MyPlate is your best bet.

Whether this is your first race or you’re a veteran participant, you need proper nutrition to fuel your body. You can get guidance for your eating choices, including the amount that is right for you, with MyPlate.*

*By clicking this link, you will leave Publix.com and enter the USDA's MyPlate site that they operate and control.

Highlights of the plan¹ are below.

Focus on fruits.

• Get a serving of fruit with breakfast. Whip up a smoothie with frozen fruit and low-fat yogurt for a quick and easy meal to go.
• How much: In general, 1 cup of fruit or 100% fruit juice, or 1/2 cup of dried fruit can be considered as 1 cup from the fruit group. Most people need 1 1/2–2 1/2 cups per day.

Vary your veggies.

• Include all colors of vegetables to get a wide variety of nutrients. Dark green leafy vegetables, red and orange vegetables, beans, and peas are all great additions to a healthy eating plan.
• How much: In general, 1 cup of raw or cooked vegetables or vegetable juice, or 2 cups of raw leafy greens can be considered as 1 cup from the vegetable group. Most people need 2 1/2–4 cups per day.

Make at least half your grains whole.

• Replace refined products with whole grains—such as eating 100% whole wheat bread instead of white bread, or brown rice instead of white rice.
• How much: In general, 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal, or 1/2 cup of cooked rice, cooked pasta, or cooked cereal can be considered as 1 ounce equivalent (serving) from the grains group. Most people need 3–5 servings of whole grains per day.

Vary your protein routine.

• Start with a lean choice of beef, pork, and lamb. Choose products with "round" or "loin" in the name, such as ground round or tenderloin.
• Choose seafood at least twice a week. Look for seafood with omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, trout, oysters, crab, mussels, catfish, clams, and flounder.
• Look for plant-based protein options such as beans, peas and lentils, nuts, and seeds (including nut and seed butters) and soy products (tofu, tempeh).
• How much: In general, 1 ounce of meat, poultry, or fish, 1/4 cup cooked beans, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter, or 1/2 ounce of nuts or seeds can be considered as 1 ounce equivalent from the protein foods group. Most people need 5–7 ounces per day.

Get your calcium-rich foods.

• Have low-fat Greek yogurt as a snack.
• How much: In general, 1 cup of milk, yogurt, or soy milk (soy beverage) or 1 1/2 ounces of natural cheese can be considered as 1 cup from the dairy group. Most people need 3 cups per day.
• If you avoid milk because of lactose intolerance or other reasons, the most reliable way to get the health benefits of dairy products is to choose lactose-free alternatives within the dairy group, such as cheese, yogurt, lactose-free milk, or calcium-fortified soy milk (soy beverage), or to consume the enzyme lactase before consuming milk. Other nondairy beverages made from almonds, oats, and coconuts, to name a few, may be fortified with calcium but don’t contain the same nutrients as dairy milk.

¹Source: myplate.gov