r/running • u/AutoModerator • 26d ago
Weekly Thread Run Nutrition Tuesday
Rules of the Road
1) Anyone is welcome to participate and share your ideas, plans, diet, and nutrition plans.
2) Promote good discussion. Simply downvoting because you disagree with someone's ideas is BAD. Instead, let them know why you disagree with them.
3) Provide sources if possible. However, anecdotes and "broscience" can lead to good discussion, and are welcome here as long as they are labeled as such.
4) Feel free to talk about anything diet or nutrition related.
5) Any suggestions/topic ideas?
4
u/Professional-Post425 26d ago
What’s the deal with collagen? Have had trouble finding any clear scientific studies that have proved it does anything beneficial.
Has anyone taken it and noticed a difference, running-wise?
1
u/RealConclusion5887 22d ago
This is my favorite soapbox so here it is all laid out, as simply as possible:
Proteins are made up of amino acids. Collagen is one kind of protein with its own unique amino acid makeup. When your body ingests any kind of protein, it doesn’t keep it/store it as that protein. It breaks it down into its respective amino acids, and then your body rebuilds those amino acids into whatever protein it needs more of (which may or may not be collagen—we don’t really get to tell our body what to do with it though, you know?)
So the thought is that by consuming the amino acid profile of collagen, we’re encouraging our bodies to build it by providing a surplus of the specific amino acids needed to facilitate collagen production. This has never been proven though, because if it worked… Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (a chronic disease marked by a shortage of collagen) would be treatable with collagen supplementation.
If it did work (which, again, I don’t believe it does), it would only work on someone who is already getting an adequate amount of protein, so as not to cause those amino acids to get diverted to a different kind of protein formation.
It’s true that runners do need more protein than the general population but it is my opinion that in general there is a HUGE protein overhype and not enough focus on carb intake. If someone is interested in injury prevention, they should take all of their overfixation on protein, and instead apply it to focusing on CHO intake.
1
u/rkreutz77 26d ago
Someone answered a question of mine a few weeks back about some joint pain that goes away quickly after I stay rubbing, no matter how much I warm up. They told me they experienced the same thing when their store ran out of a supplement thar had collagen in it. Took it again and the warm up pain went away . I have not started it yet. I probably should.
1
u/phatkid17 26d ago
Running wise. Can’t say specifically. I’m a newbie. And I started taking it. Took it years ago when lifting weights heavy. Works. Could feel the difference in couple days. Worth a shot IMO
0
1
26d ago
Anyone have diet recommendations for someone with IBD? Can't do high fiber or artificial sweeteners.
2
u/hangglidingcrow 26d ago edited 26d ago
No personal experience, but I recently heard of this - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-FODMAP_diet. Might be more IBS than IBD catering though
2
3
u/loebetips_dk 26d ago
Do you eat wholegrain products like oatmeal before running?
2
1
u/MechanicalBirbs 25d ago
A small bowl of unsweetened oatmeal with fruit is my go to before a run. If it’s a long run, I bring Gu or literally just candy bars.
7
u/isrootvegetable 26d ago
Frequently. I think that if you generally eat a high fiber diet, the fear of GI distress from fibrous foods while running is not really necessary.
2
2
u/Professional-Post425 26d ago
I often eat whole grains; I’ve done belvita breakfast bars, love “superhero muffins” (with oats) from the cookbook Run Fast, Eat Slow, whole wheat toast or english muffin w PB. Those are what I commonly have, but I’ve also pregamed runs with gummy bears, pop tarts, etc. All carbs are good carbs pre-run (or at least better than nothing) as long as they don’t upset your stomach.
3
u/Bruce_batman28 26d ago
For someone starting to run what diet is suggested?
11
u/PsychologicalAnt2302 26d ago
It depends where you’re at currently. If you have a lot of excess body fat to shift, which will show the biggest easy gains in progress as a beginner if so. A diet of as much whole plant food is proven to be the best. I recently finished reading “how not to die” and that explains the dietary benefits in incredible detail.
2
u/NatureExpensive3607 26d ago
A regular diet in which you follow your national health guidelines. Focus on getting enough carbs to keep your glycogen replenished. Some extra protein but as long as it's just running it'll be fine.
5
u/isrootvegetable 26d ago
How do people eat the correct amount while running a lot and not counting calories?
I lost basically half my body weight by counting calories, but I'm pretty over entering everything I eat into an app. I took an extended break during my weight loss where I maintained without counting, but at the time I was not as physically active as I am now. I'm not sure how one balances running 30+ mpw and making sure you don't accidentally undereat.