We’ve selected three pre-workout snacks with vastly differing flavours – so you can choose a last-minute energy booster that primes you for your workout and puts a smile on your face.
✔Peanut butter on apple
✅A questionable pairing at first glance, certainly. But many gym vets – and in-the-know couch potatoes, too – swear by it. Palate-pleasing benefits aside, this unlikely duo is also fantastic fuel for your gym session. “You get a good mix of natural sugars, plus the protein and good fats from the peanut butter lower the snack’s GI”. Which means a slower release of sugars into your bloodstream. Which means you can keep going harder for longer. A peanut butter apple a day does much more than keep the doctor away.
🔴Bonus :Peanut butter is rich in Vitamin E, which helps block the RSK proteins in your body that can cause liver cirrhosis, according to research from the University of Virginia. Spread it on thick to reverse the damage inflicted by boozy weekends.
✔Chocolate milk and a banana
✅As well as inducing fuzzy nostalgia for primary school packed lunches, chocolate milk and a banana will have you storming through gym sessions at the intensity of a playground kickabout. “Milk contains one of the highest-quality sources of protein in nature – a combination of casein and whey”. Moreover, bananas and milk both contain carbs that support the liver glycogen and muscle glycogen depots mined during training. “These carbs improve endurance and anabolic drive – both of which make for better workouts”. Best save the jammy dodgers and crisps for cheat days, though.
✔Dried fruit, berries and grapes
✅The less time you have before your workout, the more carb – and less protein – you should snaffle. Protein intake too close to a workout may lead to stomach cramps and indigestion. A handful of dried fruit provides simple carbs (digested in the small intestine, rather than the stomach) that offer instant energy, while berries – go for anything brightly coloured – deliver an energy boost and figh oxidative stress during a workout thanks to their high ORAC score. Throw in some grapes to complete the fruity medley.
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