Running Fuel Recipe: Nut Butter Stuffed Salty Dates

I know many of you are gearing up for long runs and marathons this fall, so I thought now was the perfect time to share a formal recipe for one of my favorite real food running fuels: Nut Butter Stuffed Salty Dates.

I’ve written about my love for these in the past (while training for the Richmond Marathon, they were my fuel of choice). Not only are they delicious when you’re out there trudging the pavement, but they are easy to throw together a few minutes before you run (literally) out the door.

Why do these make great running fuel? Dates provide ample carbohydrates for energy as well as potassium, which can help to prevent cramps. The salt helps replace that lost from sweat, and the small amount of nut butter helps to keep your energy levels more stable. I especially love eating these later on in my long runs, when I start to get sick of gels and more hungry for serious food (and just a little fat/protein – enough to satisfy me but not so much that it’s hard to digest while running).

Everyone’s nutrition needs vary (see the end of this post for more info on figuring that out), but a good general rule is to eat one of these every 30 to 45 minutes for runs over 1 hour.

Here’s the “recipe” – aka the easiest thing ever. Happy fueling!

Nut Butter Stuffed Salty Dates

by fANNEtastic food

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Keywords: raw snack gluten-free dairy free

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Ingredients (1 serving)

• 1 medjool date, pitted
• 1 teaspoon nut butter (any kind)
• One shake/pinch salt

Instructions

• Open the date and remove the pit, if not already pitted.
• Stuff the nut butter inside, where the pit used to be.
• Add a shake of salt and pop it in a ziplock bag so you can eat it on the run!

You guys know I’m normally anti-calorie counting, but for the purpose of sports nutrition, it’s important to know that you’re taking in enough calories/carbs during a workout. (And it’s really hard to eat intuitively in the middle of a really long run.) For that reason, I’ve included the nutritionals for this recipe below for your reference.

Nutrition information per stuffed date: 98 calories, 2.7g fat, 156mg sodium, 202mg potassium, 19g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 16g sugar, 1.8g protein.

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Interested in learning more about sports nutrition, fueling right without driving yourself crazy, and getting additional sport-specific recipes? Check out my Nutrition for Runners Program. It also includes running training plans, as I co-authored it with a running coach!

Not ready to commit to purchasing a program but interested in learning more about how to fuel right for your workouts? Check out my Sport Nutrition Myth Busting Q&A, which is free to download. It would be perfect to listen to on your next long run, in fact! My Nutrition for Runners co-author Jason and I recorded it together, and we answer and discuss a lot of the typical hot topic running nutrition questions, like:

• How can I eat enough to fuel my runs but still maintain my goal weight?
• What’s the best way to refuel after a tough workout, especially if I have no appetite?
• The top myths about calorie counting, scoring, and tracking percentages

More sports nutrition related posts you might enjoy:

• How to Fuel for a Marathon or Half Marathon
• How to Eat for Running: Top 5 Nutrition Mistakes Made by Runners
• Homemade Citrus Sports Drink 
• Tart Cherry Sports Drink

p.s. Today is my 6 year blogging anniversary – wow! For the big 5 year anniversary last year I wrote a post reliving some of the biggest milestones/life changes I’ve had while writing this blog, plus my top posts and recipes. Check it out!

Running Fuel Recipe: Nut Butter Stuffed Salty Dates originally appeared on fANNEtastic food | Washington D.C. area Registered Dietitian | Recipes + Healthy Living + Fitness on October 2, 2015.

The post Running Fuel Recipe: Nut Butter Stuffed Salty Dates appeared first on fANNEtastic food | Washington D.C. area Registered Dietitian | Recipes + Healthy Living + Fitness.