Is it possible to become a faster running by simultaneously working on running sessions and the introduction of specific foods?
Our Dr. Felicina Biorci, expert in endurance nutrition, answered for us
The relationship is well known: the performance of endurance sports, such as running, cycling or cross-country skiing, depends on the availability of oxygen to the active muscle and therefore on the ability of the blood to carry oxygen.
It is no coincidence that blood doping is aimed at this, through blood transfusions or with the use of substances such as erythropoietin. With results that increase endurance performance by 6-8%. Excellent data. But doping. NOT legal and NOT ethical.
So, let’s think about other methods, keeping the focus on the same goal, that is, the hemoglobin values.
Many studies show that increases in hemoglobin can be achieved with some foods.
INCREASE OF IRON, through the top 10 foods in the ranking of the Food Composition Database of the Italian Association for Cancer Research:
thyme, marjoram, parsley, basil, cumin seeds, fennel seeds
raw coffee beans
nori, wakame
mushrooms
veal meat
bitter cocoa
soy
radish
pistachios
anchovies
FOLATES, necessary for the formation of heme, a component of hemoglobin that helps transport oxygen. Top 10 foods:
brewer’s yeast
azuki beans
soy flour
wheat germ
bovine
origan
nettle
asparagus
chestnut flour
wakame
VITAMIN C, to increase the amount of iron absorbed. Among the foods:
guava
chili peppers
blackcurrant
nettle
parsley
peppers
kiwi
brussels sprouts
turnip leaves
watercress
Good hemoglobin!
Digital Strategic Marketing Director – certified Innovation Manager – in multinational companies, she is still today the only Italian female athlete to have ran 900 km and 55,000m D+ in the mountains in a single stage race (Transpyrenea 2016, 3rd women overall). She counts numerous Podiums and international Victories on races over 100k. She holds a SNaQ CONI certification as a Trail Running Coach, Athletic Trainer and in Nutrition and Sports Supplementation. Since 2014 she is President and sports executive of innovative technology startups and companies, including Trail Running Movement and Digital Sport 360. She trains elite trail running athletes and she teaches in trail running coach certification courses. She is an author of sports articles on training, nutrition and supplementation in trail running and running, both in Italian and in English and Spanish. She manages relationships and collaborations with Federations and Race Organizers.