The Best Power Foods for Walkers

By The Editors of Prevention
Prevention

With fad diets abounding, it's a wonder we know what to eat at all: Eat only protein, don't eat any protein. Fat is bad, some fats are good. Carbohydrates make you fat, carbohydrates help you lose weight. It's enough to drive you crazy.

The truth is that your body needs all these nutrients—protein, carbohydrates, and fat—in a healthy balance to maximize your walking. The key is to know how much of each type to eat, when to eat them, and what foods provide the most power to their punch. When used correctly, the following power foods can help you lose weight, rev up your energy, strengthen muscles and bones, and keep you injury-free. So don't pull your hair any longer; here's one sane eating plan you can live with forever!

Carbs for Weight Loss & Energy
There are two types of carbohydrates: simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are found in foods such as sugar and milk. Complex carbohydrates are found in the fibers and starches of plant foods. Whole grains and pasta contain complex carbs as do vegetables and legumes. When you eat any kind of carbohydrate, your body extracts a fuel called glucose (blood sugar). When you exercise, your muscles burn the stored glucose.

Because complex carbohydrates are usually lower in fat and higher in nutritional value than simple carbs, they're a better choice for everyone, including walkers like you. Complex carbs also offer healthy amounts of fiber, a substance that encourages weight loss because it's bulky and therefore fills you up quickly, so you'll eat less.

Power-eating Tip: Go beyond starches.
Slightly more than half of your total daily calories—55 to 60 percent—should come from carbohydrates. Of that, only 40 percent should be complex carbohydrates such as potatoes, whole grain breads and pastas, and fruits. The other 60 percent of carbohydrate calories can come from a variety of sources, including dairy."Many athletes fail to realize that carbohydrates also occur in vegetables and dairy products, and thus they consume more starches than they need to," explains Kristine L. Clark, Ph.D., R.D., director of sports nutrition at the Center for Sports Medicine at Pennsylvania State University in State College.

Fat for Endurance & Immunity
Fat is an essential nutrient for good health, vitamin absorption, brain function and energy. "Just as many athletes overconsume carbohydrates, they underconsume fats," says Clark. In fact, the latest research shows that fat may increase your endurance and boost your immune system.

When researchers had nine female soccer players eat 2.7 oz. of peanuts (or 450 calories from fat) every day for one week, the women ran nearly one mile longer than when they ate their usual fare. When an extra 450 calories of carbs were substituted, there was no change.

Another team of researchers studied trained runners and found that those who limited fat in their diet to about 17 percent compromised their immune system. When the level of fat was raised to 32 to 41 percent, performance improved without any jeopardy to immunity.