7 Food Staples to Add to Your Fitness-Focused Diet

You know that when it comes to improving your fitness, what you put into your body is just as important as how you perform in the gym. Food is fuel, and if you want to optimize your strength, speed, and endurance, then your food choices matter. “Active people should focus on optimizing carbohydrates and protein before, during, and after exercise,” says Julie Upton, MS, RD, a registered dietitian and sports nutritionist based in Northern California.

If you’re in a hurry, you can look for a quick option like a packaged bar, but whole foods can be just as quick. And they certainly help power your training and aid in recovery, thanks to their dynamic nutrients.

Ready to upgrade your fitness-focused meal plan? Here are seven recommendations (and easy meal suggestions) to add to your weekly food list.

manuka honey

“Post-exercise, Manuka honey could be part of the repair process to replenish muscle and liver glycogen stores,” says Leslie Bonci, MPH, RDN, CSSD, LDN, sports dietitian for the Kansas City Chiefs. Manuka Honey Comvita, which has a range of raw, UMF certified, Non-GMO Project Verified options, is a great option.

Honey can also be beneficial pre-workout, says Bonci, who calls it a quick energy source with minimal bulk to prevent digestive issues. “Fructose, which is the main sugar in honey, helps stimulate rapid absorption of fluids, carbohydrates, and electrolytes in the small intestine and also helps increase oxidation of carbohydrates consumed during exercise, so it’s a good option for athletes,” he said. He says. Bonci suggests pairing Manuka honey with peanut butter in a wrap or adding it to yogurt with a banana. If you can’t live without your post-workout shake, add a swirl of Manuka honey. Upton also suggests dripping it into breakfast options like oatmeal. Or you can do it yourself honey bars and snacks to take with you on long training runs or rides.

bananas

There are many good reasons to love bananas. For starters, they are delicious and fairly inexpensive. The fruit is a powerhouse of potassium, which helps nerve and muscle function. Bananas are also an excellent source of easily digestible carbohydrates that can fuel your workout without added sugars. In fact, investigate of the Human Performance Laboratory at Appalachian State University found that for male cyclists, consuming half a banana every 15 minutes during a time trial was as effective as downing a sports drink with mixed carbohydrates in the same amount of time.

Eggs

A quick refresher: During exercise, you create micro-tears in your muscles, which are then repaired during recovery to become stronger. According to research in American journal of clinical nutrition, Eating protein combined with nutrients from whole food sources can also help with muscle growth. The study revealed that men who did exactly that within five minutes of a leg workout, through three whole eggs (with both protein and fat) compared to those who ate only egg whites (with protein and no fat), experienced greater protein muscle fiber repair and recovery. That’s significant considering this process is key to getting bigger and stronger, study author Nicholas A. Burd, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, previously said men’s health. Upton notes that eggs have all nine essential muscle-building amino acids, as well as 13 other essential nutrients, and are one of the few sources of choline, a muscle-building nutrient.

Do you want to reap the bodily rewards? After exercise, eat an egg salad sandwich or a scrambled egg and potato, she says. These provide the perfect combination of carbohydrates and protein for faster recovery.

prunes

You might think of wrinkled prunes which, when eaten, can have a laxative effect, but they have more than that. According to a review of studies, eating prunes can not only improve bone strength, but can actually counteract the onset of bone density loss. And a recent study from San Diego State University’s College of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences also found that eating prunes daily has a protective effect on the bones of men.

However, bone health is not the only benefit. Prunes are also a good source of carbohydrates, are nonperishable, and don’t take up a lot of space in your intestine during exercise, Bonci explains. He also notes that they work as a pre-workout snack as well as a replenishment during long-term activity. His favorite recommendation: cottage cheese with prunes, chopped almonds and cereal.

Oatmeal

“Oatmeal contains soluble fiber, so it takes longer to digest and can stabilize blood glucose,” says Bonci. They also have a 4:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio to help provide long-term sustained energy. Bonci likes that they are versatile: you can eat them plain, make them sweet or savory, use them as a topping for smoothies, or replace them as an alternative to rice or polenta.

Start your day with a warm bowl of oatmeal and a drizzle of Manuka honey for a touch of sweetness. Upton recommends packing overnight oats in your gym bag for a healthy recovery meal. “To bump up the protein, add a tablespoon of nut butter or Greek yogurt,” adds Upton.

garbanzo beans

It can be tempting to skip a meal before you work out, but with an easy option like roasted chickpeas, you won’t want to. According to Bonci, the legume is a great protein supplement before a pumping session and works perfectly in a homemade trail mix along with mini pretzels, dried fruit, and nuts. “Pre-exercise protein helps prevent muscle loss during exercise and may also help promote satiety and stabilize blood glucose,” says Bonci.

Chickpeas are also high in vitamin B, which is also good to amp up before hitting the gym.

Mango

If you always experience delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) after days of heavy lifting or long runs, adding more anti-inflammatory foods like mangos can help with your recovery, says Upton. In fact, one cup of the sweet tropical fruit also contains 100% of the recommended daily vitamin C, as well as 35% of the recommended vitamin A, both essential nutrients for immune defense. A recent study published in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research confirms this, reporting that adults who ate mangoes daily had higher levels of gallic acid and gallotannins in their bodies, which also have antioxidant, antimicrobial, and potential anti-obesity properties.

Did we mention that the fruit also improves blood sugar regulation? One study found that people who ate mangoes had lower blood sugar levels after 12 weeks than when they started.

Upton suggests pairing mango salsa with meat, seafood, or poultry to increase iron absorption, which helps carry oxygen to your muscles. She also loves mixing it with oatmeal and making a mango chia ginger pudding. (Speaking of an energetic breakfast).

This content is created and maintained by a third party and is imported into this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content on piano.io