8 Surprise Endurance Superfoods

Want to go the distance? Here are the foods the world’s top athletes use to fuel their workouts

Training for a 10K? Want to work out longer and harder? Sports coach and nutritionist, Matt Fitzgerald, has spent nearly 20 years studying the diets of top professional endurance athletes. He’s discovered certain foods crop up heavily in the diets of athletes the world over. His new book The Endurance Diet (Da Capo Lifelong, £11.99) reveals just how these athletes eat to perform better, including the key superfoods. ‘While studying the diets of endurance athletes, I’ve noticed the same foods keep appearing,’ says Fitzgerald. ‘This pattern is no coincidence. Certain foods fit especially well for those seeking maximum endurance fitness.’ Fitzgerald found there was an overlap between foods that science has proven can help endurance, and those chosen through trial and error. ‘These two overlapping groups of foods constitute what I call endurance superfoods,’ says Fitzgerald. Here are 8 of the best…

1. YOGHURT

Many endurance athletes choose to eat yoghurt for recovery after workouts because it has an ideal balance of carbohydrates, fat and protein. But perhaps the greatest benefit is its effect on body composition. No fewer than three of its ingredients help athletes shed excess body fat. Protein promotes satiety, probiotics such as lactobacillus shift the balance of gut bacteria to reduce dietary fat absorption, and calcium reduces body fat levels Not all yoghurts are e without added sugar or reduced fat content.

TIP: Eat yoghurt with fruits and nuts after workouts.

2. SPINACH