Joe also writes a monthly online newsletter called Running Commentary that readers may get for a modest fee. I subscribe to it and look forward to each edition. In his latest newsletter he covers a subject I wanted to pass along to you.
With his permission, (thanks Joe) I have reprinted parts of his commentary.
by Joe Henderson
PRO-PROTEIN
Warning: What you're about to read here could shake your faith in what you've been taught about nutrition. Or it could anger you because I question your fondly held beliefs.
This column swims against the tide of conventional wisdom about what a runner should and shouldn't eat. Which is: Carbohydrates are good, fats are bad, and proteins are limited because they often come in packages with little carbo and loads of fat.
Until the past two years I ate the usual high-carbo, low-fat and therefore little-protein runner's diet. This began to change when spells of dizziness suddenly hit me in 1995 and continued rather dramatically for the next year.
Eating less carbohydrates of the refined type (especially sugar, to which I was addicted) along with more protein helped me more than any other therapy. The fat load has naturally crept up, but this seems a small penalty for remaining level-headed.
My book Best Runs carries a chapter on these diet changes. I won't repeat any of that now, but will update with supporting material gleaned recently from someone else's book.
Michael and Mary Dan Eades, both MDs, promote a high-protein and low-carbohydrate diet in their book Protein Power. They say that many Americans suffer from carbo overload, which leads to everything from excess weight to serious medical conditions.
The Eadeses write that insulin is the culprit. Too much carbohydrate floods the systems with insulin - which among other effects causes yo-yoing energy, water retention, elevated blood pressure and weight gain.
These authors generally recommend limiting carbo grams while raising protein intake. For active people such as runners they prescribe at least 0.6 grams of protein each day per pound of body weight, and no more than 0.9 gram of carbohydrates daily per pound.
I would weigh 135 on a good day. By the Eades formula I need at least 80
