Best Workout Foods

Have you ever tried to go for a run, or take a fitness class, when you have not eaten right all day? Did not feel to good, did it?  You need the right nourishment throughout the day in order to have the energy and endurance to perform your best, and maximize your exercise.  Take inspiration from professional cyclist Ally Stacher, who eats clean filling foods to fuel up.

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Don't let your exercise, training, work, or travel schedule interfere with your personal pledge to eat better.  When you eat right, you feel better, your body operates better, and you look better. Look to fresh vegetables and fruit, and try to make or pre-make as many things as possible.  And when you do need to grab something quick, make sure you are choosing or carrying with you the best options available.

Whether you are a competitive athlete, a work-out junkie,  or a recreational exerciser, fueling properly before exercise is crucial to your performance.  The amount of fuel you needs will depend upon your time and intensity exercising, but that does not influence the importance of the quality.  Check out these RD-approved snack and meals to make sure you have enough fuel to get you through you workout, and your day.

Fresh Fruit and Vegetables.
Raw fruit and veggies add healthy nutrients such as vitamins and antioxidants to your diet. Blending combinations of berries, kiwi, citrus fruits, leafy greens, carrots, peppers, and beets will also help your endurance.  The majority of carbohydrates you consume should come from fruits and vegetables.

Bars
Due to their convenience (and marketing), protein bars have become very popular choice as pre-workout snack.  Unfortunately, many of these bars are highly processed, full of preservatives, full of poor-quality protein, and high in sugar and empty carbohydrates and calories.  Look for bars that are high in fibre ensuring you get high-quality carbs, with quality protein, and low in sugars.  The Vi-Cookie from Visalus Sciences is full of high-quality non-gmo protein, high in fibre (from Kale, Spinach, and Broccoli), and low in sugars.  With three flavour--chocolate chip, peanut butter, and oatmeal raisin--they taste like the cookies grandma used to make.  We have to hide them in our house, our kids loved them so much. They are portable, so they are great for on-the-go workouts, and good a good choice for a snack, or just before your next workout.

Breakfast Burrito
A well-balanced breakfast (carbs healthy fat, and lean protein) is a great way to start the day.  The thing I love about breakfast burritos, however, is I can eat them for lunch, or dinner, as well.  You may not have your workout or training session planned until later in the day, but a good breakfast burrito will supply the nutrients to sustain your energy levels through the day, and help you avoid overeating later, all while maintaining lean muscle.  Choose ancient grain wraps/tortillas such as Spelt, Kamut, or Quinoa, instead of wheat or corn tortillas.  A good breakfast burrito includes an egg, kale or spinach, abocado, hummus, and goat cheese.  You can wrap it up and take it on the go, and with it's great mix of essential nutrients, and great taste, you will love it.

Ninja Smoothies
Great for breakfast, lunch, or after your workout, proper protein smoothies include refreshing ingredients that are not expensive.  Try to mix three fruits in yours, such as half a pear, half a banana and half a kiwi; or half a cup of raspberries, half a cup of blueberries, and half a banana.  Add a dollop of 2% Greek yogurt for protein and "good bacteria" (avoid low-fat or non-fat yogurts that tend to have added sugar and higher calories), ground flax seed and ground chia seed for fibre, Almond or Coconut milk, and a high-quality protein powder--be ware of the bulk or inexpensive brands.  Vi-Shape shake mix is a research based protein powder, independently proven i the lab to be one of the most efficient proteins on the market.  

Snacks
What other snacks do you need to help you get to your workout?  How about some celery with a nut butter like almond butter or peanut butter.  Or some apple slices smeared with a seed butter such as sesame seed or pumpkin seed butter.  In order to satiate any hunger or cravings later, and to prevent any overeating later, you want to mix quality carbohydrates from fruit and vegetables, with good fats and protein from the nut or seed butters.

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