The namesake of the Running Times HS food blog, The Furnace, comes from Quenton Cassidy, a character in Once A Runner, the novel by John L. Parker, Jr. Cassidy, it’s said, “did not live on nuts and berries; if the furnace was hot enough, anything would burn, even Big Macs.” While we haven’t gone so far as to recommend a Big Mac for every meal, we understand where Cassidy was coming from.

The right diet for a high school runner is one that will make you feel good on your runs without stripping you of tasty foods or forcing you to be the perfect eater. There is no such thing as an immaculate diet; there are always ways to improve eating habits. One simple fix is working “good fats” into your eating regimen.

Fats are an integral part of a diet. Along with carbohydrates and protein, they provide energy for the body. The thing is, some fats are healthier than others. You want to steer clear of saturated fats and trans fats, which tend to hang out in fast foods and processed goods, and look for unsaturated fats instead.

Kelly Jones is a registered dietitian with a private practice in Bucks County, Pa. “Without getting too scientific, omega-3 and monounsaturated fats are the ‘good fats,’ ” she says. According to Jones, these unsaturated fats are important for heart health and immune system function, plus joint health, recovery, and injury prevention. And for the high school student athlete? “Good fats are really important for brain function,” Jones says.

Luckily, good fats are fairly easy to come by. Foods like salmon and tuna, along with avocado, nuts and olive oil are high in good fats. Use this rule of thumb: “It’s more fat from plants and fish rather than the fats that you’re getting from animals,” Jones says. In other words, not from Big Macs.

Even with all the possible benefits, you still have to be moderate with your good fat consumption. You don’t want to eat too many of them. For athletes, Jones advises keeping fat consumption between 20 and 25 percent of the diet. If you’re eating 2,000 calories a day, then you’ll want about 400 to 500 calories, or about 44 to 55 grams, to be coming from fat. Ideally, most of those 400 to 500 are from good fats. (The fat content in each food can be found on nutritional labels.)

So try to opt for olive oil over butter or snacking on a few almonds instead of ice cream when you’re hungry. But you’re not always going to be able to do that. Don’t obsess. Remember, you still need plenty of carbohydrates and protein and a balanced diet overall. And keep in mind the golden rule: You want foods that make you feel good when you’re running.



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