Running is simple – but it ain’t easy. Nutrition is similar: simplicity is far more effective but hard to find. It’s like we pride ourselves on making things harder than they need to be…
With running, you can be enormously successful by following just a few pieces of simple advice:
- Run a lot
- Run consistently
- Follow periodization
- Run fast occasionally, but regularly
That’s pretty much it!
Of course, “run a lot” or any of the above principles can be broken down into multiple books’ worth of advice. You can go as detailed as you’d like on any topic.
But it’s usually not necessary. In fact, by keeping your running as simple as possible, you’ll avoid fads, gimmicks, training dead-ends, and minutiae.
Your diet is similar: simplicity wins by forcing you to focus on big-picture principles and not get distracted by the latest shiny red ball.
And today, I have a nutrition expert to help dispel many of those fads, gimmicks, and time wasters.
We’re also going to discuss her expertise: running with diabetes, as well as the importance of being “calorie-aware” and the truth behind multivitamins, coconut water, the keto diet, and more.
Meet Nichola Ludlam-Raine: a UK Specialist Registered Dietitian and certified diabetes educator.
Running with Diabetes, Keto, and More!
Nichola – or Nic as her friends call her – has such a long list of credentials and accomplishments that I simply can’t share them all here.
But just a sampling of her education and experience demonstrates her expertise:
- Graduated from Loughborough University with a First Class Honours Degree in Sports & Exercise Science
- Graduated from Leeds Metropolitan University with a post-graduate diploma in Dietetics
- Holds a Master’s Degree in Health Science
- Published author in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics
Her blog has also been voted as the UK’s best health blog in 2015! Clearly, we’re in good company.
In this conversation, Nic and I discuss a wide variety of topics important to runners:
- How can athletes running with diabetes fuel appropriately while managing their disease?
- Why is being “calorie-aware” important but fundamentally different than counting calories?
- Does the ketogenic (“keto”) diet work for runners?
- Is coconut water a good source of hydration for runners?
- Do detoxes work?
- Should athletes like runners take multivitamins?
Download and subscribe to the Strength Running Podcast on iTunes or on Stitcher.
Resources & Links from the show:
- SR’s free nutrition course (with a Registered Dietitian-approved shopping list)
- Nic’s health blog
- Sports Drink Info (related to coconut water)
- Basic Sports Nutrition via The Association of UK Dietitians
- Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch
- Follow Nic on Instagram or on Twitter
- More Q&A with a RD (two audio seminars)
If you enjoy listening to The Strength Running Podcast, please consider leaving an honest review on iTunes. Those reviews let us get discovered by new runners – and a review is a podcast host’s favorite compliment 🙂
