Load Up On The Leafies 🌿 {Running Nutrition}

Hello my running pals!  It is time for you weekly healthy eating reminder.  Even though most of us know what we need to do to eat well, it never hurts to have a little angel on your shoulder to push you in the right direction.  I know for me just writing these articles is helpful to stay on track, so I hope reading them is, as well!

This week I’m going to sound like your mom and tell you to eat your greens!  Yes, we have talked about this before but that leafy stuff is some of the most nutrient-dense food on the planet.  No matter your training season, filling your weekly meal plan with all different greens is important to keep you running at your best.  Regardless of what type of macros you follow (or don’t follow) or dietary plan you feel works best for you, green vegetables should be at the foundation.

Why are green veggies so important?   

• They are incredibly nutrient-dense, but low in calories so you can eat a lot of them without worrying about unwanted weight gain and they won’t sit heavy in your stomach if you eat some  in a pre-run meal. 
• The top nutrients found in greens are vitamins A & C, calcium, potassium, magnesium and iron, but there are many others and different greens may have higher or lower amounts of specific ones. 
• Leafy greens also contain many phytonutrients that are helpful in lessening inflammation from heavy training and assisting in tissue repair and recovery. 
• Juicing greens can be an excellent recovery drink as it hydrates your body as well as provides it with a concentrated source of vitamins and minerals that are readily absorbed after a run.  Some people even use green juice for a quick boost of energy before a run as it is very quickly absorbed and easy to digest. 

  Ok, we know we need to eat them, but what if you don’t like salads?   

• Chop up some kale to add to your favorite soup at the end of the cooking process. 
• Toss a handful of spinach into your daily smoothie. 
• Make a heartier grain and bean based salad and finely chop your greens if you don’t like them to be as present as a traditional salad. 
• Cook up a veggie-packed stir fry with some delicious bok choy or tatsoi for variety. 
• Greens at breakfast—an egg or tofu scramble is the perfect place! 
• Blend them up with your favorite herbs and spices to make a chimichurri or pesto to garnish your favorite dishes.

I seriously try to throw in some leafy greens in almost every meal I eat because I am really not the type to sit down regularly and eat a rabbit-style salad.  Even small amounts throughout the day add up to your total intake.  What has helped me this year has been making friends at the hydroponic lettuce stand at the farmers market.  I have tried so many new greens this year that I have never tried before, or ones that I have already had before that taste sooo much better than store-bought.  If you don’t have access to any fresh, you can also reach for some frozen.  As long as they don’t have any extra sauce or preservatives, frozen vegetables actually retain a lot of their nutritional value and are an excellent source when fresh ones are out of season.

A few weeks ago I made mention of some varieties of leafy greens being higher in oxalates that may bind to the calcium and some of the other nutrients decreasing the absorption rate.  Spinach, beet greens and chard are fairly high, so though they can absolutely be a part of a healthy diet just make sure to rotate them out with others.  The farmers market in my neighborhood has had some beautiful tender kale, spicy arugula and mustard greens, and tatsoi was a new one I tried last week that I used in my sheet pan meal I posted on here.  I enjoyed that one so much I grabbed another bunch this week.  Depending upon where you are in the world you may have all kinds of different varieties to test out to find your favorites.

What are your favorite leafy green foods?  How do you make them a part of your dietary intake?

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