Best Pre-Workout Foods For Better Running: What to Eat and What Not to Eat?

In addition to general nutrition we need to talk about timing. Timing is everything when combining nutrition and exercise. How soon should you eat before working out? What are the best pre-workout foods to eat? Are there certain foods to avoid? Read on to find the answers to that and much more!

Timing

You do not want to be scarfing down a burger 5 minutes before embarking on a run, nor do you want to starve yourself for hours until your workout is done. So when is the right time to eat?

This will depend on your personal experience with food but the consensus is to not have a full meal within three hours of running. This also scales down to a small snack within 30 minutes of exercise.

The biggest thing is knowing your body. If you can handle more than feel free to eat more, or if you struggle to keep it down then eat less or earlier. This takes trial and error to see what is right for you. The most important thing with food is to avoid hunger during your workout and to avoid GI (gastrointestinal) distress.

In terms of carbohydrates it is recommended that you eat 1 gram of carbohydrate/kilogram of body weight 1 hour before exercise, 2 g of carbohydrate/kg body weight 2 hours before, and 3-4.5 g of carbohydrate/kg body weight 3-4 hours before. To figure out what your body weight is in kg divide your weight in pounds by 2.2.

This does not mean to eat at the one hour, two hour, and three hour mark. This is simply stating that if you are eating in any of these time zones that these are the recommended carbohydrate totals that you should attain.

If you weigh 135 lbs then you are 61 kg (135/2.2=61) then you will want to consume something around 60 g of carbohydrates 1 hour before, 120 g 2 hours before, and 180-270 g 3-4 hours before. These can comprise of a granola bar (43 g) with an 8 oz sport drink (14 g), bagel with peanut butter (47 g+8 g=55 g) and a yogurt with some fresh fruit (33 g +19 g = 52 g), or three cups of pasta with 2 slices of whole wheat bread and some sport drink (120 g +26 g +36 g =182 g) respectively.

Carbohydrates are the main source that you should focus on before a workout as it becomes your primary fuel source in the form of glycogen. Fats and proteins take a back seat in the pre-workout phase so I will not be talking about them.

What to Eat and What Not to Eat

Although timing is important, you must also consider what types of food you are putting into your body. Lets play a quick game… What is the better option whole wheat bread or white bread? What about a fresh apple vs applesauce? And last a turkey sandwich vs a cheeseburger? I’m sure most of you chose the whole wheat bread, fresh apple, and turkey sandwich but why is that?

Most nutritional ad campaigns these days are promoting fresh food as being superior than processed food, allowing you to learn how to make informed decisions when choosing between two similar foods.

Why is processed food so bad for you? This is because many nutrients such as vitamins and minerals are cut out of the food during the processing. Although they may contain similar calorie counts in the end, processed food lacks the nutritional supremacy of whole foods.

This is why the whole wheat bread beats out the white bread and so on… the least processed food wins. This is not to say avoid processed food in its entirety, but you should consider whole food options whenever possible.

So here are some foods that I recommend:

These are all healthy options that will provide carbohydrates to sustain your energy during exercise.

The least though of source of carbohydrates is the sport drink. It is a great source as given its liquid form it will cause less GI distress during your workout since it is absorbed quickly. This allows you to drink it all of the way up to go time. This also allows for you to continue hydrating while you are getting your much needed carbohydrates. Sport drink should become somewhat of a ritual for runners as they really need to focus on carbs for their daily diet, and this quick source can add up fast.

Some foods that I would avoid:

  • White bread
  • Spicy food (GI distress)
  • Heavy meals such as steak and potatoes (will take longer to pass through your system and may not be absorbed in time)
  • Potato chips or other salty items (may contribute to dehydration when not enough fluid is consumed)

It is important to find what works for you but there are some general guidelines to follow when dealing with pre-workout nutrition. Time your food so that you will not be too hungry or starved and give you body enough energy to perform. Search for whole foods over processed options whenever possible. Avoid foods that may cause GI distress for you (that habanero pepper challenge you were thinking about is probably not a good idea). And last but not least succumb to trial and error. Everyone’s body is different and it is your responsibility to find what works best for you.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.