You just have to listen to it! All animals in the wild rely on their built-in appetite regulatory mechanisms to eat the right amount of food and human infants do it too—until they are socialized to habitually ignore their internal signals of hunger and satiety and overeat. But these signals are far more reliable as indicators of true calorie needs than calorie calculators.

Instead of micromanaging their nutrition, fussing over the details, they keep their attention focused on broader patterns such as eating on a regular schedule and balancing food types. The success of these athletes is proof positive that nutritional micromanagement is not necessary. In fact, fussing over the details of your diet can even be counterproductive, a symptom of a neurotic relationship with food that infuses unhealthy stress into eating and often leads to erratic eating behaviors.

Many popular diets are one-size-fits-all. They require every follower of the diet to eat the same way despite their culture, preferences, and metabolic individuality.

By contrast, elite endurance athletes customize their diet to fit their lifestyle, tastes, and needs. In seeking to improve your diet, you should not feel obligated to start from scratch. Instead, think in terms of evolving your existing diet. A tremendous variety of purportedly performance-enhancing nutritional supplements are marketed to endurance athletes—everything from resveratrol an antioxidant found in red wine to coenzyme Q10 a natural cellular compound involved in aerobic metabolism.

The supplements that elite endurance athletes do take, by and large, are not for performance enhancement but for basic health support. A select few nutritional supplements are conditionally necessary to address deficiencies that are common in endurance athletes and difficult to correct through diet alone.

We recommend that you have your physician check your iron and vitamin D levels regularly to determine whether supplementation is necessary for you, and unless you consume omegarich fish at least twice a week, we encourage daily omega-3 supplementation as well.

Just about any other supplement you might take in addition to these is a waste of money, assuming your diet is as it should be.

Few topics in sports science have been as heavily researched as the effects of various fueling practices on endurance performance. As with your daily eating habits, we strongly encourage you to fuel like the elites before and during races and key workouts. What follows is a summary of these methods.

Be sure to carbo-load before longer events 2 hours plus. Either get 70 percent of your total calories from carbs for the final three days before race day or consume 10 grams of carbs for every kilogram you weigh the day before race day.

Eat a big breakfast two to three hours before the event. This meal should consist of familiar foods that are easy to consume and digest on a nervous stomach, high in carbohydrate, and low in just about everything else.

Avoid protein and fiber in particular on race morning. These nutrients significantly increase the risk for GI issues during events. Not only do you not want to be actively digesting food when your event starts, but eating too close to intense exercise so can also trigger something called exercise-induced hypoglycemia—a blood-sugar crash at the worst possible time.

It is okay, and even beneficial, however, to consume a small dose of carbs say, a gel packet right before you start. These calories essentially count as your first dose of within-race fueling.

Doing so will not improve your performance and it may even harm it by causing GI distress. The only calorie source that will give you any performance benefit during a race is carbohydrate—specifically simple sugars and a select few complex carbs such as maltodextrin that the body metabolizes like simple sugars.

Typically there is no need to consume any carbs in a race lasting less than one hour. In events lasting between 1 and 2. And in events lasting longer than 2. A typical sports drink contains about 30 grams per 16 ounces. To exceed a carbohydrate intake rate of 60 grams per hour with this source alone, you would need to drink more than 30 ounces per hour, which may exceed the amount that your thirst dictates.

Note that your tolerances for both fluid and carbohydrate intake will be lower during running than they are on the bike. Also, individual tolerances in both disciplines vary widely. For these reasons it is important that you experiment with different fueling rates in training, and especially during those workouts that most closely approximate racing.

There is a habituation effect to consider, as well. What is uncomfortable for you in the beginning may become more comfortable with practice. Think like a pro. And they almost always do find a way, sooner or later. Knowing what workouts you have to do and when to do them removed the hardest part of training for an event, in my opinion.

All I had to do was show up when I said I was going to. You need to send fuel back to the muscles 30 minutes after a workout to start the replentishmet and repair of the muscles.

A proper refuel will reduce soreness and start the repair to be ready for the next workout. If you are unable to make the smoothie then I recommend using Infinit Nutrition Repair with almond or coconut milk. Here are some tips on top of the daily nutrition you can apply when fueling for a big training day or an event.

As you may know, staying fueled for endurance events is one of the most challenging aspects of the sport. Not only do you need to stay on top of calories but you need to stay hydrated. Dehydration will lead to elevated Heart Rate, reduced power, head ache and stomach ache and possibly DNF.

Here are some tips to guide you to successful fueling. Proper nutrition for endurance training and racing is critical to your athletic success. To help you further with your endurance goals our Basic , Personal and Premium coaching plans include at no additional cost detailed nutrition guides developed by our nutrition partner, Kelli Jennings RD at Apex Nutrition.

These guides will give you the details you need to use fuel to perform your best. Daily Nutrition Daily nutrition is what you need day to day for balanced diet to perform, and rebuild. Supplements are recommended to support your immune system and recovery. I recommend mg Vitamin C, IU D, and a multi-vitamin Stay away from or limit inflammatory foods , such as refined sugars, grains and dairy.

Instead eat fruit, potatoes, rice and almond, soy or coconut milk. It is generally recommended that endurance athletes consume 1. Despite this, it is worth noting that many ultra-endurance athletes self-select protein levels of As well as being sufficient in protein, a well-balanced diet should provide an adequate combination of amino acids to match the demand for metabolic pathways and protein synthesis.

Rapidly digested proteins containing high levels of essential amino acids and adequate leucine are most effective at stimulating muscle protein synthesis [6].

To maximise this response, it is also recommended that protein is consumed every hours, with around 20g being ingested soon after exercise [4] , [7]. This means that protein intake should also be included during events, especially those lasting multiple days.

During ultra-endurance exercise, carbohydrates usually provide the main energy source for the muscles. However, fats also play a role in supplementing energy production.

Fats can be stored in the muscle as triacylglyceride, which serves a similar purpose to glycogen. This is a viable fuel source for energy production that supplements carbohydrate metabolism [2]. Additionally, when exercise intensity is lower, fatty acids are utilised more for energy production [8].

Some ultra-endurance activities may demand fat utilisation as a predominant energy source, as their duration forces lower exercise intensity. They are required to aid the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, many of which play an important part in energy production.

They also provide the raw material for the synthesis of hormones that drive the response to training such as muscle growth and repair [9]. Additionally, fatty acids are required to maintain nerve cells, as they make up a protective layer called the myelin sheath [2].

This is vital for such athletes as continual muscle function relies heavily on repeated neural firing. Daily fat requirements are estimated at 2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day to replenish triacylglyceride stores after prolonged endurance training [2].

As an ultra-endurance athlete, providing your body with the micronutrients it needs to optimise metabolic function is essential. Any deficiencies could result in the body prioritising short-term survival mechanisms and placing less priority on those that enhance long term health and performance [10].

For this reason, it is essential to address micronutrient intake across a broad spectrum of vitamins and minerals.

There are also specific micronutrients that play more immediate roles in optimal endurance performance. For example, iron, folate, and vitamin B12 are all fundamental elements for red blood cells, which are responsible for delivering oxygen throughout the body [4].

Therefore, an iron deficiency can decrease exercise performance as the muscle cannot effectively utilise oxygen for energy production. Additionally, vitamins C, E, and K play antioxidant roles in the body, removing harmful free radicals.

Reducing this oxidative stress can help improve recovery and is beneficial for overall health and metabolic function. When you undergo intense exercise, the rate of blood flow increases around the body to demanding organs such as the skeletal muscles.

As a result, the digestive system may experience inadequate blood flow, as other organs are prioritised. This can lead to inflammation and irritation of the gastrointestinal tract [11].

The most commonly reported symptoms include dizziness, nausea, stomach or intestinal cramps, vomiting, and diarrhoea [1]. If the gut microbiome is healthy, it will optimise systems that prevent this inflammation, reducing discomfort and allowing you to perform without interruption.

This can be achieved by including an appropriate array of prebiotics in your diet, a type of fibre that acts as food for the microbiome.

Prebiotic substances can help to increase the abundance of healthy bacteria in the gut and reduce gastrointestinal issues during endurance exercise [4]. The potential of prebiotics to exert an anti-inflammatory effect has been identified as particularly relevant to ultra-endurance athletes due to the prevalence of increased gut permeability and inflammation [4].

Having a diet high in prebiotic fibres will also provide the nutrients that gut bacteria need to produce beneficial metabolic by-products, called postbiotics.

These postbiotic substances help to modulate many aspects of the host metabolism and immune system [4]. Optimising metabolic function will result in greater energy production for endurance capacity, whilst a more robust immune system helps to prevent illness.

Therefore, the effects of a healthy gut microbiome on endurance performance can also be attributed to the indirect maintenance of good health and, subsequently, the ability to optimally train and compete [4].

Hydration is one of the fundamental components of success in ultra-endurance exercise. Due to the long durations of ultra-endurance events, maintaining a hydrated state is of utmost importance.

Hydration can be a challenging aspect to manage, as it is possible to both under-hydrate and over-hydrate. In general, good hydration practices include starting exercise in a hydrated state, taking caution not to overhydrate, and replacing fluids lost during exercise through sweating [12].

As a guide, average sweat rates during exercise are reported to be between 0. Consequently, water intake should match these rates to offset weight loss through fluids.

At Radix, we strive to create the best quality products for the best possible performance. Sourced from all-natural, quality ingredients, our meals are made to provide the key elements of nutrition to ensure your body can perform at its absolute best.

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The principle electrolytes include sodium generally bound to chloride , potassium, magnesium, and calcium. These electrolytes are involved in metabolic activities and are essential to the normal function of all cells, including muscle function. Pre-Race: Athletes vulnerable to muscle cramping and fatigue as well as those competing in heat may benefit from increasing salt intake in the few days leading up to race day.

Many of the carbo-loading options, such as pretzels, sports drinks, breads, and cereals, accommodate this. Similarly, on race morning, choosing saltier carbohydrate sources, such as a salt bagel, and sipping on a sports drink rather than plain water may help.

Salt loading is not recommended for athletes on blood pressure medications. During Race: Aim for mg of sodium per standard bike bottle of water consumed ounces as well as smaller amounts of potassium, magnesium, and calcium.

Note that too much sodium can lead to bloating and GI discomfort so be sure to account for all your sources, including sports drinks mg per 8 oz , energy gels mg per packet and chews mg per 3 pieces , salt packets ~ mg per packet , and electrolyte capsules ~ mg per capsule.

Post-Race: Sipping on a sports drink, rather than plain water, post-race will facilitate optimal rehydration of muscles, including replacement of lost electrolytes. Because water serves as the medium for all metabolic activity, helps to lubricate our muscles and joints, and also keeps our core body temperature in check, failure to take in enough fluids during a long run can have a dramatic negative impact on both health and performance.

Therefore, determination of sweat rate and consequent fluid demands is extremely important for athletes. Daily: Drink half your body weight in pounds in fluid ounces or so urine runs pale yellow during the day.

For example, a lb man requires approximately 75 ounces of fluid daily. Unfortunately, this level of dehydration can have significant negative consequences on performance so be sure to sip on ounces of fluid in the hours leading up to race start or so that urine runs pale yellow.

During-Race: Aim for ½-1 liter or approximately 1 standard bike bottle ~ ounces per hour or so that urine runs pale yellow. It is important to note that over-hydration, also known as hyponatremia, can be just as dangerous as dehydration and is generally caused by consuming fluids, especially water, beyond that of what the body can absorb.

Cardinal symptoms of over- hydration include clear urine, pressure headaches, nausea, vomiting, and confusion. Marathon Nutrition Plan. Cycling Nutrition Plan.

Ironman Nutrition Plan. Boost Immune System. Close cart. Shipping and discounts calculated at checkout. Check out. Your cart is currently empty. Free carbon neutral delivery - click for details. The best diet for endurance training is What the best diet is not For context, let's first quickly look at what you need to not do with your training diet.

Food rocks and is there to be enjoyed Difficult, as in you can't find what you want to eat outside of your own kitchen A quick fix. If you're looking for 'perfect abs in five minutes', or the 'one miracle diet' for a beach body by next Tuesday, you're in the wrong place. Try any of the tabloids who will gladly feed you this delusional guff daily Your bike is a finely-honed machine, your diet should be too If you're a runner, triathlete or cyclist in training, the best diet should: Deliver all of your macronutrients in bountiful supply.

These are: Proteins Carbohydrates Fats Most other pieces on this subject will now waffle on about precisely how many grams of each macronutrient you need per kilo of bodyweight depending on your weight, training hours and load, inside leg measurement and star sign.

The good news is it doesn't need to either. Macronutrients, the basics Proteins Your building blocks, rebuilding you after training. Great sources include: All nuts All seeds Legumes chick peas, beans, lentils Leafy greens spinach and kale pack plenty of protein Peas the humble frozen pea is a protein legend And oats.

Yup, the humble oat is full of protein. Other sources are meat, fish and dairy Lentils: awesome protein, load your salads with them for major meal power Carbohydrates Part one of your fuel tank, these are broken down to deliver the fuel you need for your hardest efforts.

Great sources include: All fruit All vegetables Quinoa, polenta, oats Legumes Rice, pasta, bread Just be aware how heavier starchy carbs the rice, pasta, and bread affect you. Fats Part two of your fuel tank, plenty of good fats in your diet help your body metabolise fat more efficiently.

Great sources include: All nuts All seeds Avocados Coconut oil, olive oil How to turn all this into the best diet for endurance training? Best Sellers. Chia Energy Gel. Ultimate Daily Greens. Premium Protein. Eroica Natural Protein Bars.

Amore Natural Energy Bar. Better Fuel Carb Drink Blend. Elite Meal Replacement. Loss of substantial amounts of sweat will inevitably reduce the body's reserve of these electrolytes, which can also impair performance. Conversely, excessive drinking can lead to hyponatremia severe enough to cause fatalities.

In addition to securing the right macronutrient distribution, athletes should be encouraged to make the most nutrient dense choices possible.

While a discussion of micronutrients is outside the scope of this article, if athletes are taking in adequate calories and making healthful food choices, they will be better protected against vitamin and mineral deficiencies as well.

Timing also is critical and must be individualized to the sport and to each athlete. Nutrients taken during endurance competition should be primarily carbohydrate sports rehydration beverages, carbohydrate gels and goos and other carbohydrates to deliver this valuable fuel when glycogen may be running low.

Likewise, eating carbohydrates after a training session will enhance glycogen storage and some research indicates that a combination of carbohydrate and protein will further promote glycogen replenishment There are numerous considerations in designing nutrition protocols for individual athletes.

As with other any sport, maximizing the nutritional needs during endurance competition begins in training. The competitive advantage will definitely shift in favor of those athletes whose coaches and trainers recognize the fundamental value of fitness, acclimation, hydration, and nutrition for keeping athletes cooled and fueled.

Training can use up as much as 40 percent of an athlete's total daily energy expenditure and energy demands in competition can also be very high. Successful implementation of sport nutrition guidance requires that coaches, athletes, and support personnel are made aware of the practical benefits of adequate fluid replacement and nutrient needs.

Since the National Academy of Sports Medicine NASM has been the global leader in delivering evidence-based certifications and advanced specializations to health and fitness professionals. Our products and services are scientifically and clinically proven.

They are revered and utilized by leading brands and programs around the world and have launched thousands of successful careers. org Fitness CPT Nutrition CES Sports Performance Workout Plans Wellness. Fitness Sports Performance Nutrition Nutrition and the Endurance Athlete - Eating for Peak Performance.

By Dominique Adair, MS, RD Nutritional needs of the endurance athlete are aggressively studied and the days of the pre-marathon pasta dinner have been enhanced by a sophisticated understanding of how nutrients can improve long-duration performance.

The following all influence which fuel is predominant during activity: intensity anaerobic or aerobic of activity duration of activity conditioning of the athlete recovery time diet composition Muscles always use a mixture of fuels, never just one.

Carbohydrates For Endurance Athletes Glucose, stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen, is vital to physical activity. FatS for Endurance In contrast to dietary fat, body fat stores are of tremendous importance during physical activity, as long as the intensity is not too high and there is adequate O2 delivery to use fat as a fuel source.

Protein And Endurance Training While fat and carbohydrate represent the largest contribution of energy expenditure during exercise, the utilization of protein can also be significant. Not just a sum of the parts Regardless of how athletes divide up their macronutrients, if total energy intake is not adequate, performance will suffer 7.

Fluid Needs If organized in priority order, fluid would sit at the top of the list. To Sum it All Up In addition to securing the right macronutrient distribution, athletes should be encouraged to make the most nutrient dense choices possible.

Key Points Training can use up as much as 40 percent of an athlete's total daily energy expenditure and energy demands in competition can also be very high In addition to securing the right macronutrient distribution, athletes should be encouraged to make the most nutrient dense choices possible.

References The History of Gatorade, www. Retrieved on May 11, Lambert EV, Goedecke JH. The role of dietary macronutrients in optimizing endurance performance. Curr Sports Med Rep Aug ;2 4 Wilmore, JH, Costill, DL. Physical Energy: Fuel Metabolism, Nutrition Reviews ;SS Paul GL.

Dietary protein requirements of physically active individuals. Sports Med Sep;8 3 Tarnapolsky M. Protein requirements for endurance athletes. Nutrition ; Gaine PC, Pikosky MA, Martin WF, et al. Level of dietary protein impacts whole body protein turnover in trained males at rest.

M etabolism ; Hoffman CJ, Coleman E. An eating plan and update on recommended dietary practices for the endurance athlete. J Am Diet Assoc ; Nogueira JA, Da Costa, TH.

While there is little debate that protein needs are greater for highly active individuals than those less active, this is often explained as a function of total energy intake 4. However, the specific percent contribution of protein to total daily intake for endurance athletes has been in question for some time.

The scientific literature to date provides some sound evidence to support an increase in protein requirements for highly-trained and elite endurance athletes 5. Tarnopolsky found that acute endurance exercise results in the oxidation of several amino acids.

Based on the available literature, sports nutritionists estimate protein requirements for an endurance athlete to be 1. An examination of each nutrient in isolation, while interesting, has limitations.

For example, an adequate protein intake with inadequate carbohydrate or calories will still result in suboptimal nutrition and performance. Regardless of how athletes divide up their macronutrients, if total energy intake is not adequate, performance will suffer 7.

A review study of the nutritional needs of endurance athletes concluded that endurance athletes often have negative energy balance, meaning that expenditure is higher than intake 8. This negative balance can compromise performance and will definitely influence the percent contribution of each macronutrient.

Perhaps of even greater consequence than macronutrient distribution is the total energy intake in relation to expenditure. If organized in priority order, fluid would sit at the top of the list.

While not energy-yielding, fluid plays a critical role in optimal performance and safe athletics. The combination of heat stress, dehydration, and exercise imposes perhaps the most-severe physiological challenge for the human body short of disease or serious bleeding Exercise requires the body to attempt to cope simultaneously with competing demands for cardiovascular homeostasis, thermoregulatory control, and maintenance of muscle energetics.

When dehydration is superimposed upon this scenario, the results can be catastrophic for both health and performance. Sweat evaporation provides the primary cooling mechanism for the body, and for this reason athletes are encouraged to drink fluids to ensure continued fluid availability for evaporation and circulatory flow to the tissues.

A water loss of even one to two percent of body weight can reduce an individual's capacity to do muscular work The major electrolyte in sweat is sodium with smaller amounts of potassium and magnesium.

Loss of substantial amounts of sweat will inevitably reduce the body's reserve of these electrolytes, which can also impair performance. Conversely, excessive drinking can lead to hyponatremia severe enough to cause fatalities. In addition to securing the right macronutrient distribution, athletes should be encouraged to make the most nutrient dense choices possible.

While a discussion of micronutrients is outside the scope of this article, if athletes are taking in adequate calories and making healthful food choices, they will be better protected against vitamin and mineral deficiencies as well.

Timing also is critical and must be individualized to the sport and to each athlete. Nutrients taken during endurance competition should be primarily carbohydrate sports rehydration beverages, carbohydrate gels and goos and other carbohydrates to deliver this valuable fuel when glycogen may be running low.

Likewise, eating carbohydrates after a training session will enhance glycogen storage and some research indicates that a combination of carbohydrate and protein will further promote glycogen replenishment There are numerous considerations in designing nutrition protocols for individual athletes.

As with other any sport, maximizing the nutritional needs during endurance competition begins in training. The competitive advantage will definitely shift in favor of those athletes whose coaches and trainers recognize the fundamental value of fitness, acclimation, hydration, and nutrition for keeping athletes cooled and fueled.

Training can use up as much as 40 percent of an athlete's total daily energy expenditure and energy demands in competition can also be very high. Successful implementation of sport nutrition guidance requires that coaches, athletes, and support personnel are made aware of the practical benefits of adequate fluid replacement and nutrient needs.

Since the National Academy of Sports Medicine NASM has been the global leader in delivering evidence-based certifications and advanced specializations to health and fitness professionals. Our products and services are scientifically and clinically proven.

They are revered and utilized by leading brands and programs around the world and have launched thousands of successful careers. org Fitness CPT Nutrition CES Sports Performance Workout Plans Wellness.

Fitness Sports Performance Nutrition Nutrition and the Endurance Athlete - Eating for Peak Performance. By Dominique Adair, MS, RD Nutritional needs of the endurance athlete are aggressively studied and the days of the pre-marathon pasta dinner have been enhanced by a sophisticated understanding of how nutrients can improve long-duration performance.

The following all influence which fuel is predominant during activity: intensity anaerobic or aerobic of activity duration of activity conditioning of the athlete recovery time diet composition Muscles always use a mixture of fuels, never just one.

Carbohydrates For Endurance Athletes Glucose, stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen, is vital to physical activity. FatS for Endurance In contrast to dietary fat, body fat stores are of tremendous importance during physical activity, as long as the intensity is not too high and there is adequate O2 delivery to use fat as a fuel source.

Protein And Endurance Training While fat and carbohydrate represent the largest contribution of energy expenditure during exercise, the utilization of protein can also be significant. Not just a sum of the parts Regardless of how athletes divide up their macronutrients, if total energy intake is not adequate, performance will suffer 7.

Fluid Needs If organized in priority order, fluid would sit at the top of the list. To Sum it All Up In addition to securing the right macronutrient distribution, athletes should be encouraged to make the most nutrient dense choices possible.

Key Points Training can use up as much as 40 percent of an athlete's total daily energy expenditure and energy demands in competition can also be very high In addition to securing the right macronutrient distribution, athletes should be encouraged to make the most nutrient dense choices possible.

References The History of Gatorade, www. Retrieved on May 11, Lambert EV, Goedecke JH. The role of dietary macronutrients in optimizing endurance performance. Curr Sports Med Rep Aug ;2 4 Wilmore, JH, Costill, DL.

Physical Energy: Fuel Metabolism, Nutrition Reviews ;SS Paul GL. Dietary protein requirements of physically active individuals.

Sports Med Sep;8 3 Tarnapolsky M. Protein requirements for endurance athletes. Nutrition ; Gaine PC, Pikosky MA, Martin WF, et al. Level of dietary protein impacts whole body protein turnover in trained males at rest. M etabolism ; Hoffman CJ, Coleman E. An eating plan and update on recommended dietary practices for the endurance athlete.

J Am Diet Assoc ; Nogueira JA, Da Costa, TH. Nutritional status of endurance athletes: what is the available information? Arch Latinoam Nutr Mar ;55 1 Knechtle, B et al. Energy metabolism in long-term endurance sports: a case study. Always carry water or electrolyte drink and aim to drink about 16 ounces per hour but this can vary greatly depending on your hydration needs, so be sure to experiment with what works best for you.

On the bike when doing longer rides, sports nutritionist Dr. Stacy Sims recommends aiming for 1. Good examples include: small salted potatoes, white bread peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and energy balls.

gastrointestinal distress. If you do want to fuel during a run workout, the best options are typically fluids electrolyte drinks or energy drinks or energy chews or gels. Keeping your blood sugar up and minimizing any digestion issues is usually the top priority. RELATED: How Much Salt Do You Need for Training and Racing?

Any good triathlon training diet will always feature plentiful protein and carbs, not just to help you fuel, but equally as importantly, to help you refuel. The recovery process can really only get under way when you are giving your body the nutrients it needs to adapt, rebuild, repair, and prepare for whatever you have lined up next.

Consuming grams of protein in the minutes after finishing your workout particularly long or harder workouts can help your body to repair faster, stimulating protein synthesis in the muscles. Good examples of high-protein refueling foods might include: eggs, yogurt, kefir, cottage cheese, and protein shakes.

RELATED: Ask Stacy: Which is Better, Whey or Plant Protein? Of course, you need more than just protein: Carbs are important for refueling too and will help replenish glycogen stores.

Good examples of post-exercise carbs can include sweet potatoes, quinoa or any grains , fruit and veggies. Pairing proteins with carbs post-exercise is ideal and some athletes prefer to take on a lighter, high-protein snack within their refueling window and then eat a more substantial carb and protein meal within 90 minutes of finishing their workout.

This article on How to Eat for Recovery gives a lot of tips on how to eat to prevent illness, recover from illness, prevent injury, and recovery from injury.

Ensuring you eat enough, especially after training, can go a long way to keeping you fit, well, and healthy. It is far too easy for triathletes to prioritize weight goals or body composition targets at the expense of adequate fueling and refueling.

This can lead to the Relative Energy Deficit in Sports RED-S , which can diminish performance, affect immunity along with menstrual function for women and bone health, and be tied to overtraining syndrome since the body cannot recover.

It can also lead to longer-term health problems. An important part of the triathlon training diet is figuring out in training what works for you, so come race day and race eve you can tuck into your pre-race meal knowing it will deliver you all the calories and goodness you need without any risk of upset stomachs or worse!

Many triathletes tend to stick with one tried-and-true pre-race meal the night before they race, which is often something simple such as a sweet potato or rice with a simple protein. Others swear by pizza or steak—so it really is as unique as you are.

RELATED: The Expert-Curated, Triathlete-Approved Race Week Menu. On race morning assuming you are racing early in the morning, as is typically the case with triathlon your pre-event meal should ideally be consumed 1. A small breakfast such as toast, instant oatmeal, or a smoothie is ideal.

A small carbohydrate-rich snack e. For longer races breakfast—you are looking to top up glycogen stores, prevent hunger, and have some reserves to start the race.

You can do this in the same 1. Stacy Sims often recommend toast with jam and instant oatmeal mixed with milk or a milk alternative as a liquid meal. Given that most athletes have pre-race nerves , the easier your meal is to consume and digest the better chance you stand of getting it down.

RELATED : Ask Stacy: What Makes a Good Pre-Race Meal? Many a triathlete will tell you that what you eat during your race can have an epic impact on how well your day goes. Get it wrong and you can find yourself feeling bloated and heavy — or worse, in the port-o-potties wondering what on earth just happened.

We have this at-a-glance guide to race-day nutrition from Dr. Stacy Sims that covers sprint, Olympic-distance, Note: These guidelines below assume you have fueled well pre-race so make sure you do!

For races up to an hour in duration, your focus should be hydration , taking small sips throughout the race. If you feel low on energy on the run, you can use a few glucose tablets or energy chews to boost your blood sugar. Aim for one to two energy chews every 15 minutes.

RELATED: How To Fuel For Your First Triathlon.