Running; Low GI foods & fibre;

A lot of the low GI foods can also be quite high in fibre: it is necessary to find a balance between low GI foods and a low fibre content. Fibrous food can be hard to digest and can cause frequent visits to the bathroom before or even during a long run – this is particularly true on race mornings when nerves are running high and digestion is less efficient. By all means include fibrous foods but keep quantities small and balance them with low GI foods which have a lower fibre content – this will be a learning process over time e.g. label reading and also a “feel “process, as fibrous foods make you feel fuller and more bloated. Ideally, before a run, you don’t actually want to feel food “sitting” in your stomach as you would with lots of high fibre foods. Examples: oats are a great low GI food and have much less fibre than a bowl of All Bran. Raspberries, apples and pears with skin on are all great low GI foods but high in fibre. However, blueberries, dried apricots, bananas and oranges are all low GI and have less fibre. 30 minutes before your run, you should avoid fibre altogether.