Q: I can never figure out how best to time my meals with my workouts. Should I be eating before I exercise or after?
We’ve all been there: It’s 6 p.m. and you just got home from work. You want to go for a run, but you’re hungry. Should you eat dinner first and risk an upset stomach? Or should you run first, with potentially less energy to power you through?
It’s a question that plagues even the most disciplined exercisers among us. And to make the matter even more complicated, research on the topic is limited, with answers that depend on your unique health and goals.
That said, experts agree that there are some general considerations to keep in mind.
What to Eat and When
Health experts recommend eating both before and after exercise, for different reasons.
For most people, having a balanced meal rich in carbohydrates and protein two to four hours before a workout will supply enough energy to last the length of your routine. This also allows ample time for digestion and can help reduce gastrointestinal discomfort like nausea, vomiting or acid reflux, said Dr. Martha Gulati, a cardiologist at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles who specializes in helping her patients make lifestyle changes through diet and exercise.
If you have a few hours before you plan to exercise, a pre-workout meal might include a high-quality protein (like salmon, chicken or tofu), a complex carbohydrate (like brown rice, oatmeal or sweet potatoes) and healthy sources of fats (like avocado, eggs or nuts), said Dr. Cecilia Cordova Vallejos, a sports medicine physiatrist at Johns Hopkins Medicine.