The best pre-workout meal

We often hear about the best snacks, or the best foods to eat before a workout. However, when it is time to eat a complete meal and your workout is less than 4 hours away, chances are you will not have another snack before. This meal will therefore be the source of fuel that will determine how smoothly your workout will proceed.

The composition of that meal will vary depending on the time lapse between your meal and your workout.

When there is two hours or less left before a workout, beware of proteins, fats, and fiber. Indeed, these three elements slow down gastric emptying, which means that the foods that you eat will not be digested before you start your workout, and thus, the energy will not be available as fuel. It is therefore necessary to limit your consumption of meat and alternatives, milk products, and whole grain products.

Here are a few examples of meals, depending on the time you have to digest:

3 hours before: One chicken skewer (90 g) with 125-250 ml quinoa salad, asparagus, and grilled sweet peppers. Add a fruit if you are still hungry.

2 hours before: One tuna salad tortilla with a sauce made from plain yogurt, and a carrot pottage. Add unsweetened applesauce if you are still hungry.

1 hour before: Unsweetened fruit compote with one Barbara fig bar (according to your hunger).

30 minutes before: Unsweetened fruit compote (with 125 ml fruit juice, according to your hunger).

Bon appétit!

By Marilyne Petitclerc

The best pre-workout meal is a post from Nautilus Plus. The Nautilus Plus blog aims to help people in their journey to fitness through articles on training, nutrition, motivation, exercise and healthy recipes.
Copyright © Nautilus Plus 2013