You are what you eat, and when you eat poorly, your body knows. Oh boy, does it know, and if you exercise regularly, you may notice that your workouts aren’t up to par. Your energy levels, brain function, digestive system, and even your exercise performance react to the foods you eat. Assuming you want to get the most out of your workouts, optimal nutrition is key.

Food is the preferred source of vitamins and minerals, yet meeting your body’s daily nutritional needs can be challenging unless you eliminate the foods that provide no to little nutritional value. Calories are wasted on foods that contain sugar, or are too easily processed by the body, such as white breads, cakes, white rice, potatoes, soda pop, candy and other simple carbohydrates. If you eliminate a cookie, you have room for both a fruit and a vegetable. However, because life often dictates what we have time to prepare, or shop for, supplementation might be necessary to “fill in the gaps.” Not sure what to buy? Use my Healthy Shopping List the next time you go to the store.

In order to get the adequate number of nutrients, your diet should be well-rounded, include adequate calories to meet your daily energy needs, and include all of the food groups. This isn’t always easy, especially for busy moms who shuttle between home, work, their children’s activities, and their own activities. This scenario requires special attention. If you find yourself “grabbing and going” without much thought as to what foods you’re grabbing, try to pre-prepare healthy snacks that are at the ready when you are on the run. (Also, check out: Healthy Meals in Minutes)

Walkers, runners, cyclists, Zumba enthusiasts…no matter what your mode of exercise is, in order for the body to perform at its best, it needs quality nutrition. All of the B vitamins vitamin D, C and E, beta carotene, selenium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iron, and zinc should be included in your diet daily.

In addition, if you are training for a distance event, such as a half- or full-marathon? Paying extra attention to your nutritional needs will help propel you through the many weeks of intense training required to complete these events. Vitamins that specifically enhance exercise performance include vitamin D, B vitamins, and calcium.

• Quality protein is key to supporting the growth and repair of muscle tissue. Keep in mind, the typical American diet already contains nearly twice the daily requirement for protein, and consuming more than that provides no boost to your performance, may add stress to the kidneys. and may even result in calcium loss. http://www.indoorclimbing.com/Protein_Requirement.html

• Quality fats, such as mono- and poly-unsaturated fats found in olive oil, canola oil, flaxseed oil, seeds, nuts, avocado, and fatty fish, for example, are important for the proper absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, as well as providing energy for long-endurance events. Healthy fats also maintain cell membranes.

• Vitamin D helps fast-twitch muscle fibers multiply and grow, as well as assists in the support of bone health, immunity, muscle function, and inflammation. If you happen to live in a part of the country where the sun shines less for large chunks of time during parts of the year (as in Ohio, where I live), you may need to supplement.

• The B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, biotin, folate, B6, niacin, and B12) help the body convert food to energy, repair muscle tissue, and help make new red blood cells.

• Vitamin D and calcium work together to develop and maintain bone tissue.

• Female athletes in particular may not consume enough calories on a daily basis to cover their need for calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc. These minerals are found in animal products, therefore vegans and vegetarians are particularly at risk of being deficient in these minerals.

• Finally, proper fluid balance will maintain hydration before, during, and after exercise. Because sweat lost through physical activity can easily exceed 2-3 liters per hour, it is important to replenish fluids as soon as possible after exercising. You’ll know you are re-hydrated when your urine is pale yellow to clear.

• For more in depth nutritional counseling, it is always a good idea to visit a registered dietitian to discuss you current eating and exercise habits, as well as your training goals.

• Macronutrients are important too. Complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, provide the energy needed to sustain endurance-type activities (think running, cycling, swimming, and so on.)

Meeting your body’s nutritional needs, especially during times of intense physical training, can be difficult. Meeting with a registered dietician is a good idea if you know you aren’t acquiring specific nutrients, have dietary restrictions, or special health requirements. You can find a dietician near you by visiting, Eat Right

Snacks are super important. Just as you shouldn’t skip a meal, you shouldn’t skip snacks either. Eating a morning and afternoon snack will help keep blood sugar levels in check, give you needed energy throughout the day, and boosts metabolism. Here are a few ideas for healthy snacks that you can make ahead and have on hand.

Hummus with Sliced Veggies

This Middle Eastern chickpea spread has protein, fiber and good-for-you unsaturated fats. Eat it with carrots, bell peppers and broccoli and you will also be getting great nutrients, like beta-carotene and vitamin C.  Two tablespoons of plain hummus has 50 calories and 3 grams of fat, so measure out two to three tablespoons rather than opening the entire container and eating from that.

Portion: 3 tablespoons of plain hummus plus 1 cup of sliced veggies
Total calories: 120 calories, 7 grams protein

Trail Mix

Almonds, cashews, walnuts, peanuts or pecans have healthy fats, fiber and protein. Making your own trail mix is super easy.  Portion out a handful of nuts and mix in two tablespoons of dried fruit like raisins, cranberries or apricots. To keep the calorie count down, choose nuts that are dry roasted or raw. For a change of pace, throw in whole-wheat pretzels or some of your favorite cereal (I’ve been on a Puffins kick lately). Packing your trail mix in plastic bags or containers makes it easy to grab and go. If you find yourself plowing through your snack mix, try using shelled nuts that will take longer to eat.

Portion: 15 nuts plus 2 tablespoons of dried fruit
Total calories: 170 calories, 7 grams protein

GORP

Ingredients
• 1/2 ounce whole shelled (unpeeled) almonds
• 1/4 ounce unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
• 1/4 ounce dried cranberries
• 1 tablespoon chopped pitted dates
• 1 1/2 teaspoon chocolate chips
Preparation
1. Combine almonds, peanuts, cranberries, dates and chocolate chips in a small bowl.
Nutrition

Per serving: 102 calories; 6 g fat (1 g sat, 3 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 11 g carbohydrates; 1 g added sugars; 3 g protein; 2 g fiber; 29 mg sodium; 69 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Potassium, magnesium, fiber, vitamins E and C.

1 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1 fruit, 1 fat

Before you get all excited and think I just gave you permission to toss back a dozen Krispy Kremes for breakfast (are they even still in business?), I did not. I didn’t even give you permission to eat just one (not that you need my permission, of course.) A healthy breakfast – one that you will actually prepare and eat – is a great goal to shoot for.

I bring this up because I hear on a fairly regular basis the following: “I don’t have time for breakfast,” “I’m not hungry in the morning,” and “I don’t like eggs.” Um, did he know there are other foods besides eggs? More to the point…breakfast is super important!

1.) Breakfast brings your metabolism out of slow-mo. When you go to sleep at night, your body’s metabolism goes into resting mode too. One of the best ways to wake it up and say, “hey, metabolism, start your engines and burn some calories!” is to eat a healthy breakfast.

2) Breakfast clears the brain fog. Yes, caffeine works too, but try food with your coffee – you’ll be even MORE awake.

3) Breakfast, especially when it is low-glycemic, has the ability to stabilize your blood sugar levels, and keep them level all day (provided you don’t eat sugary snacks between meals). You know that after-lunch sleepy feeling you get? Breakfast can help with that.

4) Breakfast will let your body know that you aren’t trying to starve it to death. If you typically eat a big dinner because you skipped breakfast, didn’t have time for lunch, and were too busy to snack, the message you’re sending your body is, “I might feed you, or I might not.” In response to this sketchy feeding plan, your body will cling to any calorie you give it, just in case you “forget” to eat for another 24 hours. Feed your body every 2-4 hours, and it will reward you with a consistently good metabolism. You will likely find it easier to lose weight when you eat regularly too. Bonus!

So, what to eat? I have my favorites, but there are lots of options.

If you are super busy in the morning and tend to grab food when and where you can, Cooking Light’s list of the healthiest “fast food” breakfasts is worth checking out. From Starbucks to Subway, there are enough options that you should be able to scrounge up something healthy to eat.

Real Simple magazine has a list of easy breakfast ideas to make at home.The peanut butter, whole grain waffle and also the breakfast pizza look delicious. All of the ideas are simple.

And if neither of those options suits you, try Fitness Magazine’s “No more excuses breakfast recipes for every morning. I like the “no more excuses part.”