I was wondering if it’s a good idea to eat certain kinds of food at different times relative to excersise?
I find that eating high carbohydrate food an hour or two before swimming/ taekwon-do/football gives me a lot more energy. But what about after excersise? Should i be eating high protein/lower carbohydrate food as my next meal?
I’ve read that you want to ingest a lot of protein within 45-60 minutes after an intense workout to maximize results. I personally do it with a protein shake I get from a GNC type store. It has glutamine in it, also, which supposedly facilitates protein use by the muscles. I say supposedly because I’ve also read the it doesn’t do much at all.
Before a workout, I’ve read that one should eat a bunch of carbs, because it becomes the prime fuel for the muscles during a workout. This is especially true of aerobic exercise, although it applies to anaerobic (weight lifting) as well.
But, as with almost anything to do with fitness, it’s almost impossible to get a consensus, so my sources could be off.
Yes. It has been found that some protein (not necessarily a whole lot) after exercise helps the body absorb carbs. So, a bagel with peanut butter after exercising would be perfect. Any food that has carbs (to replenish what you lost) and some protein (to help the body absorbe the carbs, as well as help replenish torn muscles, etc.) will do.
When I run long distances (building up to a marathon and running now 16 miles on Sundays), I use gels. These are supposed to be easy to digest with water. They basically contain brown rice syrup.
Some find that eating a banana before a road race helps. I tried it once and it really did help me: ran a good time. Now, I always eat a banana before a race. Psychological maybe.
Water.
Water.
Water.
Fruits combine sugar, some complex carbs, vitamins and water. Fruits can be your friend.
Go to this site and search for all the articles by John Berardi or Lonnie Lowery. They have a lot to say on food choices and timing, both in regards to exercise and other areas, as well as a lot on nutrition in general.
barbitu8, bananas are supposed to be good for endurance athletes because of their high levels of potassium, which isn’t found in most sport drinks.
Dogface, fruit’s not all that great because the sugars in fruit tend to hang around your liver and not go to your muscles, which is where you want them to go. No cite right now, but I’ll try to dig one up tomorrow.
carb + protein before, during and after workout.
personally i assign little importance to the “before” drink. in the “during workout” drink i emphasize carbs, and in post-workout i emphasize protein.
you have to look at the glycemic index of the carbs you are using, to make sure they last throughout your workout. for me, i just keep sipping on a shake at an even rate throughout workout so i never run out of fuel.
You might want to check out this article and this book.
Runners have eaten bananas with good results before short races of 5K. Whatever bananas contain, it would not be digested by the body in such a short time. I think it’s a mental thing.
Sports drinks are probably best for running and similar aerobic exercising while performing the exercise. They contain less than 10% glucose. Studies done (primarily by Dr. Tim Noakes) show that as long as the glucose content is 10% or less, it does not interfere with the absorption of water. Exercising for a long time, especially in hot weather, can cause hypoglycemia if you drink only water. (Sports drinks also contain some sodium.)
Fruits are not a good idea as they contain fructose, a not-so-simple sugar as it contains two simple sugars. The body has to break up fructose first, before it can use the sugars.
Gels, as I described, is only for long distance events, when the body has the time to digest the proteins. They contain mostly sugars, but a little protein.
eh, fructose doesnt contain two simple sugars. it’s the same as glucose but the atoms are arranged slightly differently. It’s an isomer of glucose I think (actually I think there’s maybe another word for it but it’s 5 years since i studied biochem…). Still you’re right there’s an extra step to break it down.