Nutrition is one of the major components of fitness. Unfortunately, we get so much misleading and conflicting information that is tough to know what we need to consume for optimum fitness.

Good nutrition facts abound in the sports literature (Runners' World, for example, carries several excellent articles each month), but we still see plenty of bad information being reported.

Every month, it seems, someone announces a new diet, each one claiming to correct all the errors of the previous diets. We have seen Low Carbohydrate Diets (such as Atkins), Low Fat Diets, South Beach Diets, Mediterranean Diets, and many more. Who's right?

All of them are backed up by facts, but most are deficient or incomplete. One of the problems is that dietary insufficiencies can take years to cause serious damage, and even then the cause is not always identified. It is only recently, for example, that the dangers of the low salt diet have been recognized.

At this time, I am pulling together the information for my next newsletter, which is devoted to the topic of nutrition for runners. This newsletter appears twice a month and is sent to all registered members of this site (there is no charge for membership, in case you were wondering!). The newsletter is a rich source of running tips, but many of the articles (such as those on nutrition) are also of value to anyone interested in health and fitness, whether or not you are a runner.

And the three biggest lies? Register now (in the box at the top right of this page) to find out!

(Hint: only one applies specifically to runners.)