Dishes
Best Restaurants for Carbo-Loading in Springfield
If you’re planning to shake your tailfeathers in celebration at the finish line of this year’s Turkey Trot 5k, fuel up the night before with these five sinfully carbo-laden dishes.
By Claire Porter
Nov 2019
Photo courtesy ShutterstockRunners often say they run to eat, so why not eat a dish filled with delicious carbs that will fuel that running habit?
The concept of carbo-loading is simple: Before an endurance event, athletes load up on high-carb, low glycemic index foods to maximize energy storage. Typically “endurance event” refers to marathons, but you don’t have to disclose that your feat of athletic prowess is a mere 3.1-mile Turkey Trot. To carbo-load before race day, no matter how long the race, look no further. For homemade pastas with protein, try the Pasta Nicola at Nicola’s Ristorante—ricotta pasta, tomato cream sauce, sausage and mushroom—or the Wicked Chicken Riggi at Salvatore’s Fresh Ristorante, with spicy tomato cream sauce and grilled chicken. For handheld carbs, the Maggie pizza at Vito’s Kitchen has margherita flavors and basil lemon pesto. At Piccolo, vegans can join in the starchy fun with the vegan veggie pizza featuring vegan pesto. If you’re looking for sauce-free carbs, nothing beats garlic bread, and if you’re at Bambino’s Cafe, get it coated in provel cheese. You’re about to race off those extra calories; why not live a little?
