Exercising on an empty stomach can cause breakdown of muscle tissue. Without food to fuel your workout sessions, the muscle tissues will be converted to glucose in order to provide the energy you need. This isn’t the ideal situation for either muscle building or weight loss as it can have an impact on your metabolism and may even lead to injury. 

Similarly, you need to make the most of your post workout nutrition window. The Week talked to Praniti Singh, nutritionist at Norvic hospital, to find out how your diet can help you make the most out of your workout.
 

Pre workout
A whole food meal that falls within three hours of workout is called a pre-workout meal. When you include the right food to these meals, you can reap many benefits from it. These include having more energy during the workout, preventing muscle breakdown, and increasing muscle growth. The body, while you are working out, may breakdown your muscles in order to get energy for the workout. The pre-workout meal ensures that your body has enough energy to burn though the workout so that there is no need for the muscle breakdown. 

Your pre workout meal should not contain fats for it takes longer to digest. This meal should contain carbohydrate for instant energy and a little bit of protein to help stimulate the rate of protein synthesis. 

The meal you have before working out depends on the time you work out. If you work out early in the morning, a fruit is enough to help you power through it. If you exercise during the evenings, make sure you have had a good lunch two to three hours prior to it.  

“A banana or beaten rice and curd (dahi-chiura) are the best for a pre workout meal,” says Praniti. The curd gives the body protein whereas carbohydrates are derived from beaten rice. A banana is the nature’s power-bar; they are laden with digestable carbohydrates and loaded with potassium. The body isn’t capable of storing potassium for long but it helps maintain nerve and muscle functions. Therefore a medium sized banana right before working out will help keep your nutrient levels high.    

During the workout, you can have a protein shake that you sip throughout. Alternatively, to avoid dehydration during your workout, you can have a bottle of highly diluted either lemon water or glucose water. 

Post workout

What you eat after you have been to the gym is easily the most important meal you eat all day. The body stores excess energy in the form of protein and glycogen. Your body, when you workout, fuels itself with whatever you have recently eaten and then moves on to breaking down the stored glycogen. There are a lot of muscle tears when you workout and they start rebuilding a few hours after working out. Your body is especially good at absorbing carbohydrates and proteins within 30 minutes of working out. The Gastrointestinal (GI) track is active and at its prime which stimulates absorption.

The most important thing you need to concentrate on post workout is rehydrating yourself. Even if you don’t feel thirsty, make sure that you have regular water intake through the day. The next thing you need to focus on is to aid the repair process of the body. Your post workout meals should be rich in protein, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Try to include a whey protein shake after your workout. The normal ‘dal bhat’ is a good source of nutrients for your post workout body; but make sure you don’t overeat. 

Intense workouts can create an acidic environment in your body that you will need to neutralize with what you eat. Greens, lemon, lime, and sprouted vegetables have a neutralizing effect. “If you don’t help your body neutralize its environment after a workout, it uses calcium from your bones and nitrogen from your tissue muscles and neutralizes itself, which becomes counterproductive for you,” explains Praniti. 

Fruits are a rich source of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Pineapples have anti-inflammatory properties which help your muscles recover and kiwi helps with digestion and helps breakdown amino-acids. This helps the body deliver nutrients to your tired muscles more efficiently. Whole eggs (including yolks), are packed with nutrients, protein and omega-3 fatty acids and you should include it in your meal, any way you like it, be it scrambled, sunny side up or hard boiled. Eat it together with avocado for an extra dash of protein. 

Some of the best foods to consume after your workout are chicken stir fry, whole wheat bread with a small amount of peanut butter, dried fruits and nuts, tuna on digestive biscuits, cereal with milk and berries, eggs, and fruit smoothies. If you don’t eat eggs and meat, make sure you have a good serving of lentil soup (dal) and beans to load up on the proteins.  
 

 
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