The Good...
Low GI
For about the last five or six years I've broadly tried to eat according to low-GI (glycaemic index) principles. I try to avoid refined white carbs, eat plenty of whole-grains (to the extent that I really dislike the taste of sliced white bread now, even having been brought up on it) and try to include a bit of protein in with most meals. I don't stick rigidly to it these days, but I find that I feel at my best when I'm working to this.
Meat-free
I've not eaten meat for about 9 years. As a dog owner I couldn't get my head around loving a dog so much but eating other animals. I'm not a proper vegetarian though... Initially I avoided animal products altogether but over the years fish, eggs, milk and cheese slipped back into my diet as I struggled with the argument between my conscience and my appetite. Being married to a chef and loving food is the reason I give to myself, but honestly I feel from an ethical perspective I'd rather avoid it. I only buy organic, free-range dairy products and try to look for better welfare products when possible too, but I'm definitely a work-in-progress when it comes to the ethical angle.
From a health point-of-view I would say my diet is much healthier since I stopped eating meat - I eat more veg and pulses and a wider variety of food; veggie options often make you think more broadly and creatively about what to eat. Protein is arguably the hardest thing to include but even that is pretty straightforward and I try to limit the fish, eggs etc. when I'm at home and eat lots of Quorn, tofu and Linda McCartney sausages! I am also a bit obsessed with nut butters as my growing selection of Meridian products shows...
80-20 rule
I'm a huge advocate of the 80-20 rule and it works for me. I try to eat healthily Monday to Friday and relax the rules a bit at the weekend. Years ago I found I was constantly starting diets only to feel deprived and then fall spectacularly off the wagon. Sometimes I'd eat food I didn't even like or fancy just because I was planning to "start next week". Now I find it easier to eat well during the week because I know I can eat whatever I like at the weekend (within reason). I'm just much more relaxed about food generally. The 80-20 rule also makes me more likely to choose foods that I love but that will also nourish me and leave me feeling satisfied - if someone brings a home-made cake into work I'll enjoy it and not worry about the fat and sugar too much but I tend to avoid the cheap pre-packaged cakes that are full of preservatives and other nasties.
Nutritious snacks
There are loads of lovely tasty snacks out there that are nutrient-dense - this is what I go for now. I'd rather have a higher calorie snack if it contains good natural foods than a low calorie chemical-laden "treat". I avoid low-fat foods (it makes me really sad when I see someone eating a low-fat yoghurt!) in favour of delicious, nutritious real food like Nakd bars (especially the Bakewell Tart flavour). My other go-to snacks are bananas, for convenience combined with nutrition you can't beat them.
Sports nutrition
I think sports nutrition can be a good support, but is no substitute for a generally healthy diet based on real food. I use PhD protein shakes after a workout (particularly if I'm pressed for time because they're quickly digested). Sometimes it's a glass of milk or chocolate milk if I know I'm going to be eating a meal shortly but not immediately. I like to mix the shake in a blender, sometimes with a banana, some chia seeds and maybe even a spoon of nut butter too.
On long runs I'll take some electrolyte drink with me - I've recently been lucky enough to win some fantastic nuun hydration drinks in a competition on the fabulous Rula Runs blog. I'm really enjoying trying the different flavours. I occasionally suffer with migraines and a sort of running hangover if I go for a longish run without electrolytes... I think it is probably because I sweat a lot (I know I've talked about this on the blog before but I really do!)
In half-marathons and some of my recent training runs I've enjoyed Power Bar banana and strawberry gels - they taste good - not too sweet, and the texture is nice. I'm a huge fan of beetroot juice (just beetroot generally really) and have started drinking a beetroot shot two hours before a race. I also like a couple of black coffees on the morning of a race - partly for the caffeine hit but also (apologies for being indelicate) because it helps me to "go" beforehand saving me a toilet break mid-run. My other pre-run ritual is a bowl of porridge with a banana and agave nectar a good 2-3 hours before I run though. I have recently discovered "overnight oats" - equal parts porridge oats, milk and natural yoghurt left, as the name suggests, overnight in the fridge. A great cool alternative to porridge when you're pressed for time, just make it the night before and add toppings in the morning.
Diet of plenty
I eat a lot, there I've said it. I've always had a good appetite, no full switch and I think about food all the time. Running helps me to manage my weight (although I don't know what that is... I don't weigh myself very often, just when I go to the doctors or after Christmas/prior to summer holidays), but it doesn't mean I can eat whatever I like - one Mars bar eaten in less than five minutes could wipe out a lot of the calories I burn on the average run. As I've alluded to though I try to focus on eating healthy food and mostly let the calories sort themselves out. Filling my plate with salad or veg, eating real food and avoiding loads of snacks seems to work for me.
The Bad...
Takeaway Fridays
Guy is a chef, so we eat pretty well when he cooks, but like most people we're pressed for time and since I don't cook at all and we both love a curry, Friday nights are takeaway curry night. I'm pretty sure takeaways aren't on the elite athlete's menu each and every week, but it's back to the question of balance again... There's also lots of goodies in my usual sagwala with a side of tarka dhal and a paratha - turmeric, spinach, lentils, garlic to name a few.
Booze
I love a glass of wine or two with a good meal, a gin and tonic on a night out and a cold beer in the summer... I try to have at least two AFDs (alcohol free days) per week, and it's usually four (Mon-Fri). High days and holidays wouldn't be the same without a drink. No booze the night before a big race (0% beer helps me to feel normal on Saturday nights), but I have been known to PB at parkrun the morning after the night before.
The white stuff
Sugar is my nemesis. I can descend into a sugar fuelled state all too easily, especially when I'm tired. It makes me feel horrible - bloated, yucky skin, headachy and the more I have the more I want.
Runger strikes
See above for the white stuff, add in the insatiable desire to eat toast - the feeling of never being full after a long run.
Mindless eating
This is when I realise I've inhaled my dinner or snack without really thinking about it or enjoying it. As there are a limited amount of calories I can consume in a day it really would be a shame not to enjoy them all! I can tend not to properly chew my food and it's a weird extreme from my usual constant thinking about food to stuffing my face without a second thought. It also leads to not really realising how much I'm eating and I can quickly get into bad eating habits whilst thinking I have this great, healthy diet. One thing that I have found has helped in the past is keeping a food diary for a couple of weeks, which I think I'm going to do again after all the marathon training (and a week or so of refuelling!) has passed.
And the Ugly...
Food guilt
The only thing I have categorised as ugly when it comes to my diet is food guilt. I think that most, if not all, of my female friends would recognise the internal dialogue of "I shouldn't have eaten that" that often follows a "bad" meal or a few days where we've been too busy, tired or distracted to eat well but how much emotional energy and brain space do we waste on these thoughts and feelings when there's so much else to do/think/feel. I'm getting better at not allowing these thoughts into my head; at enjoying the simple pleasure of a good meal or a nice bit of cake after a run, without allowing the guilty thoughts to detract from it. I can't say I always manage it but I'm making progress.
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