Fueling Endurance Exercise with Sweetpotatoes and Real Food

May 29, 2024 |Uncategorized

Sarah Schlichter, MPH, RDN 

If you’ve ever trained for a long endurance event (lasting 90 minutes or more), you may be familiar with the nutrition needs and sports nutrition products out there. From gels to chews to sports drinks and electrolyte drinks, there are many options that work for some, but not others. 

Athletes generally have higher needs than the general population. And while there are many sports nutrition-specific formulated foods, like sports drinks, gels and chews to fuel athletes and meet some of these higher nutritional needs, there are also many natural carbohydrate-based foods that can have the same impact.

Many of the critiques of these sports-nutrition specific products is that they are high in added sugars, may cause cavities, and can cause excess gastrointestinal distress among some athletes, especially those with sensitive stomachs. For these reasons, like the general population, many athletes are showing an interest in fueling their athletic endeavers with more natural, whole foods, like sweetpotatoes. Some people just feel better when they put whole foods into their bodies. 

Why are Carbohydrates Important for Exercise?

What you eat can have a definite impact on how you feel, and hence, performance. We have a large body of research indicating that endurance performance and capacity are largely dictated by carbohydrate availability, referring to the amount of carbohydrates that our bodies have access to during exercise. 

Carbohydrates are necessary for endurance athletes and are the literal fuel for exercise. Carbohydrates, which break down into glucose, help power the cells in the body to enable them to contract and work effectively during your run or workout. 

Athletes need to be taking in carbohydrates consistently, specifically in and around their long workouts. This translates to a carb-rich snack or meal before a workout, taking carbohydrates in during endurance efforts over 1-2 hours, and replenishing with a balanced meal afer a workout. 

Fueling Athletic Events

As a former Division 1 college athlete myself, I understand the importance of keeping energy levels up before and during competitions. Our team always had snacks available and on hand, and specific guidelines for what we could eat before competition. This was to prevent hypoglycemia (low blood sugar levels), extreme hunger (which is very inconvenient when you’re trying to race or compete) and also proide clarity to the brain, since carbohydrates are the main source of fuel for not only the muscles, but also the brain. 

That being said, not all athletes will need chews or gels, or the quick energy that those options provide. They may instead choose to get energy from carbohydrate-rich foods, like sweetpotatoes, potatoes, breads, plantains, fruits, oats, nuts and nut butters, honey and/or maple syrup, for taste or texture preferences, high-sodium options, or even for GI reasons. 

Not only do these real food options provide carbohydrates (which can translate to both quick and prolonged energy) for contracting muscles, but they also provide a slew of other nutrients. For example, sweetpotatoes also offer essential nutrients, like Vitamin C, antioxidants, Vitamin A, magnesium and more.

What Does Fueling with Real Food Look Like?

When starting to incorporate real food options into your training runs or endeavors, start slowly. While the gels and chews may not feel good in your stomach, your body may need some time to adjust to handling real food during exercise. 

Most, if not all, of us are already using real food before or after our long workouts. However, for those who want to explore real food options during long endurance events, here are some suggestions.

Before a race/practice:

During a long endurance event/half time of a soccer game:

  • Take small bites and chase with water in the beginning. You can slowly work your way up to 30-60 grams of carbohydrates per hour (about 1-2 medium baked sweetpotatoes).
  • Snack on sweetpotato ginger coconut bites
  • Grab a sweetpotato cookie out of your pocket or running vest
  • Munch on a baked sweetpotato with butter, peanut butter or coconut oil. Add some salt if you’re a salty sweater!

After a race/workout/practice:

 Conclusion

It’s not that these foods have to compete with each other. You don’t have to choose between sports nutrition products, like gels and chews, and fueling with real food options. Instead, they can complement each other nicely. 

For example, if you’re competing in a triathlon or ultramarathon, you may find that you want a change in texture from the viscous gels or sugary chews. You may also find that you are craving something savory and hearty. Having real food options, like baked sweetpotatoes or sweetpotato energy bites, for fuel can also allow you to add in other nutritional components and necessary electrolytes, like sodium (which can be added to sweetpotato recipes), and potassium and magnesium, which are naturally present in sweetpotatoes. 

On the flip side, there may be times when you just want or need a simple gel or pack of chews to carry when you’re out on the trail or didn’t prep food ahead of time. Even on race days, it can be nice to have these options available for you to grab on the course. 

However you choose to fuel, we hope this breakdown was helpful for understanding how real food options can fit into the endurance fueling equation. 

References:

Cermak NM, van Loon LJ. The use of carbohydrates during exercise as an ergogenic aid. Sports Med. 2013 Nov;43(11):1139-55. doi: 10.1007/s40279-013-0079-0. PMID: 23846824.

Khan K, Qadir A, Trakman G, Aziz T, Khattak MI, Nabi G, Alharbi M, Alshammari A, Shahzad M. Sports and Energy Drink Consumption, Oral Health Problems and Performance Impact among Elite Athletes. Nutrients. 2022 Nov 30;14(23):5089. doi: 10.3390/nu14235089. PMID: 36501119; PMCID: PMC9738880.