FOOD FOR Autumn Running
The weather is changing and there are lots of lovely seasonal foods to add to your menu. There is an opportunity to change in your food plan when the autumn arrives.
It’s an ideal time to make warming soups, casseroles and warm salads. The seasonal foods at this time of year are; butternut squash, pumpkin, potatoes, celeriac, green and red cabbage, kale, leeks, onions, brussels sprouts, chestnuts, apples, pears and blackberries,
We like to add warmth to our food with spices, so thought that would be a lovely focus for today’s conversation …
We will focus on ginger, turmeric and cinnamon to give some lovely taste and aroma to meals as well as supporting us nutritionally in our running.
We will outline the nutritional properties of each and consider how they may be added as part of your meal plan with some menu ideas.
SHOW NOTES
(03:24)
GINGER
We tend to think of Ginger as a spice, but it’s actually classified as a herb, ginger is a thick tuberous rhizome which grow underground. If you buy ginger fresh, you’ll see the outer skin is rough and brown and when you cut into it the hard flesh is a pale yellow colour. Ginger comes in lots of different forms – the fresh root, dried powdered, stem ginger, crystalised ginger and picked ginger. You may also buy the fresh root chopped and frozen so it’s easy to use.
The active ingredients are gingerols and shogaols. Ginger is widely researched and has been found to have properties such as being antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and also has anti-cancer activities. It’s particularly well known for its effectiveness in relieving digestive distress and symptoms such as dizziness and nausea related to pregnancy and motion sickness. Gingerols also inhibit inflammatory cytokines and have been shown to alleviate pain and inflammation related to arthritis.
How can a runner use ginger to support their health?
Many runners report feelings of nausea and loss of appetite after long endurance runs, so using ginger perhaps in hot water or tea may help recovery and allow the runner to enjoy their post run food earlier. Ginger affects the gastrointestinal tract and its interaction with the stomach and nausea centre of the brain by absorbing and neutralizing gastric hormones, toxins and acids. Ginger tea is often used to help alleciate nausea and promote appetite.
Foodie ideas for using GINGER
· For drinks – we’ve already mentioned ginger tea and a ginger hot water steeper
· A lot of runners make porridge or overnight oats – adding some powdered ginger will give you a lovely warming flavour
· Ginger is used a lot in Asian style dishes – one of our favourite recipes is salmon or tofu with a soy and ginger marinade – it’s work with chicken too
· You may add ginger to flapjacks and protein bars
· Ginger and Lemon Juice Shot
Safety note – ginger contains oxalates which may contribute to formation of kidney stones so if that is a concern for you may wish to consume ginger with caution.
(11:13)
TURMERIC
Turmeric is a well-known anti-inflammatory spice, it belongs to the same family as ginger and in its fresh form, is a root with a tough brown skin and a bright orange flesh, you may also buy it in dried powdered form.
Turmeric is often used in a curry. The active ingredient is curcumin. Using curcumin alongside peperine (from black pepper) will make it more bio available. Curcumin is fat soluble, so cooking it in some fat like coconut oil or olive oil will help its absorption by the body. It’s attracted a lot of attention as an...
