What to Eat Before, During and After Exercise

What is all the talk about when it comes to diet and exercise?  Does it really matter at all or is it just a bunch of marketing smoke and mirrors designed to get you to buy the latest and greatest supplement on the market?  Does when you eat really matter?  Does what you eat really matter?  Well, the simple answers to these questions are - “yes” and “it depends”.

As a strength coach I often get these questions all the time, from athletes concerned about performance and from non athletes who just want to exercise and feel better.  Since I am not a registered dietitian I can not give out specific information and dietary plans.  However, when speaking in general terms there is a lot of information that can be delivered to the people that I work with.  

Let’s start out with the athletes.  Typically they are concerned about how the foods they eat will impact their performance.  Furthermore, they tend to want to know what to eat after a workout to maximize their training and recover from the training session.  Since not all athletes are the same (think size and body type differences) not all needs are the same.  Below is a very general table outlining the before, during and after training nutritional strategies that can be used.  

Terms from the table you might not be familiar with:

Ectomorph: Part 1

Body type that tends to have a smaller frame with thinner limbs with a fast metabolism.

An Ectomorph Pre-Training Meal:

2 servings of protein / 2 servings of vegetables / 3 servings of carb dense foods / 1 serving of fat dense foods 

• A serving is about the size of your palm for protein and a cupped hand for fruits and vegetables.  For fats use the size of your thumb to measure. 

An Ectomorph Post-Training Meal:

1 serving of protein dense foods / 1 serving of vegetables / 2 serving of carb dense foods / ½ serving of fat dense foods

Mesomorph: Part 2

Body type that tends to be generally athletic looking with a medium sized frame. Stays lean easily and gains muscle the same way. 

A Mesomorph Pre-Training Meal:

2 servings of protein / 2 servings of vegetables / 2 servings of carb dense foods / 2 servings of fat dense foods 

A Mesomorph Post-Training Meal:

1 serving of protein dense foods / 1 serving of vegetables / 1 serving of carb dense foods / 1 serving of fat dense foods

Endomorph: Part 3

Body type that has a large frame and is heavier than most. Tends to have a slower metabolism and doesn’t tolerate carbs well. 

An Endomorph Pre-Training Meal:

2 servings* of protein / 2 servings of vegetables / 1 servings of carb dense foods / 3 servings of fat dense foods 

An Endomorph Post-Training Meal:

1 serving of protein dense foods / 1 serving of vegetables / 1/2 serving of carb dense foods / 2 servings of fat dense foods

EAA’s:

Essential Amino Acids.  Building blocks of peptides and proteins that our body doesn’t manufacture on its own.  

For non athletes the strategies are more simple.  Just eat a well balanced meal 1-2 hours before training and another meal 1-2 hours after your training.  This will work well for you if you are exercising for general health and fitness and don’t have any unique physiological needs.  Remember to emphasize eating a complete nutritional profile of macro and micro nutrients, keep your portion sizes modest and eat right for your body type.  The above table will be helpful in that regard.  

Specifics!  If you are the type of person that likes details - read on.  

Pre workout nutrition is all about timing. If you can eat 2-3 hours before you train, then eating whole foods is the way to go.  The food will be in and digested by the time your workout starts.  If you don’t have that kind of time then a shake or smoothie will work great.  Try this out in a blender:

• A scoop of protein powder
• A handful of baby spinach
• 1 banana
• A small amount of flax seeds or a spoonful of peanut butter
• Add to 8oz of water or unsweetened almond milk.

During your workout you basically want to stay hydrated, preserve muscle and improve recovery.  To do this you need about 15 grams of protein or 5-15 grams of EAA’s while you are working out.  That said, this is really only necessary if you are trying to gain muscle mass or are involved in multiple or long, intense workouts. 

As far as carbs are concerned, you can only process about 60-70g of carbs per hour, so limit your consumption to that.  However, if you are consuming protein at the same time, then you can reduce your carbohydrate intake to 30-45 grams per hour. Again, this is only necessary if you are involved in long intense workouts or multiple workouts a day.  Fats during exercise should generally be avoided because they are harder to digest and will sit in the stomach longer.  This can lead to up-set tummies!  

Nutrition after your workout will depend again on your goals, so we can only talk in generalities here.  Largely you want to consume whole foods as they tend to have a more complete nutritional profile.  In the past, it was thought that there was an anabolic window where you had to consume protein and some carbs within 30-45 minutes of your workout to optimize recovery.  We now know that not to be the case.  Research shows that the total amount of protein consumed throughout the day is more important than getting protein in right away.  That said, you may be asking yourself what’s better, a protein shake or a whole food for recovery?  Science tells us (currently) that it doesn’t matter.  If you want something fast and easy - make a shake.  If you want real food, then by all means make a high protein meal!  Something that has about 40-60 grams of protein for men and about 20-30 grams of protein for women will work. 

What about carbs?  Contrary to popular belief it’s not necessary to consume carbs post workout to spike insulin and restore liver and muscle glycogen (storage form of carbs).  Whole foods are just as easily used here and can be consumed as a part of your post workout meal.  Best part is that whole foods restore glycogen just as fast as supplements do.  Eat real food!!

Fats?  Don’t sweat that.  We used to think we wanted to limit fats after exercise because they slowed down our digestion.  While true it’s also irrelevant.  The speed of digesting carbs and protein is not as important as we once thought.  

To wrap it up, nutrition is very important but it’s also individualized as far as needs are concerned.  Prioritize whole foods when feasible.  Time it.  You have about 1-2 hours on either side of your workouts to get the maximum benefit.  Be patient.  You may have to experiment a bit to iron out all the wrinkles.  Enjoy the journey!