When I was in high school, my pre-workout meal normally consisted of a McDonald’s chicken sandwich with “no mayo please.” As I got a little older, I started to get fancy and I added a parfait. At that point in time, I kind of knew, but even more so today, I know that it was far from my best pre-workout meal options. The parfait was actually a good choice, though, so I cut myself a little slack.
We have to eat something before we workout and most of us just eat so that we can say we put something into our body. Please, don’t get me started on the notion of: Well, I’m just going to work it off anyway, so let me grab a milkshake. Feeding your body and fueling your body are two vastly different things. Why make yourself do more with less – By eating better foods before you workout or participate in an activity, you can improve your stamina, performance and stability. The ideas and conversations about eating your fruits and vegetables may seem redundant, but it’s for good reason. Simple is better.
You might have many questions, like: “What provides a quick energy boost or lasting energy” OR “How soon should I eat before I workout” Let’s take a quick look and see the answers to these questions.
Studies show significant improvements in performance when the body has time to breakdown the needed nutrients for activity, i.e. increasing usable ATP (your usable energy source). Trainers, scientists and nutritionists agree that an hour before a workout is the optimal time at which you should eat a good snack or small meal. An emphasis should be made on the notion of small. You do not want to eat too much before you workout. Eating too much can be detrimental to your performance. I will share some examples of what small is later so don’t worry. If you want to eat a full meal, you should allot yourself about a two hour window before starting your workout.
Now you know when. Lets talk about the what. Carbohydrates (carbs) and proteins are your best options for a pre-workout snack or meal. Don’t just load up on one or the other, though. You need a combination of simple and complex carbs with some added protein for a quick energy boost and lasting power. Simple carbs can be found in fruits and the body quickly breaks them down. They’re used as energy. Complex carbohydrates take longer to digest and they can be found in whole grain breads and cereals. They tend to have higher fiber, vitamin and mineral levels than do simple carbohydrates. The name complex carb comes from the chemical structure of the carbohydrate as it has a longer breakdown and absorption process. There are a lot of elite athletes who have heavy carb diets in order to continuously replenish what they have used to maintain their performance over time. Endurance athletes tend to use all of their stored energy and that is why their during-race nutrition is important. Carb loading will help delay the time to fatigue, but depending on the duration and intensity of exercise, athletes will likely need to re-fuel during a race. Pertaining to your pre-workout snack, complex carbohydrates release energy slowly, but they last throughout the workout. Simple carbohydrates give you the quick energy boost your body looks for before a workout.
By not fueling your body or consuming the right foods before your workout, you put yourself at a disadvantage. Eating whatever is considered feeding, not fueling. When you only feed, you make yourself need the pre-workout boosters that you may be taking. I am in no way throwing shots at those who choose to use pre-workout boosters. The fact is that they are generally a compilation of acids, artificial flavors, creatine doses and largely CAFFEINE- maybe some B12 vitamin in there too. Yes, it works for most people, but at what cost? Constant consumption of these ingredients could possibly be detrimental to your long-term health. I say possibly, because no group of scientists has been able to complete a longitudinal study (spanning many years with the same subjects) to fully explore the long-term effects of pre-workout boosters. On the other hand, we do know and we have thousands of studies to corroborate that fruits and complex carbs give our bodies a natural feel-good feeling with no long-term biological detriments. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather feel good or amped naturally from what I know is good for me than to continually chance it. Let me repeat: the long term effects of pre-workout boosters/enhancers are still not known. It is safe to say that eating or relying on natural foods vs. caffeine boosters is a much safer practice.
Finally, let’s review what to look for in healthy snacks and meals. Here are a few pre-workout meals/snacks to get you started with your own ideas:
- Whole wheat toast with sliced banana and cinnamon
- A combination of complex and simple carbs
- Maybe pair with a peanut butter or almond butter spread
- Greek yogurt with fresh fruit or trail mix
- The yogurt helps with energy boost especially with added fruit
- Trail mix helps slow energy release: complex carb
- Apple wedges with almond butter
- The almond butter helps curb hunger
- Try substituting peanut butter or hazelnut
- Lean turkey with lettuce, cheese, oil, and vinegar on toast
- Experiment with what you like for your breads and toppings
- Stay away from fatty dressings
- Single lemon ginger grilled chicken breast with side of broccoli
- Oatmeal with fresh fruit
- Fruit helps with hydration
- Oats last long as the body uses them slowly
- Smoothies
- 10 to 20 grams of protein before a workout just like after is great
- Sliced fruit; yogurt; maybe whey protein; and milk
- Hummus with vegetables
- Hummus is a good source of protein
- Maybe try with peppers
- Chocolate
- Yes! Dark chocolates are simple carbs/sugars that can give a quick energy boosts
- Please do not use this as an excuse to eat to candy bars; defeats the purpose no matter how good chocolate with almonds sounds.
Also?
- Seeds and nutsthey keep energy levels from dropping while you workout, but they are high in fat, so be careful with serving sizes
- Spices as mentioned above spices help stabilize blood sugar so don’t be scared to turn it up a notch
- Honey is your friend- Sweeten with it or spread over your foods. See what you like.
- Example- Toasted English muffin with honey spread and fresh strawberries
Fuel your body with fresh natural foods and maybe even a special chocolate treat (cocoa in your coffee). Don’t just feed on the closest and easiest thing. Move over, burger with fries and an Oreo shake, hellooo fresh raspberry, blueberry, blackberry and strawberry smoothie with dark chocolate shavings on top! Delicious!
References
- Vorvick, L. Simple Carbohydrates vs. Complex carbohydrates.2012 https://www.nlm.nih.gov
- Mora MS RD, K. What to eat..https://www.fitnessmagazine.com
- Shy, L. Chocolate helps your workout.2011 https://fitsugar.com
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