For female runners, balanced diets and iron are key to peak performance

The differences in the organisms between men and women make female athletes have special diet needs.

"Women have other body types and distribute calories differently," said Joseph Stanzione, a

Joseph Stanzione

postdoctoral fellow in the College of Health Sciences and a performance dietitian at the University of Memphis.

´´ For example, they burn more fat and fewer carbohydrates when running,´´ he explained.

The minimum amount they should consume daily also varies depending on the gender. Women should eat a little more than 2000 calories every day, while men need more, reaching 3000 calories per day.

"A good strategy to get energy throughout the day is to eat small meals in addition to the three main ones," he says. ´´Snacking can help you for your practices.´´

Iron also is essential. Iron needs increase with intense exercise, and low iron can lead to anemia.

Women tend to have low iron more frequently than men, Stanzione said.

“They deal with hormonal changes in their body and have to replace the losses due to the period,” he said.

The best thing to avoid problems is to add foods rich in iron to the diet such as spinach and legumes.

In the end, he assures that he does not believe in strict diets like some that are presented in the media are not as effective a a balanced diet, he said.

´´I'd rather make just a few changes to her already meal plan,” he said, explaining that all individuals have different needs.

Although there are some websites, magazines, or newspapers that recommend diets, most experts disagree. In pages like Active or DaibyBurn they are clear: a strict diet can lead to poor recovery after workouts anda slow decline in performance.

Jalyssa Smith, a UofM middle-distance runner, agrees with Stanzione's words and said she never adheres to strick diets. Instead she buys fruit, snacks and plenty of water.

´´In addition, I eat well at breakfast, lunch and dinner, like eggs, pasta or meats with vegetables,¨ she said.

Source: Wix photos

Jalyssa Smith grabbing a drink

Erin Gilbert