Healthiest Fruits for Runners | Best Fruits to Eat – Runner’s World

In the continuing war on carbs, fruit too often becomes a casualty. Some people see fruit as mainly a source of sugar, and every day we seem to see another headline screaming that eating too much of the sweet stuff is bad news for our health and waistlines. But most nutrition experts are quick to point out that fruit is something that most of us, especially runners, should be eating more of, not less.

“It’s important to remember that the sugar in fruit is also bundled with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, so it’s not nearly the same as the sugar added to processed foods,” says sports dietitian and ultramarathoner Alex Borsuk.

To this point, Canadian researchers recently examined 155 previous studies related to the impact certain foods have on blood sugar levels. They found foods naturally containing fructose sugars, like fruits, generally do not have a detrimental effect on blood sugar control.

However, foods with added sugar, such as soft drinks, candy, and breakfast cereals, do have harmful effects—a sign that the natural sugars in an apple are processed in the body a bit differently than the sugar in a box of Apple Jacks. “And the sugars in fruit can serve as a quick energy source for your working muscles,” Borsuk adds.

For these reasons, you’d be hard pressed to find any studies linking fruit intake among active individuals with unwelcomed weight gain. In fact, research shows that the inverse is true—people who typically eat more fruit tend to have healthier weights. What’s more, a study in the British Medical Journal found that the risk of death from conditions like heart disease is significantly lower in those who nosh on more daily servings of fruits.

But few people are reaping the health-hiking and performance-boosting benefits of fruit. Only 13 percent of people in the U.S. are eating enough fruit—1.5 to 2 cups daily—according to data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Buck the trend by taking fruit off the chopping block and instead run to the grocery store to fill your cart with the best of nature’s candy. To help you get started, here’s a list of the healthy fruits you can grab before or after a run.

For Gut Health: Raspberries

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Among the fruit you’re most likely to come across at any supermarket, raspberries lead the way with respect to dietary fiber. A one-cup serving of the fruit delivers a whopping 8 grams of fiber, and that is good news for your microbiome. An investigation in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that higher intakes of fiber can bolster levels of beneficial bacteria in our guts.

“The fiber in fruits like raspberries are a prebiotic, meaning that it acts as “food” for the healthy bacteria to eat which encourages their growth,” Borsuk says. Beyond keeping your digestive system running smoothly—yes, that can mean less mid-race port-a-potty stops—it’s worth noting that the make-up of the critters within our digestive tracts are increasingly being linked to everything from brain health to weight loss.

Sneak more in: Add a handful of raspberries to oatmeal, yogurt, and even salads, blend frozen berries into smoothies, or mix them into the batter for your next batch of weekend pancakes.

For Recovery: Tart Cherry Juice

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For the most part, it’s better to focus your efforts on eating whole fruit instead of juice, but if you’re going to drink juice, consider shelving the O.J. in favor of the cherry variety like Montmorency, the most common type of tart cherries grown in the U.S., as an effective recovery aid.

A recent study in the European Journal of Sport Science found active females who sipped Montmorency tart cherry juice twice a day (once before breakfast and again prior to dinner) for eight days reported less muscle soreness and exhibited certain signs of improved recovery of muscle function, like jump height, in response to training compared to those who drank only a placebo beverage.

A separate study found that runners who drank Montmorency cherry juice experienced lower rates of upper respiratory tract infections following a marathon. The payload of antioxidants in the pucker-inducing fruit appears to lessen the immune and inflammatory stress associated with intense exercise making it useful to help you keep running up a storm.

Sneak more in: During periods of hard training, sip on 100 percent tart cherry juice with your morning toast (look out for added sugars). And after a run, consider using it as a liquid base for your post-workout smoothies.

For Brain Power: Blueberries

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Research suggests that frequent blueberry consumption can help the brain fire up when faced with certain cognitive tasks and improve memory function. It’s believed that the flavonoid antioxidants in blueberries work to improve blood flow to the brain to help keep you sharp as a whip.

Because a big chunk of the antioxidants in blueberries are found in their skin, smaller wild blueberries, which have a higher skin-to-flesh ratio are especially rich in these brain-benefiting compounds. Look for bags of frozen wild blueberries like .

Sneak more in: Blend blueberries into smoothies, add to breakfast oatmeal, use as a sweet addition to grilled cheese, or turn blueberries into a sauce for grilled meats and grain bowls.

For Hydration: Cantaloupe

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Dehydration can drive up hunger, zap your energy, and trip up your runs. And a new study in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise found that certain aspects of brain functioning, such as motor skills and hand-eye coordination, are impaired when your body weight is reduced by just 2 percent through dehydration.

Sneak more in: Stuff cantaloupe halves with yogurt and granola for an ultra refreshing breakfast, wrap slices in prosciutto for a quick snack, or add chunks to green salads.

For Weight Loss: Pears

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No doubt you’ve heard the saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” But it turns out that a different cold-loving fruit may be what you need to bite into to keep excess weight at bay. A study in the Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences discovered that people who eat pears are less likely to be overweight.

Using nearly a decade of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which involved 24,808 adult participants, the researchers found that pear eaters were 35 percent less likely to be obese than people who did not include the fruit in their diets. People who regularly included pears in their diet were shown to consume fewer added sugars and were found to have higher intakes of important nutrients like fiber, vitamin C, potassium, and magnesium.

Sneak more in: Pears make for a perfect out-of-hand snack, but you can also add slices to oatmeal, yogurt, waffles, toast (try placing slices on top of a slick of almond butter), and salads. They can also star in desserts like crisps and pies.

For Bone Strength: Dried Figs

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Eating dairy isn’t the only way to help build bones of steel. Figs also provide two important nutrients involved in bone power—calcium and vitamin K. “We need vitamin K since it helps our bones hold onto calcium so that calcium can continue to contribute to bone strength,” explains Borsuk.

Sneak more in: Add sliced figs to salads, pasta, pizza, and cereal, use dried figs in homemade energy bars and balls, and pop a couple in your mouth as a pre-run energy booster.

For Better Sleep: Kiwi

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In recent years, sleep has been recognized as a major part of the overall exercise performance equation. It’s hard to nail a PR when you’ve been counting sheep all night long, so it’s a good idea to look for lifestyle choices that can promote a more restful sleep.

And it turns out that eating this fuzzy fruit could be a good dietary choice to punch your ticket to dreamland. A study lead by scientists in Taiwan found that adults prone to tossing and turning who snacked on two kiwi fruit one hour before bedtime for a month fell asleep 45 minutes faster and were able to stay asleep for longer than those who went without the fruit.

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One possible explanation: Kiwis may boost levels of serotonin, a brain compound that regulates the sleep cycle. Need more proof that eating fruit like kiwi can help you sleep tight? A report in the journal BMJ Open found that people who ate the most servings of fruits and vegetables daily—and, in turn, had higher blood levels of certain antioxidants like carotenoids—were more likely to get the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep than those who ate less.

Sneak more in: If you’re feeling peckish at night, try topping some plain Greek yogurt or cottage cheese with chopped kiwi and nuts. To make a fresh-tasting salsa for your dinner fish or chicken, toss together chopped kiwi with avocado, red bell pepper, jalapeno, cilantro, and lime juice. The sweet-tart fruit is also a good addition to green smoothies.