Runner's Recipe of the Week

Since Monday is a cross-training day (at least until after MCM), I thought I would introduce something new, The Runner's Recipe of the Week. Each Monday I will be posting a new recipe that is runner friendly. In addition to the recipe, a detailed nutritional breakdown will be given and when in a runner's training cycle, i.e., pre-race, recovery, carbo-loading, etc... My wife, who is Registered Dietitian, will be doing most of the work of this post. Nutritional analysis is courtesy of NutritionData.

With that introduction, I present to you Ansky's Noodle Meat. Don't worry, not all of the recipe's will begin with "Ansky." Our friend Heather named this one after her family devoured it at our house.

What You'll Need:

Serving Size is 1 cup/serving
Recipe yields 30 servings

Beef, round, bottom round, separable lean and fat, trimmed to 0" fat, all grades, cooked, braised [Cube Steak]
4 lbs (28g)

Noodles, egg, dry, enriched
2 bags (12 oz)

Oil, olive, salad or cooking
1 tbsp (14g)

Onions, raw
1 slice, large (1/4" thick)

Soup, tomato, canned, condensed--reduced sodium
4.0 cans (10.7 oz each or 303 g total)

Water, tap, drinking
42.8 fl oz (4 cans of water)

Preparation

Saute Onion add beef until brown. Add soup and 2 cans of water. Let Cook in pan 11/2 hours or until meat is tender. Cook 2 bags of noodles separately then drain. Add noodles to meat, mix well, cook in oven at 350* for additional 35 minutes.

The website has relevant nutritional information regarding this recipe. This particular recipe is very balanced between carbohydrates, protein, and fat. It is not for carbohydrate loading in your training cycle, although it does have a pasta base. One should note that meals with a balance of carbohydrates and protein have a lower glycemic index which is very good for blood glucose control and avoids the sharp elevations of insulin that carbohydrate loading can produce. Even a non-diabetic should watch out for foods with too high a glycemic index, because the constant strain of putting out insulin to accomodate is not healthy, and has been known to lead to pre-diabetes/poor blood sugar control.

On the other hand, when you eat a meal that has a higher percentage of protein, you must hydrate properly. Flushing your kidneys post meal is essential to release the break-down products that can build up when there is a higher consumption of protein. That said, this happens to be one of those meals--good for blood sugar and insulin control, not as good for your kidneys. Drink water!

Right now I am not going to discuss amount of calories you should consume, the website that calculated the nutritional analysis of the recipe can help you with that, but I will address 'when' in your training such a meal is appropriate. There is a super-compensation period before you run the marathon. This happens the week before--you start the week at 60% in total carbohydrate calories, then taper it down to 40% days 2-4 in that week. In the last 3 days before the marathon, you increase the total carbohydrate back to 70% --this is also known as 'carbohydrate loading.' This is a really good recipe to consume in that 40% period, when you taper down the amount of carbhoydrates you consume.

In general, this is a good plan before any long run such as a 20 mile run, you must, and I repeat, you must replenesh your carboydrates following these long runs--increase to 75% of total calories from carbohydrates. And, make sure that you are taking multivitamins. Please make sure that you also consume adequate protein in the form of lean meat, poultry, fish, and pork. These are essential in boosting your immune system so that you can fight viruses that you may easily pick up after you tax your body to such extremes. With the proper planning, proper nutritional intake, your body will recooperate well, and you will be prepared for your next marathon!