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Show "JunkFoood" a matter of Definition might eat a breakfast high in fat and protein because they are absorbed slowly and will carry you through the day better. After your noon run, some yogurt or fruit might be appropriate. Then supper is the big meal with a wide variety of wholesome foods, with dessert. Before bed, anthing that can be eaten without being cooked is fair game. I: eat Ding Dongs, cookies, cake, ice cream, and often run the whole gamut of foods on the "junk" page, unless my weight becomes a problem. Then I back off to some extent. I instinctively seek and crave these foods when my energy expenditure is high. All runners do. They burn it off and I'm inclined to think that most get their quota of balanced nutrient foods in addition. BEFORE COMPETITION DIET Almost 72 hours (3 days) are necessary for maximum glycogen storage, which means that the work load is light during this period. A diet high in both simple (sweets) and complex (pasta, fruits, vegetables, etc.) carbohydrates is best. Through - 48 hours complex carbohydrates are best, but simple carbohydrates do the best job during the first 24 hours. That's why we say use both. The evening meal before competition is the typical pasta (spaghetti) meal with a bed-time "junk" snack, the same as we find being consumed during heavy training. The race day, including fluid during competion, will be covered in another column. BY DR. DALE NELSON You may be suprised to learn there is no such thing as "junk food." There are only "junk diets." Every food is "junk" if it is consumed con-sumed in such quantities that it crowds out needed nutrients. The key to a nutritious diet is to eat a variety of foods to obtain your needed nutrients and, if you are not expending a lot of energy, keep the portions small. A RUNNER'S DIET This leads me to a discussion of most runners' eating habits, which by some standards are considered horrendous. But remember, long distance runners expend ex-pend a great deal of energy and both muscle and liver glycogen must be replaced in order to keep running. Consequently,, a high carbohydrate diet is a must--as 70 percent carbohydrate, 20 percent fat, and 10 percent per-cent protein. As a matter of fact, competitive runners tend to instinctively seek diets with such a ratio. Runners are notorious food "junkies." They are always nibbling on Ding Dongs, cake, pie, ice cream, cookies, candy bars, soft drinks, popcorn, and the like. Now don't get excited, there is nothing wrong with this. That's the way they replace their glycogen. The fact that simple carbohydrates in such form can be taken more efficiently ef-ficiently without much bulk (particularly in liquid form) might also be the reason ' they may belong in an athlete's diet. The important point is that the more carbohydrates car-bohydrates you eat, the more glycogen will be available to your muscles for fuel. SAMPLE TRAINING DIET If you were to run a workout at mid day, you |