In this world of running we could not fail to talk about one of its basic pillars: nutrition. Our sports performance will be linked, undoubtedly, to a good diet. Therefore, this entry will be dedicated to 5 basic foods that will be of great help in the diet of a mother runner, and even more so if we are still breastfeeding, as is the case of two of our runners.
Running is one of the sports that consumes the most calories, so we must give the body all the energy and nutrients it needs if we want to get to the finish line. These 5 foods are central axes in our nutritional plan, and we can also share them with our little ones, who surely move as much or more than we do.
Peanut or other nut cream
You may think it's junk food because it sounds "Americanized", but it has nothing to do with this version full of sugar and unhealthy fats. The 100% peanut butter is full of good fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals and we can use it to replace butter on toast, make cookies, add to desserts.... We recommend you to try it on toasted bread with banana slices or date paste on top. Of course, it is very caloric so be careful with the quantities, if we have weight problems.
By the way, we have titled this point, but... Did you know that peanuts are not a nut? It is a legume! Because of its origin, a pod, although because of its nutritional composition we have always associated it with nuts. We can also find delicious creams of other nuts such as hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts... and we can use them in a similar way to peanuts, always making sure that they are 100% or making them ourselves. One last note moms, it is the ideal way to introduce nuts to our babies.
Date paste
In our group there is a crazy fan of this product. We discovered it thanks to her baby, as you know the sugar recommendation for babies is zero the longer the better, so looking for a healthy way to sweeten baking at home she discovered this paste. Now we use it as jam, to sweeten yogurts, in the preparation of pastries and everything we can think of that can be better with a sweet touch and at the same time healthy. It is also very easy to make, just cover a handful of dates with water, leave them to soak overnight and the next morning beat them together with the soaking water.
Quinoa
It is one of the trendy superfoods and has its well-deserved fame. It is a seed but we use it in the kitchen as if it were a cereal but with the added advantage for celiacs that does not contain gluten. It is rich in protein and contains all the essential amino acids, as well as minerals such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc and vitamins A, B, and E. All this makes it a very interesting food for athletes and children. We have replaced many rice and pasta dishes with quinoa recipes, it is tremendously versatile and you can cook it with chicken and vegetables or make a sponge cake, a pudding or a pizza base.
Hummus
There are many varieties of hummus but our favorite is the traditional chickpea hummus. Chickpeas are a legume that contains all the essential amino acids as well as being very rich in vitamins and minerals. And why hummus and not a chickpea dish? The pate texture of Hummus invites us to prepare sandwiches with it and besides benefiting from its properties it helps us to avoid cold cuts and less healthy foods. We can also consume it as an appetizer to "dipear" with carrot sticks.
Avocado
It is the fruit with the highest fat content but it is full of healthy fats that are beneficial for our cardiovascular system. It is also very rich in fiber which helps us to be satiated for a long time. It is great on toast with sesame seeds, or as an ingredient in salads. Our kids love it and its texture is perfect to introduce it from the age of 6 months.
Let's not forget that the key to healthy eating is not to consume healthy foods, but to stop consuming unhealthy foods, so it is a matter of these 5 foods displacing other less suitable foods from our diet. In future posts we will write about foods that we should eliminate from our diet as "mom runners".
