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Every athlete is looking for an edge. Whether it be CBD oils or pickle juice, competitors are always in search of anything that will give them an advantage over the competition.
Ultrarunner Dean Karnazes – the guy who once ate an entire pizza in the middle of a race – needs to stay fueled for hours on end.
And not just hours on end but for days at a time. Karnazes once did 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days and also run 350 continuous miles without stopping or sleeping.
In a recent interview with Men’s Health, the super runner shared his go-to morning meal that keeps his powered for most of the morning, and even he admits it’s pretty damn gross.
“My breakfast go-to for sustained all day energy are sardines in olive oil. I know, sounds kind of gross, but they pack a wallop. One tin and I’m powered all day.”
Yes, sardines. The salty, fishy source of protein that comes in a can. Well, at least they’re portable.
Karnazes explains how he stumbled upon this superfood during an overseas trip.
The sardine breakfast started in Uzbekistan, he says—on the 525 kilometer Silk Road Ultramarathon. Since you can’t always rely on easily accessible healthy food, “I take cans of sardines with me when I travel overseas. We were staying in a yurt, and I was starving and all I had was a can of sardines, and I thought, ‘what the heck!’ I slept beautifully after. I woke up and wasn’t hungry and thought maybe I was onto something.”
Apparently, there are no drive-thrus in Uzbekistan to stop and get an egg sandwich.
If you can stomach the taste of sardines, the little fish from the herring family is a reliable nutrition source that is high in protein and heart-healthy fats. The little stinkers also provide important micronutrients like vitamin B12, selenium and phosphorus.
If you’re going to add sardines to your daily eating routine, check out this quick recipe for Fisherman’s Eggs. It beats eating the little suckers straight from the can.
[via Men’s Health]
Chris Illuminati is a 5-time published author and recovering a**hole who writes about success, fitness, parenting and occasionally pro wrestling. Check him out on Instagram & Twitter.