Eating the right foods before exercise can play a huge role in your training success, whether you're looking to lose weight, build muscle, or maximise your endurance.
When and what you eat before exercise can be crucial to achieving optimal results. The wrong meal at the wrong time can quickly have a negative impact on your performance during your workout.
Here you can find out when you should ideally eat before your workout and what should not be missing from your pre-workout nutrition plan.
We'll also tell you what you can eat before your workout when timing is a bit tight, when you're trying to lose weight or build muscle mass.
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Eat before or after your workout?
Nutrition and sport are the two most important pillars of a healthy lifestyle. What's more, the two are inextricably linked. With the right nutrition, you can significantly influence your athletic performance. Not only what you eat is important, but also when you eat. For example, eating too close to your workout can have a negative impact on your performance. On the other hand, not eating anything before exercising can also have a negative impact on your performance.
What you eat after exercising is just as important. By choosing the right foods, you can help your body to recover and, if you've done strength training, you can promote muscle growth.
You should also drink enough after exercising. The fluids you've lost in the form of sweat need to be replaced.
Eating before exercise
Before exercise, you should pay particular attention to your carbohydrate intake. This important macronutrient provides your body with immediate energy, so you'll already be performing well shortly after the meal. According to various studies, the type of carbohydrates you consume does not play a major role. It is therefore best to choose the foods you are accustomed to and tolerate well. Sports bars are also a good option, as they often provide a balanced nutrient composition.
In addition to carbohydrates, your pre-workout meal should also contain proteins, but not too many. Protein is digested more slowly by the body than carbohydrates. That's why the energy is not immediately available to you and your body has to spend energy on digesting the proteins.
It's best to avoid fatty foods before exercise. Fat puts a lot of strain on your gastrointestinal tract. So, to avoid stomach aches or intestinal discomfort during exercise, the fat content should be low before exercise.
To avoid becoming dehydrated during exercise, you should also make sure to drink enough fluids. Water or sports drinks are best.
Timing – when should you eat before exercising?
We know that you should drink enough water to perform at your best. But what about eating before exercising? Is it better to eat before or after exercising? And when should you eat to keep your energy up?
The basic rule is: whether you want to build muscle mass, lose weight or increase your endurance, eating before exercise is just as important as eating afterwards. Only by eating will you have enough energy to get the most out of your workout.
Instead of unhealthy, artificial workout supplements, you should eat a balanced meal two to three hours before your training session.
That's because you'll see the best results if you fuel your body with healthy carbohydrates, proteins and fats in advance. The ideal foods are those that are easy to digest and will keep you energised for a long time.
Sports porridge before training – find out more!
How long before training should you eat?
As already mentioned, it is generally recommended not to eat anything for two to three hours before exercising. But what do I do if my personal daily routine does not allow for such a long break? What is the minimum amount of time I have to wait before eating before exercising?
The shorter the gap, the smaller and more easily digestible your meal should be before exercising. Otherwise, your body will be too busy digesting and will not be able to perform properly.
What should you eat before exercising?
The perfect food to eat before a workout is low in fat and contains both proteins and complex carbohydrates with a low glycemic index.
This ensures an optimal balance of power and regeneration. Dishes with oat flakes are an ideal pre-workout meal, as oats contain both complex carbohydrates and vegetable protein.
As a general rule, avoid greasy or spicy food, carbonated drinks or energy drinks!
Losing weight – the right food before exercise
What should I eat before and after training to lose fat? Should I avoid carbohydrates if I want to lose weight? Why shouldn't you eat before exercising? Does intermittent fasting work?
Firstly, never train on an empty stomach. Otherwise, you will quickly run out of strength and the training will be inefficient. Secondly, don't forget to eat enough carbohydrates. This is the only way to lose weight with food before exercise.
Because although your body learns to draw on its fat reserves without carbohydrates, unfortunately this does not automatically melt them away. The reason for this is that the free fatty acids in your muscles are used first.
What's more, you won't be able to reach your full potential if you don't eat right before a demanding workout, such as a HIIT workout session (high-intensity interval training) or an intense home workout.
Muscle building – the right food before your workout
What should you eat before a workout to build muscle? As a strength athlete, should your pre-workout nutrition plan only include protein? No. You should aim for a nutrient ratio of 20–25% protein and 45–55% carbohydrates.
You should definitely eat carbohydrates as well as proteins. This is because they provide your body with the energy it needs, protect your muscles and help with muscle building and recovery.
What should I eat 2 hours before training?
You should eat all macronutrients, i.e. protein, fat and carbohydrates. Instead of empty carbs, choose complex carbohydrates such as oats, rice or quinoa.
Combine these with protein-rich foods such as milk, tofu or eggs, and add healthy fats in the form of avocados, nuts or cashews. And don't forget the vegetables!
Performing in 2 hours – what should I eat?
If you need a lot of power, mix a few extra oats into your protein shake before training. Oats provide you with all the important nutrients you need before a strenuous workout or a long run.
What should I eat if I have to perform in less than an hour?
If you are training early in the morning, it is obviously not possible to eat 2-3 hours before exercise. In this case, if you eat up to an hour before your workout, it is best to do so in liquid form. Shakes, smoothies or sports drinks are suitable for this. This way, your stomach will empty quickly and the food won't sit heavily in your stomach.
However, small, easily digestible snacks such as dried fruit or ripe bananas are also suitable. Coffee is not necessarily a snack, but it also provides an energy boost. Caffeine boosts your metabolism for exercise and helps you achieve peak performance.
But be careful: snacks like bananas are easy to digest and provide quick energy, but they also contain short-chain carbohydrates. These cause your blood sugar level to drop quickly and only provide energy for a relatively short time.
Eating before the competition
When you are preparing for a competition, the right nutrition before it is crucial for your performance.
You should definitely top up your glycogen stores before the competition. You do this by replacing some of the proteins and fats in your diet with carbohydrates, and eating an above-average amount of them. Among runners, this carb-loading is celebrated in the form of pasta parties on the evening before the competition.
However, eating a large amount of carbohydrates the night before is often not enough to fill your glycogen stores. To noticeably improve your performance, you should start carb-loading three days before the competition.
On the day of the competition, you should eat your last large meal at least two hours before the start. Otherwise, the food will sit heavily in your stomach and restrict your performance. The foods of choice are easily digestible carbohydrates and low-fat proteins. For example, you can eat white bread with butter and jam or low-fat cheese. It is better to avoid meat and meat products, because they sit heavily in the stomach and are only digested slowly.
Just before you start, you should drink water again to start the competition hydrated.
Eating before the game
The nutrition tips for game days are similar to those for competitions. No matter what sport you play, you should eat plenty of carbohydrates the day before a game. It's best to eat carbohydrates that are easy to digest.
What you should definitely not do the day before a game:
- trying new things: Don't try out new recipes that you might not tolerate well.
- eating fatty dishes: Stay away from junk food and meals with a high fat content.
- drinking alcohol: This puts a strain on your system and you may feel the effects on game day.
- eating shortly before sleeping: As is well known, you don't sleep as well on a full stomach. A good night's sleep is important before the game.
On the day of the game, you should also eat lots of carbohydrates and little fat. Also, be careful not to eat too close to the game, as a full stomach can hinder your performance.
Food before running
Before a run, you need to stock up on energy. Carbohydrates are the best way to do this. If your run will take longer than an hour, you should definitely make sure that you have consumed enough calories throughout the day to keep you going. Your last big meal should be 2-3 hours before the run.
Although you should generally eat a high-fibre diet, a low-fibre diet is recommended before a run. This puts less of a strain on your digestive system and the food leaves your stomach faster.
If you suffer from stomach problems, you should avoid acidic fluids before your run. These include fruit juices and coffee, for example.
Oats before your workout
Oats are a popular food in the fitness world. Due to the nutrients they contain, they provide energy and keep you full for a long time. Since they consist mainly of long-chain carbohydrates and are also high in fibre, they keep the blood sugar level stable for a longer period of time. This helps you to perform well and stay focused during your training for longer.
For example, eat the oats as porridge with fresh fruit or nuts about two hours before your training session to get the maximum benefit from your workout.
With the VERIVAL Sport range, you are always ready for your workout
The VERIVAL Sport range meets all the requirements of a balanced sports nutrition. Our Sport Porridge, Sport Granola and Protein Muesli are not only rich in vegetable proteins and fibres, but also contain essential amino acids and important vitamins.
Whether for your endurance or strength, our selected recipes guarantee you the ideal energy supply throughout your training.
Frequently asked questions
What and when to eat before exercise?
It's best to eat short-chain carbohydrates that are quickly digested before exercise. If your body is busy digesting food during exercise, it will affect your performance. You should eat your last big meal at least two hours before exercise. If you need an energy boost just before training, it's best to reach for liquid food such as shakes or smoothies.
How many minutes before exercise should you eat?
It's best to eat a large meal 2-3 hours before exercise to maximise your performance. Your body needs this time to digest the food you eat. If you eat too close to your workout, your body will be busy digesting during your workout.
What should you eat before endurance sports?
Make sure to fill your glycogen stores with carbohydrate-rich foods the day before your endurance activity. Right before your workout, you should eat easily digestible foods. Short-chain carbohydrates such as white bread or fruit are best.
What food gives you energy for sports?
Carbohydrates and fat are the energy sources among the macronutrients. You have fat stored in your body anyway, so it is especially important to consume carbohydrates before exercise.
When losing weight, should you eat before or after exercise?
Even if you want to lose weight, you should eat before and after exercise. Before training, you need energy in the form of carbohydrates to perform well, and after your workout, you should replenish your glycogen stores with carbohydrates and support your muscle growth with proteins.
Should you eat something after exercise?
You should definitely eat something after exercising. This promotes recovery. On the one hand, you need protein for your exhausted muscles and carbohydrates to replenish your glycogen stores.
What should you eat before and after exercising?
Before exercising, you should pay attention to your carbohydrate intake to have enough energy for your workout. It's best to reach for short-chain carbohydrates, which are digested quickly. After exercising, your body also needs carbohydrates and, in addition, protein.
Why shouldn't you eat before exercising?
You should definitely eat before exercising. If you don't, you risk a rapid drop in performance during your workout. However, you should eat your last large meal 2-3 hours before exercising. You shouldn't eat anything shortly before, because it's not good to exercise on a full stomach.
