A great article in Runner’s World Magazine discussed how health conscious runners are watching what they eat too carefully and missing out on other key nutrients. If you are turning away red meat, nuts and dairy, you’re most likely short on iron, vitamin E and calcium.
Trying to replenish these nutrients with supplements may not be the answer either, as over doing it can harm your liver or not be effective all together. The advice from Runner’s World is to mix your diet up to incorporate quantities of nutrients you may be lacking, but would rather not eat a full meal of.
Mixing nuts in your yogurt or adding beans to your meal can boost level of iron in your body. Yogurt, spinach, and calcium-fortified energy bars and orange juice are all great providers of calcium without too much added fat. To meet your vitamin E needs, think almonds and sunflower seeds, both of which are significantly less fatty than some others. For those steering clear of red meat, look for darker poultry, clams, oysters, green peas, broccoli and beans.
As important as it is to watch your diet, getting too wrapped up in nutrition is something to steer clear from. Generally speaking, if you're eating fresh fruits and vegetables and trying to meet the revised food pyramid as best as possible, you shouldn't stray from other categories. All foods contain some level of fat, but don't write off a group before you do some reserach to find healthier alternatives.
