What's the Best Time to Eat — Before or After Working Out?

The best foods to eat before exercising depend on the type of workout and a person’s goals. Foods rich in protein, for example, can help a person to build muscle with resistance training.

When choosing a pre-workout meal, it is important to aim for a balance of macronutrients. Macronutrients are dietary compounds that the body needs in large quantities to function correctly.

The three macronutrients are:

1. protein

2. carbohydrates

3. fat

Macronutrients are all key sources of energy, but each can contribute differently to a pre-workout meal.

Why is protein a good pre-workout food?

Protein can increase the amount of muscle mass gained from a resistance workout.

Intense bouts of resistance exercise damage the muscles, but consuming protein increases the number of amino acids in the body. These work to reduce deterioration, synthesize muscle proteins, and stimulate growth.

Consuming 20–30 grams of protein before a workout can result in an increased rate of muscle protein synthesis that lasts for several hours.

Which type of carbohydrate is better in a pre-workout meal?

Complex carbohydrates have a number of advantages, for example:

• Simple carbohydrates are short-term sources of energy. If a pre-workout meal includes too many simple carbohydrates, a person may feel a drop in energy before they finish their workout. Complex carbohydrates provide energy more consistently over a more extended period.

• Complex carbohydrates are components of foods that tend to be rich in nutrients, such as beans. Simple carbohydrates are typically components of foods that have little or no nutritional value, such as chocolate bars and cakes.

• Foods that contain complex carbohydrates have lower glycemic index scores than those that contain simple carbohydrates. A type of food with a low glycemic index score is unlikely to cause blood glucose levels to spike and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Can fats help before a workout?

Before a workout, it may be better to eat a meal that focuses more on protein and carbohydrates than fats.

However, it is important to incorporate healthful fats elsewhere in a balanced diet.

It is also worth noting that not all fats are healthful.

Certain types, most notably saturated and trans fats, can negatively impact overall health.

When to eat a pre-workout meal

Ideally, a person should eat a meal rich in complex carbohydrates and protein around 2–3 hours before exercising.

Waiting a few hours after eating allows the body enough time to digest the meal.

Alternately, a person may prefer a smaller meal that is mostly made up of simple carbohydrates. In this case, they need only wait for 30–60 minutes before working out.