The first thing we need to look at is the physiology
of running. What happens both chemically
and structurally every time you hit the pavement? Chemically, a few things are going to
happen. The first being that you body
doesn’t understand what you are doing is for fun, running mimics a survival
technique and the body will respond by increasing the stress hormones in your
body. Adrenaline and cortisol are going
to be produced to make sure that you get enough energy out to the muscles. Your muscles require glucose to
function.
Glucose is sugar coming from the foods that you
eat. You have billions of villi in your
intestines and it’s their job to absorb nutrients and discard anything that is
improperly broken down. And it’s very
efficient at doing this. However, when
you are stressed, ie going running, your intestines become hyper
permeable. That means they start letting
in big pieces of food. Why? Because if a bear is chasing you it will need
to shuttle a ton of sugar to the muscles - fast, and your body isn’t so
concerned about food intolerances when there is a bear. These large pieces of food are recognized by
the immune system as invaders. And since
there really isn’t a bear, these food particles can set off an inflammation
reaction. Not such a great thing if you
are trying to recover so you can train again the next day. So unfortunately, your hormones are against
you on this one. There are three foods
that are really important in helping keep these hormones in check: grains, greens and healthy fats. Grains and green fuel the adrenal glands and
help you produce appropriate amounts of these hormones. Primarily they supply the body with B
vitamins. Healthy fats help control cortisol.
There are 5 of them. Olives, oil,
nuts and seeds, avocado, and dark chocolate.
These MUFAs help control belly fat by shuttling cortisol hormones into
muscles to be used up.
Another
chemical change that takes place in the body as you run is the production of
free radicles. Do you know what a free
radical is? Free radicals are unpaired electrons that get produced from a
number of sources. For example, when you
breathe or go for a run, the body splits pairs of electrons in the electron
transport chain in order to make energy.
You will also absorb free radicles from the sun or absorb them from car
exhaust. Chemicals that you ingest are
another source. In essence, we really
cannot get away from free radicles.
Unfortunately, free radicals can create significant damage to the
body. In their search for another
electron, free radicles can tear through body tissue. If they tear through arteries, it is the
first stage of atherosclerosis. Tearing
through skin is the leading cause of aging.
DNA can be damaged if a free radicle goes through a cell nucleus. This may be a cause of cancers. And finally, dementia can be a result of free
radicle damage to the brain. Free
radicals are extremely destructive and this is where antioxidants enter the story.
Antioxidants
are molecules in the body that have an extra electron to donate. They can give up this electron without
themselves becoming reactive. They
essentially stop the reaction and keep the body safe. Antioxidants come from a number of different
sources; mainly food. Any fruit or
vegetable that is brightly coloured has anti-oxidants. In fact the pigment that gives the colour to
the food is the anti-oxidant. So I
challenge you to eat 5 different colours of fruits and veggies daily to combat
the effects of free radical damage.
Another way to create inflammation in the body is
from structural damage. When you run you
are creating micro tears in your muscles.
They are tiny tears, and nothing to worry about. But this means that you will need to repair
the damage through protein sources.
These micro tears also create inflammation. Think of when you sprain an ankle, there is
swelling, redness, pain, and loss of movement.
You’ve all been sore on Monday morning after your long runs. This pain is coming from the micro tears and
lactic acid that has built up in the muscles.
This type of inflammation is created and controlled by prostraglandins.
There are 3 prostaglandins that deal with injury or
invaders in our bodies. PG 1, PG2, and
PG3. And these are controlled by the
types of fats that you eat. Essential fatty
acids are poly unsaturated fats. Omega
3s decrease inflammation and omega 6s increase inflammation.
The Standard American Diet (SAD) has us
consuming 40 omega 6s for every 1 omega 3. When the ratio should really be 2:1!
That means by over consuming omega-6s you will constantly be producing more
inflammation then the body needs. As a
result, muscles will have difficulty healing.
What’s even scarier is that if you do suffer from a minor injury; the over
production of inflammation can lead to a chronic pain problem. Something that you definitely want to
avoid. Interestingly, those that suffer
from plantar fachitis, achillis tendinosis, or other chronic pain can greatly
benefit from adding omega-3s into their diet.
The next question is always – ok so where do I get omega-3s? The best source is going to be from
fish. We need 500 milligrams of omega 3s
every day! Two servings of 75g of cold
water fish (salmon, sablefish, rainbow trout and pacific halibut) will do
it. You can also get omega-3s from flax,
walnuts, pumpkin and hemp seeds.
Allergen foods
can also cause inflammation. In terms of
creating optimal training recovery you will want to be aware of the foods most
common in North America that cause this problem. The most common are: wheat, dairy, soy, eggs,
and sugar. It is best to avoid these
foods on training days as they will hinder your body’s ability to cope with the
inflammation. It is not that these foods
are fundamentally bad for you, the problem lies in that we OVER CONSUME
them. You wouldn’t eat an apple 5 times
a day, so why do we do it with these foods.
Think about it – we have toast or a bagel for breakfast, maybe a muffin
for a mid morning snack, then a sandwhich for lunch, and cookies in the afternoon,
then for dinner pasta or a roll! It’s
too much and the over consumption leads to the bodies inability to break it
down. The result is inflammation. Try switching your grains around, bake with
different flours like spelt, or have a quinoa salad for lunch.
There are also a
few foods found to stop inflammation when consumed on a regular basis.
Ginger is an
anti-inflammatory food. Gingerol has a similar chemical structure to aspirin.
It helps to block prostaglandin 2, which are inflammatory. Grate a table spoon
into your post work out smoothie for the best results. Or try grating 1-2
teaspoons of fresh ginger into a mug and pour in some hot water. Add lemon
juice and honey for more antioxidant affects
Pineapple and
papaya : Contain digestive enzymes, bromelain and papain. They act like little
pac mans in your blood cleaning up inflammation. They are also good for
arthritis, tendonitis, bursitis, soft tissue injuries, inflammation of the
colon, and chronic pain.
Spices:
Curcumin, Paprika, Cayenne, Chilli. They heat the body which then counters it
by trying to cool it’s self – the result is less inflammation.
Oranges: By analysing the diets of over 25,000 individuals a team
from the University of Manchester, UK found that those with beta-cryptoxanthin in
their diet (found in oranges, apricots, nectarines, tangerines, papaya,
peaches, plums, and watermelon) were less likely to develop painful
inflammatory joint conditions1. The research, published in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, said that as little as a glass of
freshly squeezed orange juice was enough to make a difference.
Hazelnuts,
peanuts, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds are all good sources of tryptophan.
In tests typtophan has been shown to reduce pain sensitivity approximate one
hour after it is consumed. Other sources of tryptophan are dairy products, soy
products (soy milk, tofu etc), seafood, whole grains, beans, rice, hummus and
lentils
Vitamins B6 and B2 may play a role in
reducing muscle spasms and cramps, preventing migraine. Vitamin B12,
which helps to maintain the sheath that surrounds and protects nerve fibers,
may help pain from peripheral neuropathies and low back pain with sciatica.
Zinc and copper
may help in wound healing and reduce pain and inflammation. Magnesium relaxes your muscles. Particularly, important for restless leg
syndrome.
Glucosamine sulfate and
chondroitin sulfate
may favorably influence cartilage and have been studied as treatments for
arthritis. Although some studies have had negative results, others suggest
significant benefit from both these agents (McAlindon, 2000). Glucosamine
sulfate has been shown to reduce symptoms of osteoarthritis (Reginster, 2001;
Muller-Fassbender, 1994) and temporomandibular joint pain (Thie, 2001). The
onset of improvement may take from one to three months; side effects are mild
(Fillmore, 1999). Chondroitin sulfate was shown to be significantly superior to
placebo in reducing pain in osteoarthritic joints, producing at least 50%
improvement compared to placebo (Leeb, 2000). Further studies are needed to
clarify its role in the treatment of arthritis and other pain conditions.
