate mixed in with popcorn = heaven!

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The dark chocolate, salmon, and almonds caught my eye because I love them all so much. The perfect meal? Salmon sashimi followed up by dark chocolate covered almonds. Runners dream.

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I’m always trying to get more salmon! My husband isn’t a super fan of it but he’ll eat it, so I don’t find myself buying it much.

I could make salmon cakes or salad for lunch though…

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P.S. I love how you always apologize for your hair looking bad and I think it always looks cute. :)

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I eat a lot of eggs, almonds, sweet potatoes, oranges, salmon, black beans, and dark chocolate!

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Random question totally not regarding your post…but I see you have a Mac…do you use ecto?

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Great post! I love seeing some foods I’m eating already as a runner but am reminded of more that I need to get in…probably more Vitamin C as well as veggies – I try to eat them as snacks but it’s so hard! I love them but have to be in the right mood for them, whereas whole grains I can eat ANY time…go figure. Anyways, thanks for the insightful post – sometimes if you miss things on Runner’s World it’s awesome to see them somewhere else.

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These are all such wonderful options… thanks for all the great ideas!

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I can tell you what I’m trying to get LESS of…Sugar! I don’t run, but I exercise a lot…But I recently discovered that the sugar in my diet was WAY TOO HIGH. that was leading to weight gain. I need to cut that out. Now, on my blog I’m talking about going sugar free and how to keep eating the things you love…Along with exercise and some humorous anecdotes.

Stop by!…And I apologize in advance for the cursing…That’s just who I am…I don’t mean to offend… :)

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