Nutrition for Runners Paperback – April 15, 2014

This book didn’t disappoint. I have read Nancy Clark’s sports nutrition book, so I was familiar with both. They are not afraid of addressing the fat burning issue when exercising and being very hungry. Read this book!

I'm new to the whole concept of nutrition, although I've been running for a few years now. I found this book very well organized and easy to read, with very useful information. This is definitely a book I'd recommend.

so many great tips for runners in this book!

Full disclosure-I borrowed this book from a local library and read the entire thing. Very early on I realized it was awful, but I wanted to give it the benefit of the doubt and to assure anyone that might read this review that I did in fact read the whole thing before I blasted it.This is by far the worst book related to running I have ever read, and it is among the worst books on any topic that I have ever read. It is poorly edited, poorly/inconsistently formatted, and poorly organized. The content is at best redundant and at worst vague and/or contradictory. Additionally, the title is misleading. Rather than being a book on nutrition for runners, it is closer to a basic overview of general nutrition, at times focused heavily on weight loss, with some notes that may be relevant to runners. Many of these notes are not even related to nutrition. For instance, the last chapter of the book is all about selecting the right kind of running shoes (this is not an appendix, it is actually labeled as a chapter). I don't personally eat my shoes, but maybe I'm missing something about nutrition for runners.I was looking for a resource that would cover topics like pre- and post-workout fueling. The book does contain some mention of this, but it is disappointing. For instance, the author lists some suggested foods/meals for different times during the day and includes pre- and post-workout suggestions. However, these suggestions are almost exclusively limited to, "Well, maybe have a sports drink, and you could eat an energy bar." Seriously?!? That's the best this supposed expert can offer. This particular advice is even more infuriating as at several points (again, the book is frequently redundant), the author discourages the use of sports drinks and bars as he has found these to promote intestinal issues and nausea in runners.The author frequently highlights that if weight loss is a goal, exercise in and of itself will not suffice-a calorie deficit must be achieved (thankfully, I did not pay for this earth shattering surprise-I'm going to suggest my local library try to get their money back). However, in one list of bullet points, the author recommends a maximum daily calorie deficit of 500 calories. A short scan down the rest of the page lists the recommended maximum deficit at 250 calories. The contradiction is literally on the same page. I read and re-read several times to make sure I wasn't misunderstanding and seeing recommendations for two different categories of runners, but as far as I can tell, the advice is simply a straight up contradiction.Another frequent piece of advice is to consult with a registered dietician because everyone is different anyway. My personal opinion is that if that is the best advice you have, put it in a blog instead of pushing a book on people.The book appears to be geared toward casual runners at best (despite frequent use of "marathoners" and "runners," seemingly interchangeably). The underlying takeaway seems to be that if runners don't push themselves too hard, they shouldn't really have to do too much special to their diet. Rather than being a source for helping people take their training to the next level, the book basically amounts to a series of tips that may be easy to follow but won't result in much real change either. Many of the chapters even seem to echo this defeatist attitude (your set point will keep going up year after year, exercise may trigger appetite and the starvation reflex, you'll gain back more than the weight you've lost).One of the most troubling things about the book is that some of the information seems to be flat out wrong from the other reading I have done on the subject. The author heavily advocates staying in the "Fat Burning Zone" during exercise, breaking up runs with walks to do so (and I realize this method is his bread and butter). He further states that doing so will minimize the expenditure of glycogen, so it is confusing when he is very pro-carbohydrate to restore glycogen levels. It is my understanding that you will almost always be burning glycogen when exercising, this is a good thing, and working harder helps promote this process and fat/weight loss. His discussion on eating enriched flour is also troubling as he seems to say, "Yes, eat whole grains, but enriched flour is perfectly fine because it is 'enriched' with nutrients that your body needs." Again, it is my understanding that enriched flour basically just replaces some of the nutrients that the refinement process strips out and "enriched" flour is basically a marketing gimmick. This is the first time I've seen anyone suggest that eating refined flour is a good thing (and the author at other points condemns supplements and processed foods). This advice seems more a way to cater to the casual runner that doesn't really want to work too hard on improving their training and results- "Just eat what is easy and tastes good because that is what you are most likely to be capable of maintaining anyway." I find this attitude to be insulting and demeaning.Jeff does discourage mindless eating, advocating mindfulness and carefully logging food, great advice to be sure, but I'm hard pressed to see how that one concept can be marketed as "Nutrition for Runners" and how it can fill an entire book.Please don't waste your money on this book. You can apply all the things that are worthwhile in this book by using an online tracker like the diet and fitness trackers on sites like webmd.com, all for free (and Jeff does recommend a number of these trackers as well). You'll get better information and will probably see better results. It will take work though. Good luck!

I'm surprised by how much I disliked this book. I'm a pudgy middle-aged multi-sport athlete who's considering training for a 50 km trail run with 5000' of elevation gain and loss. I know that I'll need to have my nutrition "dialed in" to train for this event while still maintaining fitness in swimming and cycling. I was hoping for a guide on creating an eating plan for this type of training.This book recommends against doing speed workouts if you're trying to burn fat, as speed workouts will mostly burn glycogen. It talks about training for marathons, but the longest workout suggested is a 90-minute run, and the reader is repeatedly cautioned to go slow and not "huff and puff." I will not get faster unless I run faster. Speed workouts are vital in any sport. They build muscle and endurance. It shocked me how strongly the book cautions against doing them. Mr. Galloway repeatedly states that walking is aerobic, without any reference to one's pace or heart rate. I can walk 2-3 mph without my heart rate going about 80 bpm. That's not aerobic. Yes, I can do it all day, and it will burn more calories than if I'm sitting down writing book reviews, but it will do nothing to improve my cardiovascular health.This book was published in 2014, and it's suggesting low-fat dairy products & low fat salad dressings. I know that nutrition science is in flux, but I'd expect someone with Ms. Clark's reputation to have more insight into the benefit of full-fat dairy and eggs.It's also contradictory. It reminds the reader to be wary of liquid calories, including juice, but then suggests fruit juice with most breakfasts or with snacks. Juice is fine in a pinch, but nearly everything I read recommends eating the fruit itself if at all possible to gain the maximum nutritional benefit.As others have mentioned, it's poorly edited. Examples: a stand-alone list of bullet points (pages 14-15) following a paragraph that doesn't appear to be connected to the list of bullet points. Grievous misuse of commas, rendering the sentence difficult to understand what the author was trying to convey. Weird spelling errors. I've come to expect this from e-books, but this is a print copy.I lost respect for both Ms. Clark and Mr. Galloway after reading this book. I'm glad I checked it out of the library instead of buying it.

This book is a complete waste of time. It's geared more towards people who want to lose weight, not serious athletes (runners) who are looking for good nutritional advice. Since leading research indicates that most people do not digest dairy and have gluten intolerances, the fact that this book promotes these products is really disappointing. It is also poorly laid out and doesn't make sense at times. I didn't read all of it, because it was apparent early on, that this was NOT what I expected.