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By Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD Here's a selection of carbohydrates to include in your running diet. For optimal health and sports performance, you should choose grain-based foods, vegetables, fruits and juices for both your daily training diet and for pre-competition meals.  Spaghetti, macaroni, noodles, and other plain pastas
Top pasta with tomato sauce to add more carbohydrates. Be cautious of casseroles, lasagnas and other pasta-entrees with lots of meat, cheese, or oil that contributes to "fat loading" rather than carbo-loading.
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Rice
Steamed or boiled rice is preferable to chinese fried rice (saturated with oil and calories from fat). When possible, choose brown rice; it offers more nutritional value than does white rice. Potato, sweet potato, yams
Limit fatty french fries but enjoy potatoes that are baked, boiled or mashed (with minumal butter). Add moistness to a baked potato by mashing it with milk or topping it with lite sour cream. Stuffing
A tasty, carbohydrate-rich change from pasta and potato. Store-bought stuffings are very quick and easy to prepare. Just add hot water and, if desired, some raisins and diced apples for extra carbs. Couscous, millet, bulgar, kasha, barley
Wholesome alternatives to the standard dinner starches and a creative addition to casseroles and meals. Couscous cooks very quickly; the others take more time, so cook them in quantity for leftovers. Beans (such as pinto, black, garbanzo), split peas, lentils
Chili beans, split pea soup, lentils, refried beans, baked beans, limas, and other beans are excellent sources of carbohydrates, protein and fiber. Caution: large portions may lead to digestive problems. Bread, rolls, tortillas, wraps
Try to choose hearty, whole grain products made from whole wheat, oatmeal, rye, and corn to get more fiber and nutritional value than offered by refined, white flour products. Add butter sparingly, if at all, to breads so that you fill up on carbohydrates and not on butter (fat). Top of Page Pretzels, air-popped popcorn, low fat crackers, baked chips
These low fat munchies are preferable to greasy potato chips, tortilla chips, and crackers that leave you with greasy fingertips because they contain significant amounts of saturated (trans) fats. Look for low fat snacks, including baked chips and baked or reduced-fat crackers. When making popcorn, use an air-popper or pop the kernels in minimal canola oil. Commercially bagged popcorn or the microwave oven brands generally contain at least half of the calories from fat. Even the "lite" brands can be deceptively high in fat and relatively low in carbs. Hot cereal
Add raisins, banana, dried fruit, brown sugar, or maple syrup for extra carbohydrates. Any hot cereal is a good choice, with oatmeal and oatbran being particularly heart-healthful. Whole grain cereals such as Wheatena and Maltex offer wholesome goodness; Cream of Wheat is an iron-rich choice. By mixing or alternating cereals (such as Wheatena with Cream of Wheat), you'll enhance your nutrient intake. Cold cereal
Rather than eating puffed or flaked cereals, choose dense cereals such as Grape-Nuts, Wheat Chex or low fat granolas. If constipation is a problem, choose brands with fiber or bran in the name (raisin bran, bran flakes). Add extra carbs by topping the cereal with bananas, raisins, and other fresh or dried fruits. Consider saving sugary cereals for snacks or dessert, rather than eating them for breakfast. Bagels, lowfat muffins, corn bread, banana bread
For extra carbohydrates, spread these with jam or honey rather than butter, margarine, cream cheese. Top of Page Pancakes, waffles, french toast
Top these with additional carbs such as maple syrup, blueberry sauce, fruit yogurt, honey, jam, or applesauce. Use butter or margarine sparingly. Fruit
Dense fruits such as bananas, pineapple, raisins, dates, apricots, and other dried fruits offer more carbs than do watery fruits (such as grapes, plums, and peaches). Don't try to carbo-load on too much fruit; you may end up with diarrhea. Juice
Apple, cranberry, cranraspberry, grape, pineapple, apricot nectar, and most juice blends offer more carbs than do orange, grapefruit, and tomato juices. You can increase the carbohydrate content of frozen concentrated orange juice by simply diluting it with less water than the directions suggest. Fruit smoothies (made by mixing fruit and juice in the blender) are excellent, carbohydrate-rich drinks. Desserts
Although many desserts such as cheesecake, ice cream, and rich cookies are made with lots of cream, butter, and shortening (and thereby have a high fat content), you can carbohydrate-load on lower fat (and more nutritious) alternatives such as apple crisp, blueberry cobbler, angel cake, date squares, fig bars, and oatmeal raisin cookies. Fat-free frozen yogurt, lowfat ice cream, sherbert, sorbet, juice bars
These low fat frozen desserts are preferable to rich and creamy choices. If you must have ice cream, choose the lower fat (less expensive) brands that have a higher percentage of calories from carbs than do the high-priced gourmet brands. Refined sugars and other carbohydrates with little nutritional value
Fueling-up on foods loaded with refined sugars is the equivalent of putting gas in a car but neglecting the spark plugs—that is, the vitamins and minerals. Although refined sugars do fuel the muscles, they lack nutritional value. Engineered sports foods should be limited to during workouts, not eaten for snacks and with meals. If desired, enjoy the following sweets in moderation–and in addition to wholesome foods: - Honey, brown sugar, jam, jelly, maple syrup
- Granola bars or health bars (Kind snacks or Clif Bars)
- Jelly beans, licorice, gummy bears, marshmallows, and other low fat sweets
- Carbonated soft drinks, lemonade, Kool-Aid, and other sweetened beverages
- Sports drinks and recovery beverages
- Commercial carb products (Clif Shot Bloks, sports gels, Sports Beans)
Copyright: Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD
Nancy Clark's new Sports Nutrition Guidebook (2008), Food Guide for Marathoners, and Cyclist’s Food Guide are available at her website
www.nancyclarkrd.com.
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Return from Carbohydrates to Runners Diet
Return from Carbohydrates to WomenRunningTogether
Other useful links.
Top Sports Foods
Carbo Loading, Tips for Endurance Runners
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