Running and food- topics I love!

With the wrap up of our ‘Run Well + Run Wild’- Beginners Series last week you might have seen on the Claudia Beyer – Bare Vitality Facebook page these post-run snacks being prepared to be gifted to our lovely tribe. Well here is the recipe so no one has to miss out my running enthusiasts, running newbies, or those of you maybe inspired to take up your own running adventures with these yummy whole food post-run treats to reward your new-found healthy hobby.

A question I get asked by my clients and community all the time is WHEN and WHAT should I be eating post-run or post-workout for that matter?

Answer:

First priority is to restore your glycogen stores ASAP to assist recovery and ensure your body can optimally benefit from that training session. Without restoring the body, a workout can actually create more damage than good. Usually we don’t feel like much to eat directly after a hard run. The good news, you only need a small snack within 30 minutes of your run to restore glycogen stores. Your post-run recovery meal can effectively be consumed any time within 1-2 hours afterwards.

So ideally what should our post-run snack include? A base of a good low GI carb, in this case our organic oats, dates and raw honey. Easily digestible protein- our raw almonds. An antioxidant source- cocao powder and goji berries. A source of nourishing good fats- chia seeds, coconut & almonds.

and remember hydrate, hydrate hydrate!

After I finish a run I have a big drink of water, stretch directly afterwards and then get  into a couple of these either on my way home or as soon as I get back and then drink more water.

Only super food, whole food goodness! Organic ingredients from my creative cooking playground- The Source Bulk Foods. Dairy free and refined sugar free. While organic oats can be tolerated by some with gluten intolerance, you can switch the oats for quinoa/ rice flakes or sprouted buckwheat as a gluten free option. For nut allergies switch the almonds for a sunflower and pepita seed mix.

Have fun running and nourishing my loves!

Recipe:

2 cups of pre-soaked medjool dates *

2 tbs cocao powder

2/3 cup organic oats

3 tbs chia seeds

1/2 cup shredded coconut + extra for rolling balls in

1/2 cup goji berries

1/2 cup raw almonds or almond meal

2 tbs raw honey

Good pinch of celtic salt

In a high-speed blender or food processor, blitz all the ingredients except the goji berries into a sticky dough.

Then either mix through the goji berries or blend on a low-speed until combined.

Take a heaped tablespoon of mixture and roll into a ball before then rolling in the extra shredded coconut. If the mixture is too dry and not forming a solid ball, add a tbs or 2 of water to moisten the mixture.

Store in a sealed container in the fridge.

*Soak dates in a bowl of filtered water for at least 20 minutes and then rinse thoroughly.

Enjoy!