I think I can speak for a lot of runners, myself included, when I say a lot of us are pretty fearful of two words: stress fracture. It’s an automatic 6-8 weeks of no running, sometimes much longer, and can derail any racing plans or season in a heartbeat. Whenever I see a runner with a stress fracture, I automatically wonder what their nutrition is like. Bone injuries are so often related to nutrition, or lack thereof, in runners. With improved nutrition, along with smart running, we can greatly reduce the risk of them happening in the first place. I’m going to break this down into a few posts, and thought I’d start with a nutrient we often don’t think much about in regards to bone health: protein.
this is the marathon bolognese from run fast cook fast eat slow, with bison
Why protein is important for bones
One of the first nutrients I inquire about in injured clients is protein, and they’re often surprised to learn that dietary protein is an important player in bone health. It helps the intestine absorb calcium, supports the production of important bone health mediators like IGF-1 and improves lean muscle mass (and therefore, bone mineral density). Protein also makes up about 50% of the volume of bone in the form of collagen. Consuming enough is not just important for muscle recovery, it’s crucial for your bones.
How much protein runners need
Runners need more protein than the average human! I generally recommend about 1.4-2 grams of protein per kilogram body weight for runners, which can then be further individualized more or less depending on the runner. So, let’s say a 130lb (59kg) female runner is training for a marathon and running about 50-60 miles per week. I’d put her in the 1.5-1.6g/kg range, which is about 88-94 grams of protein per day. That’s a lot! And can be hard to do if you’re not on top of it or you are restricting your diet.
How to increase protein intake
I usually don’t recommend tracking meals or nutrients, but in this case it could be helpful to track your protein intake for a day or two to see what your baseline is like. I use this database when looking up nutrient content of foods and doing these calculations for clients. Once you see where you may be falling short protein-wise, it’s a little easier to make meaningful dietary tweaks. For example, you may find your breakfast of peanut butter toast and bananas is pulling down your daily protein intake, and change things up by adding some Greek yogurt or by having avocado toast with two eggs instead. Remember, protein intake should be spread out throughout the day for best absorption, and if we’re talking numbers from the runner example above it could look like:
Breakfast: 25g protein
Snack: 10g protein
Lunch: 20g protein
Snack: 12g protein
Dinner: 22g protein
Total: 89g protein
What are some good protein sources?
Protein can come from plant and animal sources, and I usually recommend a variety of the two throughout the day:
Chicken, turkey
Fish and shellfish
Tofu, tempeh, edamame
Red meat
Nuts and nut butter (these are technically considered a fat, but contain a decent amount of protein)
Eggs
Greek yogurt
Cottage cheese
Beans and legumes (these are technically considered a starch, but contain a good amount of protein as well!)
Milk and cheese
Of course, there are other nutrients and disordered eating behaviors at play when it comes to bone health in runners, which I’ll get into in future posts after this “macro” level start.
For more information about me or if you’re interested in working together, please visit my website!