ok hwee - read this article ok. and i think u'll start eating
the carbo again. hahah!
We keep hearing that in order to lose weight, we need to
eat fewer carbohydrates. But what if you're a runner?
Carbohydrates fuel exercising muscles. If you run, swim,
bike, or even line dance on a regular basis, carbohydrates
are crucial for both performance and endurance.
Try to
follow a low-carb diet and you'll feel sluggish and weak.
At least 50 percent of your total food intake should be carbs,
a simple task if you follow these guidelines:
Choose foods
high in complex carbohydrates, fiber and B
vitamins. Why? These foods
provide fuel for exercising
muscles and help prevent fatigue. Eat at least six servings
each day, and if you're hungry, add on more.
Top choices:
Bran cereals (peferably fortified with vitamins and minerals).
Whole-grain and dark, heavy breads (look for the word "whole"
in the first ingredient).
Whole-grain crackers. Include plenty of fruits and vegetables --
at least five servings, and preferably nine -- each day. You know
they are packed with vitamins, minerals and fiber. But did you
know the phytochemicals and antioxidants help post-exercise
recovery?
Top choices:
Citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruit, tangerines).
Dark green leafies (broccoli, kale, spinach).
Bananas, potatoes and tomatoes (packed with potassium).
Drink at least
four cups of skim milk or eat four cups of yogurt
every day. Yogurt contains carbohydrates and protein, and
you need both to fuel your muscles. Plus it's a great source of
calcium and vitamin D to keep your bones strong.
Top choices:
Skim milk (you don't need the fat in any other type of milk).
Plain yogurt (flavor with fruit to get in all those fruit servings).
To get your 15 mg of iron each day, try these:
Lean red meat and dark poultry; both are packed with
iron (eat at least three times each week).
Legumes (lentils, garbanzo beans, black beans, etc.) and
dried fruit. Iron-fortified breakfast cereal.
A glass of orange or tomato juice whenever you eat a
high-iron food (to increase the iron absorption).
Avoid
drinking coffee or tea with these high-iron meals, as the
tannins decrease iron absorption.