What to eat before, during and after a workout
What to eat before, during and after a workout
Scientists have long known that what you eat before, during and after you exercise can make or break a workout and possibly affect your fitness results.
So
what do nutritionists recommend to munch on? It turns out that quality
carbohydrates are important pre-workout and lean proteins post-workout,
experts say.
What to eat before exercise
Before
you exercise, eat carbs, but not too much, said Nancy Cohen, a
professor in the department of nutrition at the University of
Massachusetts in Amherst.
She
recommended consuming 1 to 4 grams of carbohydrates per every 2.2 pounds
of body weight if you are planning to exercise for longer than an hour.
To put that in perspective, a medium banana has about 27 grams of total carbohydrates.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that if you get 2,000 calories a day, aim to consume between 225 and 325 grams of carbohydrates, according to the Mayo Clinic.
When should you eat? About an hour to four hours before working out, Cohen said.
A review paper by researchers at the University of Sydney in Australia suggests that carbohydrate ingestion can improve endurance exercise performance. The paper was published in the Journal of Nutrition in 2011.
The
researchers assessed 50 previous single- or double-blind, randomized
studies on carbohydrate ingestion and endurance exercise. The
researchers concluded that the data in the studies provide evidence that
consuming carbohydrates can enhance endurance exercise performance in
adults.
Research on how quality carbs can influence exercise performance -- especially endurance exercise -- dates to the 1930s.
"By eating carbohydrate-rich foods that
are low in fat and low or moderate in protein, you can make sure you
have enough muscle glycogen as fuel for your physical activity. This
might include low-fat granola bars, fig bars, a peanut butter and jelly
sandwich, banana, yogurt, pasta or other high-carbohydrate foods," Cohen
said.
"Sufficient fluids are also
important," she said. "In general, you can consume 5 to 10 milliliters
of water per kilogram of body weight in the two to four hours before a
workout."
If you prefer to break a sweat in the morning, experts are divided on whether you should eat ahead of time.
It
should be your own decision on whether to eat breakfast before or after
exercise, said Stuart Phillips, professor at McMaster University in
Canada and director of the McMaster Center for Nutrition, Exercise, and
Health Research.
"I work out before
breakfast every day because that's when I like to work out. I don't
take in anything other than perhaps a cup of coffee most times or
perhaps a slice of toast. My big breakfast comes after. But that's not
to say that's good or bad. That's just what I do," Phillips said.
However, Cohen said that it's important to not make a habit out of exercising on an empty stomach.
"If
you haven't eaten in a long time, your body is in a fasted state.
Normally, your body will use glucose for fuel and begin to break down
muscle glycogen to deliver the glucose your body needs for exercise. In a
fasted state, the muscle glycogen will be depleted sooner. Your body
will then turn to breaking down fats for the energy it needs," Cohen
said.
"This can lead to ketosis,
or keto-acid buildup in the blood, which can be harmful to the kidneys
over the long term and cause fatigue and dizziness," she said. "While
exercising on an empty stomach may burn fat, it does not seem to be
beneficial in the long run. And, if the fatigue means that you are not
able to exercise at full performance, then you will also not be able to
sustain as effective a workout."
Try eating eggs, cereal and milk, toast with peanut butter, or fruit and yogurt to fuel a morning workout, Cohen recommended.
What to eat during exercise
One
of the most important things to do during exercise is hydrate -- and if
your workout is 45 minutes or less, fluids may be all you need to keep
you going, Cohen said.
"For endurance exercises of one to 2½
hours, aim for 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour. This will
provide carbohydrates to fuel the exercise to supplement the muscle
glycogen," Cohen said. For instance, a medium apple has about 25 grams of total carbohydrates.
"Depending
on the sport and the comfort of the individual, a range of foods or
beverages could be useful here," she added. "Juices, sports drinks,
granola bars, fruit and other high-carbohydrate foods and drinks can be
helpful."
Phillips agreed, saying liquids are more easily digested.
"Solid food sits in your stomach, and for many people, that creates discomfort. So, mostly liquid," he recommended.
What to eat after exercise
After you exercise, munch on protein, Cohen said, such as dairy products, eggs, meat and poultry.
"After long or very high-intensity
workouts, consuming 1 to 1.2 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body
weight per hour for four to six hours, along with 15 to 25 grams of
protein within the first hour after exercise, will replenish muscle
glycogen stores as well as support muscle protein synthesis," Cohen
said.
For perspective, one hardboiled egg packs about 6 grams of protein.
"After
lighter workouts, eat a well-balanced meal -- including high-quality
protein and carbohydrates -- within two to three hours after finishing,
and drink enough fluids to replace losses," Cohen added.
What happens if you experience muscle pain after you exercise? Some studies suggest that certain fruit juices, such as watermelon juice and cherry juice, can reduce muscle soreness after exercise.
For a small study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition in 2010, 54 healthy runners ran an average of 26.3 kilometers, or 16.3 miles, over a 24-hour period.
Some
of the runners were instructed to drink bottles of tart cherry juice
twice daily for seven days prior and on the day of the run. Others were
given a placebo drink. Then, the runners were asked to assess the level
of pain they felt before and after the run.
The
researchers, who reported no conflicts of interest in the study, found
that the runners who drank the cherry juice reported a significantly
smaller increase in pain after the run compared with the placebo group.
All in all, a post-workout routine
should include fluids to rehydrate, carbohydrates to refuel and protein
to repair, Phillips said.
"In
recovery, we talk about three Rs," he said of the post-workout routine.
"Thus, I like sources that provide all three, like fluid milk or a
smoothie made from milk and yogurt with berries."