DIETARY ADVICE FOR STAMINA SPORTS

Not just the right training, but also the right diet is a requirement for successful running. For stamina sports, marathon running included, the nutritional principle of eating a basic diet of stamina/energy foods applies, i.e. more whole wheat products, potatoes, rice, vegetables and fruit. Carbohydrates are fuel for the muscles.

The overall energy requirements for a stamina sportsman are approximately 3,200 to 3,500 kilocalories per day of training. The breakdown of the energy provided is as follows:

55-60% carbohydrates (approx. 500g carbohydrates)
10-15% proteins (approx. 100g protein)
25-30% (approx. 100g fat)

Daily energy should be divided into at least five meals a day:

Breakfast: 25% of daily energy
Snack between meals: 15% of daily energy
Lunch: 25% of daily energy
Snack between meals: 10% of daily energy
Evening meal: 25% of daily energy

Naturally, if you have personal dietary preferences (such as sweets, a certain type of drink or a snack from the sausage stand), you need not abstain completely, but they should not be daily components of your diet. It is all a matter of moderation. Nevertheless, your daily diet should mainly consist of the following food groups, so that it contains all essential nutrients:

Nutritional group 1:
Grains and cerals (bread, muesli, porridge, oats, pasta, bakery goods), potatoes, potato products, rice and bananas

Nutritional group 2:
Fruit and vegetables - raw, cooked or as juice

Nutritional group 3:
Milk, and milk products (fresh milk, buttermilk, whey, yoghurt, quark, cheese etc.)

Nutritional group 4:
Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, pulses, and nuts

A fifth nutritional group, the "edible fats", should also be included. Natural foodstuffs actually contain enough fat to provide essential fatty acids and vitamins. Because fat is so rich in energy, the stamina sportsman should consume edible fats only very sparingly.

This only leaves water, the most important element and the basis of all drinks. You can obtain the correct balance of nutrients in your basic diet with the following daily distribution:

2 portions from nutritional group 4 (meat...)
3 portions from nutritional group 3 (milk...)
4-5 portions from nutritional group 2 (fruit...)
5-6 portions from nutritional group 1 (grains...)

One portion should be understood to mean a normal side-dish amount to accompany a main meal or snack.

The 10 key guidelines for a stamina-enhancing diet are:

1) Diversify

Varied food is tasty and adequate. The more diverse and carefully put together your diet, the easier it is to avoid a deficit of essential nutrients or an overload of unwanted substances. As far as the quantity of food or the joules/calories is concerned: eat only so much that you do not become over- or under-weight. (You ideal weight should equal approx. "height in cm minus 100 (kg)")

2) Less fat and foods rich in fat

Too much fat makes you fat! Fat provides twice as many joules/calories as the same amount of carbohydrates or protein. Obesity and many metabolic disorders are often the result of a diet too rich in fat. Reduce your intake of spreads and instead prepare food with less fat (e.g. with polyunsaturated fatty acids such as olive, sunflower or thistle oil). Avoid saturated fatty acids such as cooking fat or mayonnaise. Don't just pay attention to visible fats, but also to the "invisible" fats, e.g. in meat, sausage, cheese, eggs, cream, nuts, cakes and chocolate.

3) Tasty but not too salty

Herbs and spices accentuate the taste of a dish. Too much salt, however, over-emphasizes many tastes and can lead to high blood pressure. At times when you cannot do without salt completely, use iodine salt, in order to prevent widespread iodine shortage.

4) Avoid sweets

Too many sweets can be damaging! Everyone knows that sugar and sweets can cause cavities in your teeth, and that excess sugar is converted into fat. But a danger that you might not have thought about is that when you consume a lot of sugar, you fill up quickly, leaving little room for foodstuffs rich in nutrients and roughage in your diet. It is perfectly fine to enjoy sweets occasionally, but do so in small quantities.

5) More whole wheat products

These provide important nutrients and roughage. Whole wheat products, e.g. wholemeal bread, natural rice, grain dishes, whole wheat pasta, porridge oats or muesli, contain valuable carbohydrates (polysaccharides), which give the body more energy over a longer period than monosaccharides or disaccharides (found in honey, sweets, marmalade and lemonades for example). In additional to roughage, (which is important for digestion), they also provide vitamins and minerals.

6) Ample amounts of vegetables, potatoes and fruit

These foodstuffs are central to your diet. Eat fresh food daily in the form of fresh fruit (3 different pieces a day), raw vegetables and salads, and cooked vegetables and potatoes. Eat pulses (legumes) sometimes as well. This will ensure and adequate intake of vitamins, minerals and fibre.

7) Less animal protein

Plant protein, in the form of potatoes, pulses and grains, can be combined with animal protein to form the basis of a balanced diet. Milk, low-fat milk products, and fish are the preferred providers of animal protein while red meats, which contain a relatively large amount of fat, cholesterol and purine, should be included in fewer meals every week. Eggs, although also high in fat, contain positive cholesterol (HDL) which is actually good for your heart.

8) Drink sensibly

Your body needs at least one and a half to two litres of liquid every day. If you are engaging in increased stamina exercise, you need an additional litre. Due to temperature regulation during sport, the body loses important minerals and trace elements through sweat, which you should replace by drinking mineral water, vegetable juices, unsweetened fruit teas and diluted fruit juices (squash).

Drink coffee in moderation, and avoid alcohol. The occasional beer or glass of wine is fine, due to the carbohydrates present, but the non-alcoholic variety is preferred. To quench your thirst, magnesium and calcium-rich mineral water is best (Mg: if possible 100mg/l; Ca: approx. three times as much as Mg), enriched by apple juice in the ratio 3:1. Isotonic sports drinks can be quite expensive.

9) Have smaller meals, more often

This gets you going and reduces performance lows. Instead of the usual three main meals a day, you should eat five (or more) smaller meals (nibbling!). Large meals put a strain on the digestive organs and make you tired.

10) Prepare food so that it is both tasty and the nutrients are retained

Many essential nutrients are destroyed and leached out by long storage, incorrect preparation, cooking for too long, reheating and using too much water during cooking. To maximize your nutrient intake, eat the freshest foods possible, prepare just before cooking, and cook foods for the shortest time as possible using minimal water and fat.

The one-time use of nutrient preparations before a competition is of less use compared to regular supply through an adequate basic diet. You should watch what you eat every day, not just before and after your training or competition.