Find out what foods you should eat to get the most out of your exercise
Nutrition before, during and after exercise is a vital part of working out. Your body needs to have the right balance, be ready to complete the workout and ready to refuel afterwards so you can carry on with your day.
Wendy Martinson OBE is a Registered Dietician with the Health Professions Council and she’s also a member of the Sport and Exercise Nutrition Register; she shares her knowledge on what foods we should be eating before, during and after exercise.
Before exercise:
Before exercise, eat a meal or snack containing some carbohydrate as this is the most important source of energy for the body during intense physical activity. Carbohydrate is stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver but these stores are quite small and need topping up on a regular basis. As well as providing energy for the muscles, carbohydrate also provides energy for the brain and central nervous system and a lack of carbohydrate in the diet may cause tiredness and a lack of coordination and concentration during exercise. Carbohydrate can be found in a variety of different foods and rich sources include breakfast cereals, bread, pasta, potatoes, rice etc. Other foods such as beans (haricot, kidney etc.), peas and lentils, fresh and dried fruit and milk and yoghurt also provide carbohydrate. It is best to allow approximately 2 – 3 hours after eating a meal and 30 – 60 minutes for a snack before exercising to prevent indigestion.
Example meals include:
Pasta dish with tomato based sauce
Boiled rice or noodles with low fat sauce
Cereal and milk/yoghurt
Toast/muffins/crumpets with honey, jam or marmalade
Sandwiches with salad and lean meat, chicken or fish
Jacket potato with low fat topping
During exercise:
For most people there is generally no need to eat solid food during exercise, but it is important to take fluids on board to replace sweat losses. This of course is different for high level endurance athletes. For example, those performing long training rides of several hours on a bike may eat solid foods to provide carbohydrate energy as well as drinking fluids.
Examples of snacks that could be eaten 30 – 60 minutes before exercise:
Bananas
Cereal bars
Rice cakes
Fruit loaf/malt loaf
Fruit smoothie/yoghurt
After exercise:
For those exercising more than once per day (less than eight hours between sessions), it is important to replenish carbohydrate stores quickly and to provide protein for muscle repair as well as a good mix of vitamins and minerals to support immune function. However most people will only complete one exercise session per day or less and so this is unnecessary. However, whenever the next meal is after the exercise session it should contain good quality protein, complex carbohydrate and a mixture of vegetables.
Example meals include:
Grilled tuna, trout or salmon steak with salad/vegetables and sweet potato
Grilled lean steak with jacket potato and salad
Lentil and bean curry with basmati rice and vegetables
Stir fry prawns with noodles and vegetables
Chicken with couscous and salad
Wholegrain bread or bagel with egg or hummus and salad
These tips come from Yakult's Little Book of Fitness for further information visit yakult.com/fit
Femalefirst Taryn Davies
Tagged in Muscles Health Nutrition Diet Healthy Body Healthy eating Diet tips