What to eat before, during and after a workout
Published on: December 01, 2018 10:20 (EAT)
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 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.
“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.
Want to send us a story? Submit on Wananchi Reporting on the Citizen Digital App or Send an email to wananchi@royalmedia.co.ke or Send an SMS to 25170 or WhatsApp on 0743570000
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a Comment