Before you head to the gym, you need to read this list of the 10 Foods To Eat Before a Workout. Fuel your body with carbs, a little lean protein, heart-healthy fats, and liquid.
You need to fuel your body before a good workout to optimize the results of your hard work. Your muscles need middle of the road carbohydrates if you will be doing aerobics and lifting. Eat foods with a low Glycemic Index because they are slow to digest which will keep your energy sustained throughout your workout and beyond. This list of the 10 Best Foods to Eat Before a Workout is a great guide to help you do just that.
10 Best Foods to Eat Before a Workout
- Greek Yogurt – Has less sugar than regular yogurt and twice as much protein which makes this a great pre-workout meal. Adding fresh fruit will help the carbs from the fruit break down quickly and the protein from the Greek Yogurt is used later to prevent muscle damage.
- Chick Peas – With a little lemon juice (1/4 cup) provides 10 grams of protein, 30 grams of carbs, and almost 9 grams of fiber. This will help with your muscles and give you energy.
- Oatmeal (1/2 cup) with berries (1 cup) – This will give you a nice steady supply of energy. Oats also contain B vitamins which help convert carbohydrates into energy. As stated above the fruit in the oats will break down quickly, this mixture will get you pumping iron at a steady pace.
- Apples and Peanut Butter – By consuming one apple before you workout, your body will get loaded with vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, and iron. And Peanut Butter is an easy way to add a Carbohydrate into your system before pumping iron. Peanut Butter is extremely rich in monounsaturated fats, the healthy variety that can prevent heart disease and is less likely to be stored as body fat.
- Multi Grain Crackers with Hummus – A Carbohydrate and a protein will help you get your energy before you work out. Multi Grain Crackers give you a little energy boost and the hummus is a double positive, full of protein to help your muscles recover and carbs to give you energy.
- Sweet Potato with Steamed Broccoli – Carbohydrates 30 minutes before your workout give you energy, and help keep your metabolism burning strong. Sweet Potatos are the ultimate source of vitamin B6, which is good for entire body health. Many fitness experts recommend eating sweet potatoes before working out.
- Brown Rice will supply your body with sufficient energy to maximize your workout. Brown Rice promotes the weight loss process. It also helps in normalizing the cholesterol level in your body.
- Bananas are loaded with digestible carbohydrates and are packed with potassium which aids in muscle function.
- Lentils contain high amounts of proteins and carbohydrates which increase the accessibility of complex carbohydrates or glycogen that your muscles need. Try cooking up Lentils early during the week and add to egg whites and roll them up into a wheat tortilla.
- Smoothies – Make smoothies with Greek Yogurt, berries, and oats for a nice supply of protein and carbohydrates to help you with your workout.
We hope you find this list of the 10 Best Foods to Eat Before a Workout helpful. For more posts to help you with your active and healthy lifestyle, visit our Food and Fitness Section. Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter so that you never miss a healthy recipe. Enjoy!
Disclosure: The author of this article is not a trained medical professional, nor a dietician. All of the information in this post is based on research and personal experience.
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