I love you. Seriously. Your magazine is fantastic. It has this amazing energy to it that I feel really helps keep me thinking about running, loving running, and helping others with their entry into and sustained practice of running. You have some excellent feature pieces (NYC Marathon, Shalane and Kara, Pre, etc), really enjoyable regular columns (I love "Ask Miles" and Marc Parent's "Newbie Chronicles"), and just a great attitude to the magazine that is so crucial in feeding a runner's passion.But, my friend, it isn't all love. I know all the talk for runners is about carbs, and you do an admirable job helping dispel the myth that you can or should eat loads of carbs pre-race. However, I read all of your recipes and nutrition advice, and I see a consistent theme of fewer calories, less fat, less protein and more carbs, and it disturbs me. Protein is the fuel of muscles. Carbs is the fuel of short bursts of energy and fat storage. Runners aren't usually associated with fat stored on the body, but there are tons of runners who don't 'look like runners', and should really be focusing on diets higher in protein and veggies and lower in carbs. The truth is, you don't need carbs in the quantities your recipes suggest, and you certainly don't need the added sugar that keeps popping up in every recipe, from honey to straight sugar - especially when many of your recipes already have fruit in them.
I have been following a Slow Carb diet for a few years now, and have much higher energy and endurance than I've ever had. I also have lower body fat than ever before despite eating materially more fat on a daily basis than I ever did. I coach others in the same path, and their results are similar. Protein can be a better fuel than carbohydrates, and doesn't run the risk of turning to fat if you don't use it. Nor is it too rapidly digested, so you don't need to reach for it again and again like you do with an energy gel to avoid bonking. Nor does it run the risk of creating insulin resistance, which means you are more likely to store carbs as fat, which will make you produce more insulin, which will make you more insulin resistant, and the circle starts over again.
Using the right protein in the right way is a far better solution than fueling with carbs. For me, it's getting whey protein for shorter runs and post-workout; or using casein for longer runs (eat some cottage cheese, for example). Starting your day with a high protein breakfast has proven to spark fat burning throughout the day, and keep you feeling fuller longer than carb breakfasts.
Another theme I've noticed is anti-gluten-free diets for non-gluten-intollerant people. You have articles that essentially tell people to watch out if they're considering going GF and warn about the risks due to giving up whole grains. People didn't eat whole grains for thousands of years, and yet we're all here today, so it can't be as crucial as the FDA tells us. You downplay the benefits experienced by those who go GF by explaining the improved general energy and wellness as merely due to cutting out processed foods. How do you know that? What about all those who eat whole foods including gluten, go GF, and then get that increased energy and general wellness improvement? I'm in that boat, as is my wife and many others around us. I also know people who are GF yet eat plenty of processed food, but still feel much better overall and have fewer gastric issues.
I don't mean to knock you. Really. I just want to ask you to start to open up to the non-1970s/1980s medicine that pervades our dietary advice. It's the same stuff that insists that 'calories in < calories out -> lose weight', despite evidence that this isn't the case. It's the same stuff that leads to 'a shake for breakfast, a shake for lunch, and a sensible dinner' being the definition of 'diet' for most Americans, rather than what we eat day in, day out.
If magazines could read, I'd recommend that you read "Why We Get Fat" by Gary Taubes. I wrote a book review of it here. Since you can't read, I advise you to interview Taubes and see what he thinks about his findings and advice relative to the needs of a runner.
Let's get smarter about nutrition. Let's look at real facts. Let's help people get to a better place. Let's help people enlighten.their.body.
Sincerely,
Bryan Falchuk
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