Health is Wealth
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Tip of the day: Include the right food categories in your breakfast. A healthy, balanced breakfast includes lean protein, whole grains, and fruit. — #HarvardHealthTipoftheDay #HarvardHealth #HealthyBreakfast #Breakfast
This tasty, filling Italian soup is packed with nutrient-rich veggies, heart-healthy olive oil and fiber-friendly legumes. Enjoy it all year long — let it warm you up in the fall and winter, and fill it with fresh vegetables from your garden in the summer.
¼ cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced (or 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder)
1-1/3 cups coarsely chopped onion
1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped celery and leaves
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 cup sliced carrots, fresh or frozen
4-3/4 cups shredded cabbage
1 can (16 ounces) tomatoes, cut up
1 cup canned red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1-1/2 cups frozen peas
1-1/2 cups fresh green beans
Dash hot sauce
11 cups water
2 cups uncooked spaghetti noodles
Makes 16 servings
Per serving:
Calories: 260
Fat: 4g
Saturated fat: 0g
Sodium: 191mg
Protein: 11g
Carbohydrate: 45g
Sugars: 7g
Dietary fiber: 8g
—Recipe courtesy of Stay Young at Heart (National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute)
If you run regularly, whether it’s an easy jog around the block to stay fit or an intense training regimen to prepare for a marathon, you need proper nutrition.
Here are some tips to help keep runners well-nourished and ready to win.
A good diet can boost your physical health and help you meet your fitness goals. Make sure your meals emphasize the following basic components:
Individuals may have different optimal balances, but in general, people who include running or jogging as part of their fitness regimen should get 60% to 70% of their calories from carbohydrates, with lean protein and healthy fats each accounting for 15% to 20% of their remaining calories.
Although low carbohydrate diets are popular go-to’s for people wanting to lose weight, they’re not ideal for distance runners, who thrive on carbohydrates for endurance.
That is why very low carbohydrate diets, such as the ketogenic diet, plus running is not a good idea. Experts do not recommend keto to runners unless they have been told by their doctor that this a medically safe option for them and they are being monitored while in ketosis.
Distance runners need more carbs than people who aren’t training. Undereating carbohydrates can be hard on your body and affect your recovery after your run.
Here’s why: Running uses both glucose in the blood and your stores of glycogen. Glucose is the form of sugar that circulates in the bloodstream, and glycogen is the sugar stored in your liver and muscles that acts as the primary fuel for endurance exercise.
Eating plenty of carbs helps ensure that these energy stores are ready to support your training. When those stores get too low, runners are more likely to run out of energy and “burn out” or “hit a wall” while training.
Running changes your body and your nutritional needs. Often when people start a running regimen, they are trying to lose weight or get in shape quickly, and they don’t realize they need to adjust their diet.
Especially in women runners, dietitians report seeing a tendency to overdo the running while not eating enough, and this can have an effect on health if they do not adequately replenish lost vitamins and minerals in their diet.
For women in particular, calcium and vitamin D are essential for bone health to avoid loss of bone mineral density and the risk of stress fractures.
For more vitamin D, include these foods in your meals:
For more calcium, try:
Iron deficiency can affect women and even have an impact on their running performance. Menstruation puts people at higher risk of iron deficiency, and if iron isn’t replenished in the diet, decreases in hemoglobin can occur and bring on anemia. Hemoglobin is what carries oxygen throughout the body, including the muscles, so if there is a deficit, the muscles may feel the effect of insufficient oxygen during exercise.
Iron-rich foods include:
Dietitians recommend eating eating iron rich foods in combination with foods high in vitamin C, such as citrus, bell peppers or berries, since vitamin C helps increase the body’s absorption of iron.
The best time to eat a full meal is about two to three hours before you hit the road, track or trail. Have a good source of carbs paired with protein, making sure the meal focuses on a healthy carb source.
If it’s been more than three to four hours since you’ve eaten, a carbohydrate-rich snack a half-hour before running can ensure you have adequate glucose available before you head out. Directly before a run, it’s best to stick with easy-to-digest carbohydrates to avoid gastrointestinal [GI] distress such as cramping or diarrhea.
Try these:
If you are training for a marathon or distance event and are going to be out for over an hour, you will want to bring some fuel with you. Energy drinks, gel tubes and other sources of quick blood-glucose boosters are available, but you can also use something as simple as fruit snacks.
Try practicing with these items as you train so you can pick the formulas that are best for you, and you can work on accessing and ingesting them smoothly without breaking stride.
Before a run or the night before a big race, Eidel recommends going easy on:
It might. Carb loading is the practice of eating a lot of carbohydrates ― particularly those that are easily absorbed, such as white bread, pasta and rice ― for 24 to 48 hours before a big race or distance run, to shore up your body’s stores of glycogen and lessen the risk of burnout before finishing the event.
Some studies show carb loading is beneficial for people preparing for a race, but it’s important to make sure during that time you’re also allowing your body to rest and giving it time to store what you are ingesting. The number of carbohydrate grams will be differ from person to person, but in general, evidence shows carb loading can be beneficial prior to a distance event.
In contrast, casual runners likely do not need to carb load. Ensuring that their day-to-day diets include extra carbohydrates can be sufficient.
It’s common for people not to feel hungry after a run, but a snack or light meal of complex carbohydrates and protein within the first hour after running can help replenish glycogen stores and to support recovery and rebuild stressed muscles. For example:
If you’re interested in running as part of a weight loss plan, getting adequate nutrition is a must. Even casual running or jogging burns calories and can be hard on the body. Runners can become undernourished at first because they don’t understand how much energy they’re burning when they run and what they need to properly recover.
Eating enough is also essential to building muscles, which can aid in fat burning ― a plus for people working on achieving or maintaining a healthy weight.
For optimal weight loss, your plan should not rely on running alone but also include strength training and proper nutrition.
If you run regularly, you should pay attention to the effects of what you eat and when, especially on running performance. Learning what works best for you can take some time and a little trial and error, but it is worth it, since running, jogging and other regular aerobic exercise offers so many health advantages.
Always feel free to consult a dietitian or doctor, and listen to your body if you’re not keeping up with your training goals.
There is something special about using fresh peas straight out of the pod. This recipe was inspired by our root-to-stem philosophy of cooking: It always seems like such a waste to throw away the pea pods, but they are relatively inedible. To make use of the pods, we’ve pureed them into a spring-fresh pasta sauce. Remember: Pasta for breakfast is a great choice, especially when it’s loaded with healthful pea protein.
Kosher salt
1 pound fresh English peas in pods (yields about 1 cup shelled peas and about 3 ½ cups pods)
½ cup water
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 small spring onions or 2 large shallots, chopped
2 small spring garlic (whites) or 3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt (optional)
12 ounces whole grain pasta, such as linguine, rigatoni or small shells
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup fresh mint (peppermint preferred), thinly sliced
Espelette pepper to taste (optional)
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (optional)
Makes 4 servings.
Calories: 554 kcal
Total fiber: 12 g
Soluble fiber: 0.1 g
Protein: 15.5 g
Total fat: 16.7 g
Saturated fat: 2.0 g
Healthy fats: 12.1 g
Carbohydrates: 84 g
Sugars: 7.7 g
Added sugars: 0 g
Sodium: 178 mg
Potassium: 433 mg
Magnesium: 14 mg
Calcium: 134 mg
Source: The What to Eat When Cookbook by Michael F. Roizen, MD, Michael Crupain, MD, MPH and Jim Perko, Sr, CEC, AAC.
A meal that’s heavy in sugar and starch is no way to start your day – especially if you’re following the ketogenic diet.
These recipes from functional medicine specialist Mark Hyman, MD, are a great way for anyone — keto or not — to bring real, whole, fresh foods (including non-starchy vegetables) to your plate first thing in the morning.
The jicama serves as a lighter alternative to traditional potato, while turkey bacon is a stand-in for pork.
This versatile, protein-packed meal is easy on your digestive system and always a hit with the kids, too.
A creamy, low-carb smoothie is a great way to start your day and get into fat-burning mode. And ginger is great for digestions.
What’s the easiest way to upgrade a plate of greens? Put an egg on top! This tasty and comforting dish is good for breakfast – or lunch or dinner.
For those who don’t want coffee, this latte is a great morning drink that provides healthy fat without caffeine.
With a few veggies and precooked sausage, you can have this satisfying, savory frittata on the table in under 45 minutes.
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Tip of the day: Include the right food categories in your breakfast. A healthy, balanced breakfast includes lean protein, whole grains, and fruit. — #HarvardHealthTipoftheDay #HarvardHealth #HealthyBreakfast #Breakfast
A meal that’s heavy in sugar and starch is no way to start your day – especially if you’re following the ketogenic diet.
These recipes from functional medicine specialist Mark Hyman, MD, are a great way for anyone — keto or not — to bring real, whole, fresh foods (including non-starchy vegetables) to your plate first thing in the morning.
The jicama serves as a lighter alternative to traditional potato, while turkey bacon is a stand-in for pork.
This versatile, protein-packed meal is easy on your digestive system and always a hit with the kids, too.
A creamy, low-carb smoothie is a great way to start your day and get into fat-burning mode. And ginger is great for digestions.
What’s the easiest way to upgrade a plate of greens? Put an egg on top! This tasty and comforting dish is good for breakfast – or lunch or dinner.
For those who don’t want coffee, this latte is a great morning drink that provides healthy fat without caffeine.
With a few veggies and precooked sausage, you can have this satisfying, savory frittata on the table in under 45 minutes.
Did you know Greek yogurt has almost twice as much protein as other yogurts? It takes longer to leave your stomach, keeping you satisfied longer. Plus, you burn more calories digesting protein than carbs. https://wb.md/3BbzYB7
Published: June 4, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Fuelled by a social media craze for the likes of ‘Dubai chocolate’, a chocolate bar filled with pistachio paste and shredded filo pastry, these colourful little nuts are having their moment. Nutrient-dense and packed with heart-healthy fats, are there other health benefits that set pistachios apart? Registered nutritionist Kerry Torrens investigates.
A popular ingredient in desserts and puddings, pistachios or “green nuts” add a splash of colour to dishes. The edible seeds of the Pistacia vera tree are a source of healthy fats, protein, fibre and plant compounds that have a protective antioxidant effect.
Discover our full range of health benefit guides and find out more about the health benefits of nuts. Also check out some of our delicious pistachio recipes from our chicken & pistachio saladto our pistachio, courgette & lemon cake.
A 30g serving of pistachio provides:
Compared to most tree nuts pistachio have a balanced nutritional profile with less fat, more protein and fibre (both soluble and insoluble) and a high antioxidant value.
If you run regularly, whether it’s an easy jog around the block to stay fit or an intense training regimen to prepare for a marathon, you need proper nutrition.
Here are some tips to help keep runners well-nourished and ready to win.
A good diet can boost your physical health and help you meet your fitness goals. Make sure your meals emphasize the following basic components:
Individuals may have different optimal balances, but in general, people who include running or jogging as part of their fitness regimen should get 60% to 70% of their calories from carbohydrates, with lean protein and healthy fats each accounting for 15% to 20% of their remaining calories.
Although low carbohydrate diets are popular go-to’s for people wanting to lose weight, they’re not ideal for distance runners, who thrive on carbohydrates for endurance.
That is why very low carbohydrate diets, such as the ketogenic diet, plus running is not a good idea. Experts do not recommend keto to runners unless they have been told by their doctor that this a medically safe option for them and they are being monitored while in ketosis.
Distance runners need more carbs than people who aren’t training. Undereating carbohydrates can be hard on your body and affect your recovery after your run.
Here’s why: Running uses both glucose in the blood and your stores of glycogen. Glucose is the form of sugar that circulates in the bloodstream, and glycogen is the sugar stored in your liver and muscles that acts as the primary fuel for endurance exercise.
Eating plenty of carbs helps ensure that these energy stores are ready to support your training. When those stores get too low, runners are more likely to run out of energy and “burn out” or “hit a wall” while training.
Running changes your body and your nutritional needs. Often when people start a running regimen, they are trying to lose weight or get in shape quickly, and they don’t realize they need to adjust their diet.
Especially in women runners, dietitians report seeing a tendency to overdo the running while not eating enough, and this can have an effect on health if they do not adequately replenish lost vitamins and minerals in their diet.
For women in particular, calcium and vitamin D are essential for bone health to avoid loss of bone mineral density and the risk of stress fractures.
For more vitamin D, include these foods in your meals:
For more calcium, try:
Iron deficiency can affect women and even have an impact on their running performance. Menstruation puts people at higher risk of iron deficiency, and if iron isn’t replenished in the diet, decreases in hemoglobin can occur and bring on anemia. Hemoglobin is what carries oxygen throughout the body, including the muscles, so if there is a deficit, the muscles may feel the effect of insufficient oxygen during exercise.
Iron-rich foods include:
Dietitians recommend eating eating iron rich foods in combination with foods high in vitamin C, such as citrus, bell peppers or berries, since vitamin C helps increase the body’s absorption of iron.
The best time to eat a full meal is about two to three hours before you hit the road, track or trail. Have a good source of carbs paired with protein, making sure the meal focuses on a healthy carb source.
If it’s been more than three to four hours since you’ve eaten, a carbohydrate-rich snack a half-hour before running can ensure you have adequate glucose available before you head out. Directly before a run, it’s best to stick with easy-to-digest carbohydrates to avoid gastrointestinal [GI] distress such as cramping or diarrhea.
Try these:
If you are training for a marathon or distance event and are going to be out for over an hour, you will want to bring some fuel with you. Energy drinks, gel tubes and other sources of quick blood-glucose boosters are available, but you can also use something as simple as fruit snacks.
Try practicing with these items as you train so you can pick the formulas that are best for you, and you can work on accessing and ingesting them smoothly without breaking stride.
Before a run or the night before a big race, Eidel recommends going easy on:
It might. Carb loading is the practice of eating a lot of carbohydrates ― particularly those that are easily absorbed, such as white bread, pasta and rice ― for 24 to 48 hours before a big race or distance run, to shore up your body’s stores of glycogen and lessen the risk of burnout before finishing the event.
Some studies show carb loading is beneficial for people preparing for a race, but it’s important to make sure during that time you’re also allowing your body to rest and giving it time to store what you are ingesting. The number of carbohydrate grams will be differ from person to person, but in general, evidence shows carb loading can be beneficial prior to a distance event.
In contrast, casual runners likely do not need to carb load. Ensuring that their day-to-day diets include extra carbohydrates can be sufficient.
It’s common for people not to feel hungry after a run, but a snack or light meal of complex carbohydrates and protein within the first hour after running can help replenish glycogen stores and to support recovery and rebuild stressed muscles. For example:
If you’re interested in running as part of a weight loss plan, getting adequate nutrition is a must. Even casual running or jogging burns calories and can be hard on the body. Runners can become undernourished at first because they don’t understand how much energy they’re burning when they run and what they need to properly recover.
Eating enough is also essential to building muscles, which can aid in fat burning ― a plus for people working on achieving or maintaining a healthy weight.
For optimal weight loss, your plan should not rely on running alone but also include strength training and proper nutrition.
If you run regularly, you should pay attention to the effects of what you eat and when, especially on running performance. Learning what works best for you can take some time and a little trial and error, but it is worth it, since running, jogging and other regular aerobic exercise offers so many health advantages.
Always feel free to consult a dietitian or doctor, and listen to your body if you’re not keeping up with your training goals.
Healthaware 