Ian

Endurance diet plan

I am training for an ironman event Sept 2017 and need a training nutrition diet for endurance

Sharon Scott


0  votes
Hi Ian,

Thanks for your question.

When participating in intense training regimes such as that for an ironman event it is important to ensure you are getting enough energy to fuel your workouts and provide essential nutrients to your diet. Your requirements will be much higher than usual.

Ensuring you include each of the main food groups is important to ensure your body is getting a good balance of nutrients.

Complex carbohydrates could be classed as the preferred source of fuel due to the fact they provide a good energy source that can be utilised efficiently once the body breaks them down into simple sugars.

This option provides a slower release energy source than that of simple carbohydrates which offer an instant energy burst as they contain simple sugars that hit the blood stream directly - this may be useful for during an event in the form of a homemade energy drink once your energy has been depleted and an instant boost is needed to support performance and get you to the finish line.

Carbohydrates that are not used as energy are stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen and then as fat in the body. Glycogen in the muscles also helps the body retain water which may support training further.

Including a good source of lean protein at each meal is also important to to support muscle growth and repair.

As your energy needs are high, including foods that offer high kcal per portion size is recommended. Nuts and seeds are good additions to the diet as they are a rich source of good fats offering 9kcal per gram which is more than carbohydrates and protein.

Including lots of vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin C to provide the body with a good level of antioxidants which are important during training.

Staying hydrated is paramount. Ensuring you get time to recover during your training plan as well as eating within 15 minutes of a training session to refuel and support muscle growth and repair.

You may like to consider adding beetroot to your eating plan as some studies have concluded that beetroot may support endurance and in some trials saw a 5% increase in speed during running.

Best Wishes and Good Luck!

Sharon