It is so important that the food you eat before a workout has maximum nutrients, gives you energy and doesn’t leave you feeling sluggish. These things will push you on to complete a workout to the best of your ability. You should eat around 30 minutes to 1 hour before a workout, just to give the food some time to digest before you start moving your body. With this in mind, let’s take a look at the best foods to eat before workout and how they can be beneficial.
Oatmeal
If you tend to work out in the morning, oatmeal is ideal to eat first thing before you exercise. Oatmeal is full of fiber and good carbs that your body processes slowly. This means energy for a longer period of time rather than just a quick burst. Make your oatmeal even more nutritious by preparing it with low-fat milk and some delicious fruit on top!
Fruit or Vegetable Smoothie
You don’t want to be consuming anything too heavy before a workout because this could leave you bloated. A smoothie is delicious, contains lots of nutrients and will leave you feeling motivated to exercise. Smoothies from the store often include lots of sugar and other processed ingredients. Get yourself a blender and create your own smoothies at home. Experimenting with the ingredients is lots of fun and you will know that you are putting something good into your body.
Nuts and Seeds
While this might just be a small snack, nuts and seeds are the perfect foods to eat before workout. They have lots of good fats, proteins and much more. Make sure that you include almonds in this combination because these are high in protein, unsaturated fats, and antioxidants. Almonds on their own are super-food worthy so mixing them with other seeds and nuts makes for a pretty amazing snack that you need to be incorporating into your diet before you exercise.
A Banana
It might be the most simple of the options mentioned but it’s definitely an effective pre-workout snack. A banana is probably the best type of fruit that you can eat before a workout for a couple of different reasons. Bananas are full of antioxidants and heaps of potassium. It also includes those amazing slow-releasing carbs, giving you maximum energy over a longer period of time.
Scrambled Egg on Wholemeal Toast
If you have a particularly grueling workout coming up and you want to eat something more substantial, scrambled egg on wholemeal toast is ideal foods to eat before workout. The fiber will help to keep your blood sugar at a steady rate, Eggs have lots of protein and all the amino acids your body needs to build muscle. It does help that scrambled egg on toast is absolutely delicious of course!
Salmon with Sweet Potato
This one has a well-deserved place on the list but is more like a meal rather than a snack. This might be worth eating for lunch if you have a workout scheduled in the afternoon. Salmon, in general, is known to be absolutely perfect for when you are trying to get in shape. It has lots of protein and omega 3. Sweet potato makes a portion of great food to pair with this because of the healthy carbs and fiber. Avoid seasoning this with salt of butter but use pepper and a drizzle of something spicy if you want an extra kick.
Greek Yogurt
Craving something sweet before your workout but want to keep in healthy? A creamy greek yogurt gives you plenty of protein for lasting energy, you can even add fruit and make it more nutritious. Blueberries are recommended because they are full of antioxidants.
Conclusion
There you have it, the foods to eat before workout that will benefit you the most in a number of different ways. You need energy to workout and by eating well, you are going to feel even more motivated to give 100% at all times. It is so important to eat healthily AND exercise on a regular basis in order to see results and eating this way is a great place to start!