Pre-Workout Food: Which is Best?
What do you usually eat before training? See our recommendations of what you should eat pre-workout.
Currently, the concern with health has been increasing a lot, and that is why people are increasingly adopting a healthy diet together with the practice of physical activity and thus leaving aside the concern only with aesthetics.
In general, people are more concerned about their health: we are going to live longer and we also want to live better.
With the aim of improving the nutritional status of the population, national and international health institutions encourage the physical and economic availability of foods that constitute a healthy dietary pattern and try to create conditions for the population to value, appreciate and consume them, integrating them in their daily routines. The promotion of a change in our diet in order to reduce the consumption of meat, especially red meat, is part of this incentive.
In 2015, the General Directorate of Health published a guidebook for a vegetarian diet and mentions that:
“In recent decades, with the increase in knowledge in the sciences of nutrition and the environment, scientific evidence has increased in favor of the greater presence of products of plant origin in our food. Populations with high or exclusive consumption of plant-based products appear to be less likely to contract chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, diabetes, and obesity.” (1)
With regard to physical activity, high-intensity exercises have gained notoriety, due to the fact that they have a shorter duration and also optimize physical fitness and health. (two)
Thus, the question has arisen whether it is possible to follow a diet that drastically or even completely avoids animal products, processed and ultra-processed, and to perform high-intensity training. The answer is yes!
Having a vegetarian, vegan, or plant-based diet and simultaneously being a strong and fit athlete are not mutually exclusive characteristics. On the contrary, these habits can be synergistic for health and well-being!
However, regardless of whether the athlete or regular practitioner of physical exercise includes meat and other animal-derived proteins in his/her diet, he/she needs to be well informed to prevent nutritional deficiencies and ensure optimal sports performance, as well as a good recovery after -training.
Pre-workout nutrition has as its main goals the preservation of muscle mass, and energy, preventing of injuries, and helping to regulate glucose levels. It is also important to prevent dizziness, bad mood, and tiredness.
Ideally, pre-workout nutrition will contribute to maximizing performance.
The main difference compared to eating on “normal” days, without intense training, is that the focus shifts to less heavy foods and dishes that can cause gastrointestinal discomfort.
The time between meal and workout also matters.
If the meal is eaten close to training time, it is advisable to choose a light, easily digestible meal with simple carbohydrates, such as bread or fruit. If the meal will be three to four hours before, the ideal will be the choice of complex hydrates such as sweet potato or oatmeal.
Pre-workout (plant-based) meal suggestions
30 to 40 minutes before
• 1 portion of fruit
1 to 2 hours before
• Oatmeal smoothie, vegetable yogurt, and red fruits
• Oatmeal with fruit
• Wholemeal toast with peanut butter and kiwi, or other fruit of your choice
References:
(1) DGS, available at: https://nutrimento.pt/manuais-pnpas/linhas-de-orientacao-para-uma-alimentacao-vegetariana-saudavel/; access in
(2) Gillen JB, Gibala MJ. Is high-intensity interval training a time-efficient exercise strategy to improve health and fitness? Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2014 Mar;39(3):409-12.
Thordis Berger
Chief Medical Officer - Holmes Place