What foods are best before, during, and after exercise to keep you energized?

I get asked a lot of questions from my players what types of foods should they be eating and when. Most often then not I try to keep it simple and tell them to stay away from fast food, make their own breakfast, lunch, and dinner at home, drink plenty of water, and reduce their sugar intake.

Recently, I had a player ask me “what are the best types of food to eat before, during, and after a game or workout?” this post will go into detail on a great way to fuel your body to work at peak performance.

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Carbohydrates (CHO) are one of three macronutrients and are your main source of energy. However, it is not an essential nutrient. The body can find energy from another source by breaking down the carbon skeleton of certain amino acids (the building block of a protein). Although it is not essential, CHO’s are an easy way to increase your energy source needed for exercise through your diet.

Carbohydrates can be classified into three different groups: monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides. The name will tell you how many sugar units are in each molecule.

Monosaccharides are glucose, fructose, and galactose. They are the single- sugar molecules (mono). In your body, glucose circulates through your blood stream where it is used as an energy source for your cells. Glucose molecules also make up glycogen which is the stored version of glucose in your liver and muscle cells, which is consumed through food. Fructose has the same chemical formula as glucose, but its atoms area arranged differently within the molecule. Fructose taste much sweeter and results in less insulin secretion from the pancreas, making it a popular topic of research with aerobic endurance performance. Galactose is the third monosaccharide, which is a combination of lactose and glucose to form milk sugar.

Disaccharides are two simple sugars combines together, they are sucrose, lactose, and maltose. The most common disaccharide is table sugar, a combination of glucose and fructose. Sucrose occurs naturally in most fruits, lactose is found in mammalian milk, and maltose occurs when polysaccharides are broken down during digestion, which occurs during fermentation, the primary CHO found in beer.

Polysaccharides are also known as complex carbohydrates, that contain thousands of glucose units. The most important nutritional polysaccharides are fiber, starch, and glycogen. Polysaccharides going to be your most optimal source of CHO in terms of health and longevity. Foods that contain quality polysaccharides are going to be grains, legumes, and vegetables.

Glycogen is found in your muscle and liver, it is the stored version of glucose. Nearly 3/4 of the glycogen found in the body is store in your skeletal muscle and the remaining is store in your liver.

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Glycemic Index

Lets talk about the Glycemic index and how we can use it to choose when we should eat certain foods.

The Glycemic Index (GI) ranks carbohydrates by how quickly they are digested and absorbed to raise our blood glucose levels within a 2-hour time period following a meal. Typically, the GI is used by diabetics so they can control their insulin levels, but it has a great use for athletes as well.

Research has shown mixed results on whether you should consume a low GI index food before exercise, try experimenting by consuming either low and high GI foods before exercise and see what works for you.

Studies have shown that there are good results with consuming high GI foods during and after exercise that can help with recovery and sleep. 

Consuming high GI foods during exercise will boost your energy rather quickly for activity; while consuming a high GI source after exercise will replenish your glycogen stores that were used up during exercise.

Some great foods to consume during and after exercise are fruits like mangos, watermelon, and pineapple. Another great post exercise option is Tart Cherry Juice, which can improve your recovery by reducing inflammation and increasing sleep. Check out my post on Tart Cherry Juice here.

Low GI food sources are digested and absorbed slowly, which results in a slower release of glucose into the blood stream and a slow release of insulin from the pancreas. Insulin helps transfer blood glucose to the cells in the body to be used as energy or it is converted into fat.

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Glycemic Load

The Glycemic load (GL) takes into account portion size for a food. The GL takes the amount of CHO, in grams, in a portion of food, that will factor in the glycemic response.

Glycemic Load= GI of an individual food x grams of carbohydrate per serving of food/ 100

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LOW GI FOODS (55 GI or less)

Apple Juice
Carrots (boiled)
Chocolate
Corn Torilla
Kidney Beans
Lentils
Oranges
Yogurt

MEDIUM GI FOODS (55-69)

Brown Rice
Couscous
Honey
Popcorn
Potato
Rolled Oats
Sweet Potatoes

HIGH GI FOODS (70 or more)

Potato
Rice Crackers
Watermelon
White Bread
White Rice
Whole Wheat Bread
Mango
Pineapple
Dried Fruits (Rasins, dates, cranberries, mango)

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Next time you are exercising or in the middle of the competition, bring a snack like dried fruit that is high on the glycemic index to give yourself a competitive advantage on the field or in the weight room. Post workout, it is recommended to fuel your body with a high GI carbohydrate that can replenish your glycogen stores and improve your recovery and sleep.

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Citations:

Burke LM, Kiens B, Ivy JL. Carbohydrates and fat for training and recovery. J Sports Sci. 2004 Jan;22(1):15-30. doi: 10.1080/0264041031000140527. PMID: 14971430.

Vlahoyiannis A, Aphamis G, Andreou E, Samoutis G, Sakkas GK, Giannaki CD. Effects of High vs. Low Glycemic Index of Post-Exercise Meals on Sleep and Exercise Performance: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Counterbalanced Polysomnographic Study. Nutrients. 2018 Nov 18;10(11):1795. doi: 10.3390/nu10111795. PMID: 30453682; PMCID: PMC6267571.