When eating on the run its important to make healthy choices, especially when choosing a nutrition bar. So in a sea of options, which ones are best? Registered dietitian Sarah Robertson weighs in on what bars top the list, offering the best nutritional value and the least number of additives.

Knowing what type of eating personality you have can have a big impact on your running performance. Whether you are a methodical runner with a strict training schedule, or a parent who runs whenever they get the time, its important to understand your eating tendencies so you can build in healthy choices and meet nutritional and running needs.

Habitual Eater: These eaters are creatures of habit and never miss a meal. This is good for supporting a habitual exercise routine, and according to a 2008 Swedish study, it lowers your risk of developing insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. However, its important to switch up the foods you eat to ensure you are getting diverse nutrition. For example, if you normally eat a lot of chicken, change it out for a lean flank steak, or eat a different type of cereal and add change up the fruit.

Reactive Eater: Reactive eaters are very in tune with their bodies, eating what they crave when they are hungry. They are also very good about putting down the fork when they are no longer hungry, which helps them manage calorie intake effectively. However, reactive eaters also eat more when they are stressed or training, and they choose whatever foods are closest when the cravings hit – even if they are not the healthiest. These eaters need to do a bit more planning by cooking extra healthy items to eat on the fly, or stock the work desk or gym bag with carb and protein snacks including fruits, peanut butter and trail mix.

Restrictive Eater: These folks want to stay lean in order to run at their best and they always look for ways to cut calories through their food choices. However, often restrictive eaters are not eating enough, or they cut out too much fat out of fear of gaining weight. What they don't realize is that fats help protect against injury. In addition, a recent study in Psychosomatic Medicine found that closely monitoring calories raises stress levels.

So what is the best plan? Once a week eat whatever without restrictions. Eat when hungry and according to cravings, and then take note of and differences in performance or feeling when on a run. If performance is improved eating certain foods, take note of the foods consumed, and help transform thinking around eating by looking at it as a way to fuel a running routine. It will also help to add some extra nuts or avocados to a meal plan.

The Grazer: In place of regular meals, grazers just eat several small meals every few hours. That means they are always fueled before a run and refuel quickly after a run which helps with recovery. However, its easy to consume too much if grazers don't monitor portion sizes. Suggestion? Look at calculating calories for the whole day, and evenly dividing them. If you need 1800 calories and eat about six times, then divide those calories into snacks with a mix of carbs and protein. There is a handy tool at nutritiondata.com to help calculate your daily calorie intake.

Indulgent Eater: Running is a great exercise for the body, but it doesn't mean you can eat anything you want. Occasional indulging is fine, but these folks always think they can “run if off.” Its not about cutting out all sweet treats, but controlling portion sizes. Try a single square of fine dark chocolate rather than a whole box of cookies. If that doesn't take the edge off, have that highly indulgent dessert, but just do it once a week.

Well-Planned Eater: These eaters are focused, keep a food log and stick to a meal plan. However, being too closely tied to a meal plan can detach you from eating based on how the body feels. Planners usually end up eating something because their schedule says they have to, not because they crave it. So what is a good addition to the food log? Write down how you feel before and after you eat specific foods, and make adjustments accordingly. Perhaps a protein infused smoothie is really only best after one of your hardest runs, not every run. Getting in tune with how food makes you feel will help generate a more flexible eating plan that meets the body's needs.

For more tips on running or to engage with a running community, visit www.runnersworld.com

Photo by permanently scatterbrained on Flickr

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