What Not To Eat Pre-Workout

High-fibre fruit such as these can actually impede your work-out session. Be warned!

Recently I posted about how my runs are often ruined by my ever-frequent stomach aches, something that really works against my overall running performance - the probable cause of which I've put down to my pre-exercise food intake.

While I've had an inkling of the source of this problem, my downfall lies within my incapabilities to control my diet prior to exercising/running (and the fact I never tend to plan a work-out session in the first place - it's more of a spontaneous decision, if anything). I tend to eat what I want, when I want - a sure fire way to destroy any decent work-out session!

Something that I had previously wondered about was the effect of fibre on exercise, because I'm often grazing on fibrous foods (grapes and fruit especially). Turns out that fibre can actually massively impede your workout efforts due to their resulting gas and/or bloating effects.

Stella Metsovas, a clinical nutritionist and diet expert in LA, suggests limited the amount of fibre you consume 2 hours before and after exercising. She also says, "Stay away from fiber supplements, bran, and high-fiber breads and opt for a mixture of protein and carbohydrates instead right before your workout."

For the same reason, beans are also a no-go area. And when you think about it, it does make a lot of sense; fibre is an indigestible substance that can lie heavily in the digestive tract when eaten in large amounts. Protein-loaded food including eggs and cottage cheese (and meat, of course) needs to be avoided as well for the same reason - their protein content stays in the stomach and takes a lot longer than 2 hours to digest. Similarly, high-fat choices including buttery baked goods are not a great choice pre-workout.

Your sugar and salt intake is also an effector when it comes to exercising. Whilst sugar does indeed work in providing that necessary spike in energy, it's best to stay away from artificial sweeteners (sugary 'energy' drinks included) and to choose natural sugars instead, as found in carb-based foods. Salt, meanwhile, can cause havoc with the delicate fluid-balance within the human body, so it's definitely equally in your benefit to stay away from salty crisps or nuts before a work-out session.

In summary, to make sure your workout isn't deterred by bad food choices, I'd recommend steering yourself away from all of those foods loaded with excessive amounts of sugar, salt, fibre, protein, and fat, and instead stick to a simple carb:protein ratio of 1:1. I'll definitely be passing on the grapes when it comes to my next running session - let's hope the outcome is worth it!