By Laura BUrk MPH, RDN, LDN, personal trainer, yoga instructor
As we start our running program for our first or hundredth 5k, 10k, ½ marathon, or marathon our bodies may begin to breakdown. Our runs begin to feel like we are running through quick sand with extremely tight and heavy leg muscles. Our knees start to feel every impact as our feet hit the ground and our IT bands snap with sharp pain. Yes, resting and stretching will help but can food?
Foods to have on hand to reduce Lactic Acid in the muscle
After long runs our body naturally produces lactic acid. This is our body needing to generate energy anaerobically. Lactic acid buildup doesn’t cause muscle soreness felt days after a long run, but the body’s production of it and the resulting acidity creates a burning sensation in active muscles during exercise.
- Water-lactic acid is water soluble and can be reduced if you drink enough water. Do not wait until you already feel thirsty, your body will produce more lactic acid during dehydration. Drink 8 to 16 ounces of water before your run and drink 8 ounces of water every 20 minutes. Replace 16 to 24 fluid ounces per pound of body weight lost during your run. Drink water before and after your run to replace fluid loss.
- Magnesium-delivers energy to your muscles while running reducing lactic acid. Consume spinach, swiss chard, collard greens, green beans, turnip greens, legumes, sesame, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds to boost up your magnesium intake.
- Fat-breaks down glucose for normal energy production and reduces inflammation. This can help limit the body’s need for lactic acid during a run. Great sources of essential fatty acids are cold water fish like salmon, tuna, mackerel, nuts, seeds, corn oil, sunflower oil, and soybean oil.
- B Vitamins-transport glucose to muscles reducing lactic acid. High quantities of B vitamins include leafy green vegetables, cereals, peas, and beans. High protein foods that contain B vitamins include fish, beef, poultry, eggs, and dairy products.
Foods to help reduce joint pain
- Salmon– is high in Omega 3 fatty acids which help decrease inflammation and stiffness.
- Cherries– are high in anthocyanins which reduce inflammation and protect against arthritis and relieve pain.
- Quinoa– is a gluten free grain that lowers inflammation in the joints and organs.
- Olive Oil– contains oleocanthal, an anti-inflammatoy by blocking the inflammation enzymes in the body.
- Turmeric– contains curcumin which helps with pain associated to inflammation in joints.
- Green Tea– is loaded with antioxidants called catechins that protects joints from the cartilage damage.
- Broccoli– has sulforaphane, a strong antioxidant that suppresses cytokines therefore reducing inflammation.
Foods to Heal injuries faster
- Kelp- contains calcium, magnesium, potassium, and iodine to increase thyroid function to boost immune system for a speeding recovery.
- Berries- are loaded with vitamin C to build new proteins for skin, scar tissue, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. Vitamin C also helps our bodies maintain cartilage and bone tissues.
- Sweet potatoes-have vitamin A to fight off white blood cells, infection, and viruses.
- Flax seeds and walnuts- increase omega 3 fatty acids to decrease swelling and inflammation from an injury or daily run.
- Oysters and chicken- contain zinc which uses fats and proteins to promote growth and healing of injured tissues.
- Grass fed beef and eggs- are loaded with protein to meet the body’s high demand of protein during an injury. How quickly and how well the injury heals can largely depend on consuming adequate amounts of high quality protein.
Food is very powerful and can be used to help recover from a hard run, recover from an injury, and recovery from joint pain. Slowly add new foods into your training program and analyze your body reactions both during and after the run. Small food changes leads to big health rewards. Thank you for taking the time to read this article and if you have any questions feel free to email me at lburk@elb-consulting.com.