Run-Down Forums

[Guest]

The books I've been glancing through say I should be eating a lot of carbs and avoid over doing fats and proteins. These books were written a few years ago, before the world moved over to a low carb., high protein diet for everyday health. Should this not be followed if training for a marathon?

[Dan]

Hi there. I'm still a believer in the more traditional diet (high carbs). The super-hyped zone diet appears to be little more than an excuse to eat the way you want. Ice cream and pizza is ok (fat and protein) but fruits and vegetables are not (carbs). Give me a break! Look at third world countries that live off beans, grains, and vegetables. They've got our culture beat when it comes to body fat, and I guarantee you they're not concerned with 30% of their diet coming from fat.

Furthermore, the way the research behind the 30/40/40 zone diet was explained to me is a bit suspect. Assuming I have the details correct, it states that 25% of the N.A. population can eat however they want, implying than 75% cannot. The study concluded that 80% of our population is overweight. Gee, 80% is overweight, 75% must be careful with their diet... Could it possibly be that the study merely found the obvious -- by studying out-of-shape people that have grown up on processed foods, you will find that they have dietary problems!!! 80% and 75% seem far too similar to be coincidental.

Also, my understanding is that the Zone Diet research, while it claims to help athletes, was based largely on swimmers. Swimmers require much more body fat than distance runners, so this is another reason I am skeptical. A recent study cited in Runner's World Online indicated that although the Zone Diet might help some people lose weight, there is no evidence to show it will help endurance events such as marathoning. They recommend sticking to the high-carb approach, as do I.

Dan