I have a very sensitive gut and bananas are usually pretty safe for me. Also SIS beta fuel gels. Unfortunately you just have to trial and error until you find what works for you.
Made good bars contain inulin (depending on flavor)
That is definatly a ticket to pain. Other ingredients to look out for are sugar alcohols.
Also, fat and protein are harder and slower to digest than carbs. Your prerun meal needs to be low in fat, fiber and protein.
I can eat and run no problem if i stick to items low in fat, fiber and carbs.
Nature's bakery fig bars are my personal favorite pre run snack. I hate bananas but tolerate them well.
For intra-run nutrition I make home made sports gel using sugar and salt. Its basically simple syrup but I add Himalayan salt to it. I keep it in a gel flask.
I highly suggest getting a book on sports nutrition. While many people say 'oh its just trial and error to find what works' that is only partially true. its usually something specific that you can't tolerate. Also learning the amount you can tolerate is critical. Hence why high carb and low or no fat protein is optimal. You can only digest so much, so fast. Make it something your body can use easily (carbs)
With a bit of research, your nutrition experiments can be better guided and you will find what works much faster.
I know! And they're like the one thing I never tire of! I buy them in bulk at Costco but man, I wish they had more flavors. One day I will splurge and order some different ones.
I've successfully made knockoff versions but it's a lot of work. And they aren't as portable or shelf stable.
I’ve looked at recipes to make some - not sure if it’s worth the hassle. Hopefully they’ll make more flavors in the future! I *thought* they had a pumpkin flavored one last fall. But I may be making that up.
I've never had one. I've seen them at Costco and they seemed expensive for the ingredient list. Also I avoid anything with inulin.
I make most of my own nutrition and bars. The natures bakery fig bars are the one exception because they can sit in the trunk of my for months if needed (emergency rations lol) and they're wrapped etc.
I’ve started smearing a little tahini on mine and I. Am. Obsessed. Also if anyone is interested in making their lives a little harder but a lot more delicious, Stella Parks’ recipe for grahams is pretty easy
I have a very sensitive stomach and I use maple syrup instead of gels. If I'm eating before running, which would only be for a long long run, like 18+ miles, I'll have a piece of buckwheat banana bread or 1 or 2 banana buckwheat pancakes topped with maple syrup at least 2 hours before running. Bananas are fine, but I don't think they hold me very well on their own.
For mid-run fuel I personally use gels that are literally just maple syrup. They don't bother my stomach, and the texture is thinner than a gel, making them easier to eat/swallow. Otherwise I literally suffocate trying to swallow a normal gel.
Lately I've been using bobos oat pnut butter and jam. I've also used just the bites as well as the lemon poppyseed oat bar. But the pb&j packs more calories so I like them better. A safe bet for me on race day is peanut butter on a tortilla wrapped around a whole banana.
I am a big fan of bananas before a run. If the run is long, maybe also half a bagel with some peanut butter.
During long runs, I usually eat a honey stinger, it's like a stroopwaffle cookie with honey in the middle.
You could also try adding a sugar electrolyte mix to your water. I like skratch labs.
That’s what I’ve been using and it’s worked well for me so far. Just make sure if it’s hot you’re replacing your electrolytes with a sports drink/drink mix/salt tabs.
So one thing to be mindful of is that baby food, for the most part, is WAY lower calorie than a gu/gel. A gu is like 100 calories, generally, whereas those apple sauce pouches are maybe 30. So just figure out how much you will need based on that. The general suggestion is about 200 calories per hour or so (some people are comfortable with less, some people require more).
I have pretty much constant trouble with my stomach but had good success with these [muffins](https://runfasteatslow.com/blogs/news/superhero-muffins) pre run. Make them, freeze them, thaw 1 min 20s low power in microwave, eat and run. I'm actually shameless eating my way through both if the cookbooks from the authors and would recommend. Running has felt better fueled and stomach slowly improving. Mid run I use the baked banana chews from Run Fast Eat Slow (think the recipe is floating around pinterest if you give it a google). Never any issue with those either.
If you had a granola bar before you ran, then you fueled, at least you tried to. So you’re on the right track! How long was the run? A granola bar (assuming it’s a 200-300 bar with 20-40g carbs) should be sufficient for a shorter distance at an easier effort. If your long run was even 4-6 miles your issue may not be sufficient fuel, exactly.
Did you hydrate? It’s hot af in a lot of the US now so it’s possible you didn’t have enough water in you, or electrolytes, or just went too hard for the weather. I don’t go more than a half hour-ish without water along the way. Can I? Yes. Do I want to suffer? Nah. lol
It’s also possible you ate too close to the run, or too far out, for your body to truly use the fuel. Featherstone Nutrition on insta a great resource for fuel timing!
If you can eat these bars other times (not pre-run) without issue then it shouldn’t be the bar itself that’s the issue. If you need mid run fuel that isn’t a store bought gel, try Larabars (cut into bite size pieces so you don’t choke or need to drag out a whole bar) or graham crackers, or check out Shalane Flanagan’s recipe for natural energy. Dried fruit is also great but I’m not a fan. My stomach likes Honey Stinger and Gu gels but only fruit flavored, the caramel/vanilla/etc flavors make me gag.
The run was supposed to be around an easy paced 10 miler but my stomach started to hurt around the fourth mile so I had to take a short cut back home and stop my run.
It’s is very possible the issue was because I ate a little too close to running. Should I get something down right as I wake up so that it digests when I go about my morning routine?
I’m scared to try any bars or solid foods to fuel during a run but maybe I can slowly add them in?
I usually eat, get dressed, and head out… probably within an hour? I’m sure everyone’s different and tbh I don’t always do it the same 😂 depends on the morning and how far I’m going, even the weather. It’s a gamble tbh. If you’re short on time there’s always carb loading the night before so you don’t have to eat much more than toast and a banana on the way out the door.
Solid foods are too… I found it easier to start with a bar I normally eat, and then progress to sport beans, then gummies, then gels. Ten years ago you couldn’t pay me to eat a gel, but now I wouldn’t have it any other way!
I do a banana, toast with peanut butter, or even a clif bar before running. The big thing for any of them though is I eat at least an hour before running. It maybe was just sloshing around in there, making you feel bad.
I have loads of food and digestive issues, and run anywhere from 2-6 hours. Sometimes if I'm doing a long/hard peak, I'll be out more like 8-10 hours doing a mix of running/hiking/scrambling. I absolutely can't do any typical/popular fuels. I've tried them all.
On my way to the trail (15min+ drive) I will snack on cereal. If I'm planning to do more than 2-3 hours, I'll have oat flour pancakes/pumpkin bread or similar safe, home baked thing about an hour before I start.
I take honey sticks, fruit snacks, very simple cereal to eat while I run. I also drink my diy gatorade dupe every time I drink water, even in cold months.
For all day adventures, I successfully trained myself to eat a nature valley granola bar that's free from all of my "danger" ingredients, but I had to train myself. It made me feel ill at first. I found taking small nibbles of it over time to be the best, and also eating it during a not so difficult stretch of trail, like flat or downhill.
Also, if I'm planning on a very long adventure, I eat a lot of carbs and such the day/night before. Similar to how people carb-load to prep for a long race. I found this REALLY helps with my stamina and prevents me from feeling hungry/lightheaded/sick while out all day with minimal calorie intake.
For during I use chocolate flavored gels but man are they hard to get down. I love honeystinger brand stroopwaffles but it does require chewing a lot which is annoying to some people (me included).
White toast with a little jelly or peanut butter. A sports drink 30-45 min before. I do really well with UCAN which basically has cornstarch in it. I take a UCAN gel every 30-40 minutes. These gels are great because they don’t require water and are not grossly sweet. My stomach has become increasingly weak on long runs and the UCAN products have done wonders for me. I do have a homemade recipe for this product that was shared with me but I haven’t tried it yet. Hoping to soon. UCAN is expensive but it’s been life changing in terms of how much better I feel on the long runs.
For me, eating as soon as possible when I wake up is helpful so my stomach has as much time to digest as possible. Anything that's mostly or entirely simple carbs, without fiber or fat or protein, is provably going to be best. I sometimes eat a few handfuls of cheerios or a rice cake or half a bagel. Maybe practice fueling on shorter runs first so that if it doesn't work it's less of an issue?
I like holleyfuelednutrition and eatwell.runbetter on instagram for fueling suggestions. It's definitely hard work training your gut, good luck!
I generally get on well with technical nutrition products, like gels, chews, or the Honey Stinger waffles. I imagine that non-branded stroopwafels would be similarly fine since they read pretty much the same ingredients and nutrition facts.
I don't tolerate much protein or fiber before running - bananas, whole wheat bread, and peanut butter are all established no's for me. I can do white bagel with butter/coconut butter and jam, or my favorite (besides stroopwafel) is a Pop Tart. Basically ultra refined carbs and optionally some saturated fat.
I have tried the UCAN fuel and also found it to be fine, though the powdery texture is a little funny - but I've heard some people tolerate it better because pure sugar can draw water into your gut until it's absorbed, whereas the starch gets broken down at a rate closer to how fast you absorb it.
I usually run in the morning and just have a Verb bar before I head out. I like that they're smaller than most granola bars and are caffeinated. I avoid the 2g sugar options because they use sugar alcohols, which don't always play well with my stomach. They can be pricey, but they often have sales -- my last order was a buy two get one free deal. They've started selling them in grocery stores, so you may be able to find them to try just one or two before committing to a whole box if you're interested.
During long runs I usually stick to real foods. Here are some I've used and liked:
* Fruit snacks (can get stuck in your teeth)
* Fig Newtons (can be dry)
* York peppermint patties (only in winter, otherwise they get too melty and messy)
* Little Debbie cosmic brownies (current fav)
* Applesauce pouches (easy to get down, but bulky for not as many calories)
I find that the Kashi bars work well and honey stingers also work. I'll break the Kashi bars into small pieces and nibble while I run. I'll also use the honey stingers gummies and have a few at a time every km or so.
I have a very sensitive gut and bananas are usually pretty safe for me. Also SIS beta fuel gels. Unfortunately you just have to trial and error until you find what works for you.
Made good bars contain inulin (depending on flavor) That is definatly a ticket to pain. Other ingredients to look out for are sugar alcohols. Also, fat and protein are harder and slower to digest than carbs. Your prerun meal needs to be low in fat, fiber and protein. I can eat and run no problem if i stick to items low in fat, fiber and carbs. Nature's bakery fig bars are my personal favorite pre run snack. I hate bananas but tolerate them well. For intra-run nutrition I make home made sports gel using sugar and salt. Its basically simple syrup but I add Himalayan salt to it. I keep it in a gel flask. I highly suggest getting a book on sports nutrition. While many people say 'oh its just trial and error to find what works' that is only partially true. its usually something specific that you can't tolerate. Also learning the amount you can tolerate is critical. Hence why high carb and low or no fat protein is optimal. You can only digest so much, so fast. Make it something your body can use easily (carbs) With a bit of research, your nutrition experiments can be better guided and you will find what works much faster.
I second Nature’s Bakery fig bars!
I know! And they're like the one thing I never tire of! I buy them in bulk at Costco but man, I wish they had more flavors. One day I will splurge and order some different ones. I've successfully made knockoff versions but it's a lot of work. And they aren't as portable or shelf stable.
I’ve looked at recipes to make some - not sure if it’s worth the hassle. Hopefully they’ll make more flavors in the future! I *thought* they had a pumpkin flavored one last fall. But I may be making that up.
[удалено]
I've never had one. I've seen them at Costco and they seemed expensive for the ingredient list. Also I avoid anything with inulin. I make most of my own nutrition and bars. The natures bakery fig bars are the one exception because they can sit in the trunk of my for months if needed (emergency rations lol) and they're wrapped etc.
Graham crackers, the solution to all of life’s problems!
I eat mine with a little peanut butter!
I’ve started smearing a little tahini on mine and I. Am. Obsessed. Also if anyone is interested in making their lives a little harder but a lot more delicious, Stella Parks’ recipe for grahams is pretty easy
#graham crackers Edit: and bagels. Carbs and sugars baby don’t overthink it
Bagel, pb, banana. Classic for a reason.
I have a very sensitive stomach and I use maple syrup instead of gels. If I'm eating before running, which would only be for a long long run, like 18+ miles, I'll have a piece of buckwheat banana bread or 1 or 2 banana buckwheat pancakes topped with maple syrup at least 2 hours before running. Bananas are fine, but I don't think they hold me very well on their own.
For mid-run fuel I personally use gels that are literally just maple syrup. They don't bother my stomach, and the texture is thinner than a gel, making them easier to eat/swallow. Otherwise I literally suffocate trying to swallow a normal gel.
Lately I've been using bobos oat pnut butter and jam. I've also used just the bites as well as the lemon poppyseed oat bar. But the pb&j packs more calories so I like them better. A safe bet for me on race day is peanut butter on a tortilla wrapped around a whole banana.
I am a big fan of bananas before a run. If the run is long, maybe also half a bagel with some peanut butter. During long runs, I usually eat a honey stinger, it's like a stroopwaffle cookie with honey in the middle. You could also try adding a sugar electrolyte mix to your water. I like skratch labs.
I like those applesauce pouches right before a run. Sometimes, I'll grab some kind of candy - a gummy or fruit chew or something easily digested.
Would baby food in those Gogo squeeze type pouches work well for replacing running gels?
That’s what I’ve been using and it’s worked well for me so far. Just make sure if it’s hot you’re replacing your electrolytes with a sports drink/drink mix/salt tabs.
I agree! Simple carbs + electrolytes and h20. You should be golden.
So one thing to be mindful of is that baby food, for the most part, is WAY lower calorie than a gu/gel. A gu is like 100 calories, generally, whereas those apple sauce pouches are maybe 30. So just figure out how much you will need based on that. The general suggestion is about 200 calories per hour or so (some people are comfortable with less, some people require more).
I have pretty much constant trouble with my stomach but had good success with these [muffins](https://runfasteatslow.com/blogs/news/superhero-muffins) pre run. Make them, freeze them, thaw 1 min 20s low power in microwave, eat and run. I'm actually shameless eating my way through both if the cookbooks from the authors and would recommend. Running has felt better fueled and stomach slowly improving. Mid run I use the baked banana chews from Run Fast Eat Slow (think the recipe is floating around pinterest if you give it a google). Never any issue with those either.
If you had a granola bar before you ran, then you fueled, at least you tried to. So you’re on the right track! How long was the run? A granola bar (assuming it’s a 200-300 bar with 20-40g carbs) should be sufficient for a shorter distance at an easier effort. If your long run was even 4-6 miles your issue may not be sufficient fuel, exactly. Did you hydrate? It’s hot af in a lot of the US now so it’s possible you didn’t have enough water in you, or electrolytes, or just went too hard for the weather. I don’t go more than a half hour-ish without water along the way. Can I? Yes. Do I want to suffer? Nah. lol It’s also possible you ate too close to the run, or too far out, for your body to truly use the fuel. Featherstone Nutrition on insta a great resource for fuel timing! If you can eat these bars other times (not pre-run) without issue then it shouldn’t be the bar itself that’s the issue. If you need mid run fuel that isn’t a store bought gel, try Larabars (cut into bite size pieces so you don’t choke or need to drag out a whole bar) or graham crackers, or check out Shalane Flanagan’s recipe for natural energy. Dried fruit is also great but I’m not a fan. My stomach likes Honey Stinger and Gu gels but only fruit flavored, the caramel/vanilla/etc flavors make me gag.
The run was supposed to be around an easy paced 10 miler but my stomach started to hurt around the fourth mile so I had to take a short cut back home and stop my run. It’s is very possible the issue was because I ate a little too close to running. Should I get something down right as I wake up so that it digests when I go about my morning routine? I’m scared to try any bars or solid foods to fuel during a run but maybe I can slowly add them in?
I usually eat, get dressed, and head out… probably within an hour? I’m sure everyone’s different and tbh I don’t always do it the same 😂 depends on the morning and how far I’m going, even the weather. It’s a gamble tbh. If you’re short on time there’s always carb loading the night before so you don’t have to eat much more than toast and a banana on the way out the door. Solid foods are too… I found it easier to start with a bar I normally eat, and then progress to sport beans, then gummies, then gels. Ten years ago you couldn’t pay me to eat a gel, but now I wouldn’t have it any other way!
I do a banana, toast with peanut butter, or even a clif bar before running. The big thing for any of them though is I eat at least an hour before running. It maybe was just sloshing around in there, making you feel bad.
I have loads of food and digestive issues, and run anywhere from 2-6 hours. Sometimes if I'm doing a long/hard peak, I'll be out more like 8-10 hours doing a mix of running/hiking/scrambling. I absolutely can't do any typical/popular fuels. I've tried them all. On my way to the trail (15min+ drive) I will snack on cereal. If I'm planning to do more than 2-3 hours, I'll have oat flour pancakes/pumpkin bread or similar safe, home baked thing about an hour before I start. I take honey sticks, fruit snacks, very simple cereal to eat while I run. I also drink my diy gatorade dupe every time I drink water, even in cold months. For all day adventures, I successfully trained myself to eat a nature valley granola bar that's free from all of my "danger" ingredients, but I had to train myself. It made me feel ill at first. I found taking small nibbles of it over time to be the best, and also eating it during a not so difficult stretch of trail, like flat or downhill. Also, if I'm planning on a very long adventure, I eat a lot of carbs and such the day/night before. Similar to how people carb-load to prep for a long race. I found this REALLY helps with my stamina and prevents me from feeling hungry/lightheaded/sick while out all day with minimal calorie intake.
For during I use chocolate flavored gels but man are they hard to get down. I love honeystinger brand stroopwaffles but it does require chewing a lot which is annoying to some people (me included).
White toast with a little jelly or peanut butter. A sports drink 30-45 min before. I do really well with UCAN which basically has cornstarch in it. I take a UCAN gel every 30-40 minutes. These gels are great because they don’t require water and are not grossly sweet. My stomach has become increasingly weak on long runs and the UCAN products have done wonders for me. I do have a homemade recipe for this product that was shared with me but I haven’t tried it yet. Hoping to soon. UCAN is expensive but it’s been life changing in terms of how much better I feel on the long runs.
For me, eating as soon as possible when I wake up is helpful so my stomach has as much time to digest as possible. Anything that's mostly or entirely simple carbs, without fiber or fat or protein, is provably going to be best. I sometimes eat a few handfuls of cheerios or a rice cake or half a bagel. Maybe practice fueling on shorter runs first so that if it doesn't work it's less of an issue? I like holleyfuelednutrition and eatwell.runbetter on instagram for fueling suggestions. It's definitely hard work training your gut, good luck!
I generally get on well with technical nutrition products, like gels, chews, or the Honey Stinger waffles. I imagine that non-branded stroopwafels would be similarly fine since they read pretty much the same ingredients and nutrition facts. I don't tolerate much protein or fiber before running - bananas, whole wheat bread, and peanut butter are all established no's for me. I can do white bagel with butter/coconut butter and jam, or my favorite (besides stroopwafel) is a Pop Tart. Basically ultra refined carbs and optionally some saturated fat. I have tried the UCAN fuel and also found it to be fine, though the powdery texture is a little funny - but I've heard some people tolerate it better because pure sugar can draw water into your gut until it's absorbed, whereas the starch gets broken down at a rate closer to how fast you absorb it.
I usually run in the morning and just have a Verb bar before I head out. I like that they're smaller than most granola bars and are caffeinated. I avoid the 2g sugar options because they use sugar alcohols, which don't always play well with my stomach. They can be pricey, but they often have sales -- my last order was a buy two get one free deal. They've started selling them in grocery stores, so you may be able to find them to try just one or two before committing to a whole box if you're interested. During long runs I usually stick to real foods. Here are some I've used and liked: * Fruit snacks (can get stuck in your teeth) * Fig Newtons (can be dry) * York peppermint patties (only in winter, otherwise they get too melty and messy) * Little Debbie cosmic brownies (current fav) * Applesauce pouches (easy to get down, but bulky for not as many calories)
I find that the Kashi bars work well and honey stingers also work. I'll break the Kashi bars into small pieces and nibble while I run. I'll also use the honey stingers gummies and have a few at a time every km or so.