Healthy Snacks: 4 Foods To Boost Your Workout

When I first moved to Vermont from New York for my job at EatingWell, I was living an hour away from the office. The twice-daily, hour-long, snowy commutes were getting in the way of my regular exercise routine.

Plus, when I lived in the city I walked everywhere, so after a week of my new commute I was eager to stop sitting and get some real exercise. But 20 minutes into my first workout back on the elliptical my energy started to flag. Had all the driving time eroded my fitness so quickly, or had I failed to properly fuel up before my workout? As a registered dietitian (and an optimist), I chose to believe the latter and began to do some research.

It turns out that the food you eat can do more than replenish the stores of energy and fluid you lose while exercising -- some can help you get more from your workout, while others aid endurance and recovery.

Here are four foods to make your workout easier:

Apples
Eating an apple is a great way to boost exercise endurance. Apples are a good source of an antioxidant called quercetin. One study showed that quercetin -- when taken in supplement form -- helped people bike longer. Quercetin aids endurance by making oxygen more available to the lungs. Grapes are another quercetin-rich fruit.

Milk
You don't need a "sports drink" to refuel after a workout. Regular or chocolate milk -- both of which contain a mix of carbohydrate and protein -- may work just as well.

Yogurt
Constant training takes a toll on your immune system, leaving athletes susceptible to upper respiratory tract infections, but new research suggests that probiotics -- the live active cultures in yogurt -- may help keep you healthy. Moreover, yogurt has a balanced mix of carbs and protein, so it's a great post-workout recovery fuel.

Honey
Recent research suggests that carb blends (foods containing fructose and glucose) may be superior to straight glucose for boosting energy during endurance activities. Consider honey: like sugar, it naturally has equal parts fructose and glucose, but it also contains a handful of antioxidants and vitamins.

What do you eat to fuel your workout?

Kerri-Ann, a registered dietitian, is the associate editor of nutrition for EatingWell magazine, where she puts her master's degree in nutrition from Columbia University to work writing and editing news about nutrition, health and food trends. In her free time, Kerri-Ann likes to practice yoga, hike, cook and bake.

Comments

[TheBlondeRaven]

08:50 PM on 03/23/2011

Never trust a dietitian who recommends milk.

[webcandyshop]

10:31 AM on 03/20/2011

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[babybelle]

09:00 PM on 03/13/2011

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8809300904

I excersise for 1 hour with drinking only water before my breakfast of cereal,
yogurt w/blueberries, hot chocolate, and a very small glass of OJ.
Works for me! :)

[LovingFit]

12:58 AM on 03/13/2011

I have to disagree on Milk, especially chocolate milk. It has refined sugar. Milk doesn't have enough protein to refuel after a workout, if you want to gain muscle, and I assume you do, since muscle burn fat, you need more protein then just milk. If you are going to drink chocolate milk after your workout you might as well skip the workout and take a nap. Apples I do agree with, so as honey, but you have to eat raw honey which is full of enzymes, not the processed regular honey. I wrote an article about raw honey if you are interested: http://www.lovingfit.com/nutrition/nutrition-facts/health-beauty-benefits-raw-honey/

[VeggieLove]

04:26 PM on 03/12/2011

I wish I could eat before a workout. I literally gag if I do.

[Jill S. Brown]

03:56 PM on 01/31/2011

Totally a big believer in the apple! always fills me up when I'm still hungry!

[Tanner Loebel]

11:56 AM on 01/25/2011

I just recently moved to NYC from Florida and it has totally changed my workout schedule, quite the difference to say the least!

I do have a shake each morning with three of the foods you mentioned, yogurt, honey, and (almond) milk. I love it!

As for my workouts, I have had to switch to an in apartment routine for the most part. A friend of mine turned me onto www.selftrainermat.com , they have some nice products that make workouts from home super easy.

Someone please get this "Wintry Mix" outta here ASAP!!!

[LarryMatt]

07:53 AM on 01/25/2011

I got to this thread of comments late but I'll still pipe in on my favorite replenishment meal. I normally work out early in the morning before breakfast. Only a glass of water before exercise. Within 30 minutes of the end of the exercise, I normally have steel cut oatmeal cooked in a mixture of water and skim milk. At the end I'll add honey for some sweetness, cooked down apples with butter and cinnamon that I keep in the refrigerator (cook a big batch once a week), blueberries, raisins, and a small handful of sliced almonds.

How much I eat depends on the endurance level and time of the workout. A short 20-30 workout using HIT work normally requires a small meal. Long runs (over 5 miles) requires more replenishment. 2 days a week, I do some yoga and some weight work for about 45 minutes.

The meal plan has low sugar carbs but also a great balance of healthy fats and proteins. If I get hunger pangs within 3 hours, I'll nibble on a small handful of almonds unsalted.

After reading all of the comments below, I saw no one who discussed their glycogen levels before or after the workouts. The key to the post-workout meal is to only replenish the glycogen in the liver and muscles. Everyone is different on what this requires.

[iRock]

10:55 PM on 01/24/2011

bananas.

[alahnar]

05:29 PM on 01/24/2011

Raw almonds and cranberries....oh yeah, and water water water! :-)

[onionboy]

11:44 AM on 01/24/2011

IF you don't assail yourself with it all day long, caffeine just before a workout.

[Prateek Panchal]

04:01 AM on 01/24/2011

Very nice......

Right food always corrects your diet.

Thanks for sharing.

http://www.perfecthealthhub.com

[nancyly]

01:38 AM on 01/24/2011

Keep fit and be healthy!!!
www.welcomeget.com

[iamjones]

10:56 PM on 01/23/2011

omg..... can people PLEASE stop pushing dairy products? it really, truly is just not good for you! milk is designed for infant mammals. period. end of story.

i challenge all those runners and cyclists out there to rid their diet of dairy for a couple of weeks and just see how much better they feel. do it; i swear you won't regret it.

[Acert]

11:22 PM on 01/23/2011

Please show me a peer reviewed study linking milk consumption to negative health effects. Lactose-intolerant people, people who lead sedentary lifestyles, and people with milk allergies do not count.

[iamjones]

12:58 AM on 01/24/2011

read The China Study

[SeptimusDSX]

11:09 AM on 01/23/2011

Bananas and trail-mix seem to work the best for me. I put in a small amount of exercise ( 2 x 9 mi runs a week) and end up completely wiped out when I get home (a 2mi walk). A quick snack on the walk back really helps.