10 Pre-workout foods you should be eating

10 Foods you should be eating before a workout

Bernice Ng

18 Sep 2015

updated the 6 October 2015 à 22:28

As long as you’re eating the right snacks, eating before a workout is not necessarily bad for your body.

1/10
Bananas
Bananas are great at maintaining a low sodium intake, which is essential to lowering blood pressure. In addition, they are packed with potassium, which aids in maintaining nerve and muscle function.
2/10
Oats
Oats are full of fibre, which means they gradually release carbohydrates into your bloodstream. Oats also contain Vitamin B, which helps to convert carbohydrates into energy. So if you eat them before your work out, you will have that little boost of energy to keep you going.
3/10
Berries
Fruits are high in carbohydrates. The carbs from fruits break down quickly and the protein is used later to prevent muscle damage. Also, they add a little bit of sweetness to the snack. Berries are also filled with antioxidants, which helps your body fight oxidative stress caused by free radicals.
4/10
Apples
Packing in quite a bit of soluble fiber for a modest amount of calories makes apples a filling and sweet snack. Also, like most fruits, apples are full of Vitamin C as well, which helps improve your immune system. They also contain just a little bit of sugar, to give you that energy for the workout.
5/10
Greek yoghurt
Greek yoghurt is packed with high-quality protein. The yogurt is heavily strained to remove liquid whey and lactose. Plain Greek yogurt has double the protein, half the carbs and half the sodium of the regular variety. It doesn't taste as good as normal yoghurt, but it is twice as good for you.
6/10
Whole grain bread
Whole grain bread is a good source of carbohydrates. Dollop some jam or honey on it for more fuel or sliced up hard-boiled eggs, or turkey. It will be a light snack packed with protein and carbs, which is perfectly what you need before you start your workout.
7/10
Smoothies
Smoothies are all the rage now, people are chugging them left, right and centre. They are good for you, because in the smoothies, there are vitamins of more than two kinds of fruit (usually), and they have calcium from the milk/ yoghurt, and sugar as well. They're quick and easy to make and even easier to consume.
8/10
Eggs
Egg whites are a much better pre-workout option than yolks. A single egg white provides around 4 grams of protein and no fat.
9/10
Chickpeas
This is an incredibly easy pre-workout snack. Just eat 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of chickpeas, seasoned with some lemon juice for taste. A quarter cup alone will give you about 10 grams of protein, 30 grams of carbs, and almost 9 grams of fiber.
10/10
Caffeine
Caffeine has been shown to help regular drinkers enjoy a workout more by generating energy, as well as slow fatigue and increase the rate of fat-burn.

Everyone knows that a car can’t run without gas. The same goes for humans. People think it’s a bad idea to eat before you exercise but actually, it just depends on what you eat. If you gobble down a whole meal, you definitely won’t feel well during your run. However, a little, healthy snack instead will give you all the energy for the workout ahead.

Eating before a workout actually charges you up, and throughout the workout the nutrients and energy from the snack will be released and give you more energy. But, you need to eat at least 30-45 minutes before a workout, if not, the only work you’ll be doing is bending over a toilet bowl.

So if you’re thinking of hitting the gym or the courts today, here’s a quick list of foods that you could consume beforehand.

Bernice Ng

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