Workout Nutrition-What to Eat Before and After a Workout?

GGS Media is continuing to discuss soy and this weeks topic is Workout Nutrition-What do you eat before and after a workout?  Once again we will be having our weekly giveaway on Friday so be sure to check back for your chance to win another awesome gift card.

Hint-this one is not a twitter winner…so all of you that have asked…’How do I win without a twitter account?’….this one is for you!

Eating before exercising has been shown to improve performance and is a great way to improve endurance and stamina. The goal to snacking before a workout is to keep it simple. Don’t eat a huge meal that leaves you feeling bloated. The purpose of a pre-workout snack is to help prevent low blood sugar, increase muscle and liver carbohydrate stores, and prevent hunger throughout the duration of your workout. Preventing low blood sugar is important because you can become lightheaded, dizzy, and lose concentration if not properly maintained. Keeping the muscle and liver carbohydrate stores full is important because this helps provide you with long lasting energy to fight through your workout.

I recommend choosing snacks that do the following:

1. Increase hydration levels

2. Are low in fat and fiber

3. Are high in carbohydrates

4. Are low in simple sugars

Soy can play a part in your pre-workout snacks.

Scientific research demonstrates that soy protein:

• Is a high-quality protein

• Supports the development of lean body mass

• Provides energy for muscles during exercise

• Builds muscle strength in conjunction with an exercise program

The 5 Must Try Soy Pre-Workout Foods are:

1. Cereal (with soy milk)

2. Fruit or veggies(banana, apple, pear, orange, carrots, celery) dipped in soy yogurt

3. Trail mix with nuts and dried edamame

4. Soy cheese with multi-grain crackers

5. Use soy protein powder to make muffins or pancakes

Post-workout snacks are equally important due to the fact that your body uses muscle glycogen stores to energize your workout. Replenishing these stores is vital for muscle recovery, muscle growth and repair. If your workouts last for a longer bout of time than normal, you need to replenish throughout the workout. For example, I just ran a marathon and I replenished my body every three or four miles to keep from depleting the energy stores.

Depleted energy stores can cause cramping, dizziness, light-headedness, nausea, or early fatigue. By hydrating and refueling your body throughout your workout, you will be able to exercise longer, harder, and more efficiently. I suggest a pre- and post-workout snack every day you workout, and for workouts lasting longer than a hour or so you should replenish during as well. I recommend a low-fat, high-protein snack after your workout.

Soy can play a part in your post-workout snacks.

The 5 Must Try Soy Post-Workout Foods are:

1. Glass of chocolate soy milk

2. Egg white omelette with soy milk

3. Smoothie made with soy protein powder

4. Grilled tofu with vegetables

5. Low-fat protein bar, such as Kashi GoLean Crunchy Bars 

Again, these are only a few of the endless possibilities for a nutritious workout snacks.

Do you want to know what we have been saying(and others) so far in our SoySimple conversation?

• Week 1- Finding Soy in the Store
• Week 2-Soy at Breakfast

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Solae. The opinions expressed by me do not necessarily reflect the view of the Solae.naturally occurring antioxidants