What should I be eating? By Marathon Physio Lucy Macdonald

Calorie input

Get your calorie input right – too many calories and you will put on fat and too few calories and your body will use your muscle stores to create energy and you will lose strength and increase your risk of injury.

What should I avoid?

Avoid processed foods like white breads, cake, biscuits, sweets and ready meals.

Fruit and vegetables

Eat at least five fruit or vegetables a day, the more veggies the merrier, they contain essential cell forming nutrients.

Good fats

Eat good fats contained in seeds, some types of oil, nuts and oily fish.

Protein

Protein, found in foods like meat, dairy, eggs, nuts, seeds, beans and pulses, is also important for building and maintaining muscle, especially if you are doing strength training.

Do I need to take supplements?

You are unlikely to need protein shakes or other supplements, you can read more about this later.

More marathon physio advice 

Follow @octopusclinic on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and/or Lucy Macdonald on YouTube to access our latest free videos on marathon training and injury prevention. If you would like our marathon handbook and are running for charity please contact Lucy Macdonald directly on lucymacdonaldphysio@hotmail.co.uk or if you would like to get the video course Your Marathon: Your Physio please click on the link.