The nutrition minefield – should you be keto, paleo, carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore …who knows?
What are your goals?
For some people, some of those choices will be driven by health goals. Inflammatory processes can dictate that a certain type of eating or removing certain food groups will enable greater health; if this is you, then you should look for some specific advice and guidance from a nutritional advisor or functional medicine practitioner with experience to monitor and adapt as necessary.
Now for performance – as with everything in the fitness industry, you can be sucked in by marketing.
You do not need amino acids prior to training. They do not fuel your exercise. They can be used as fuel and converted into glucose for fuel, but this is an extra process and, therefore, takes more time and more energy to do so.
The key ingredient pre- and during, and even post-training is, of course, carbohydrates as this is the energy currency of the body; hence why everything is converted into carbs to continue fuelling exercise. At lower intensities and over longer durations, fat also becomes a fuel source, but this isn’t relevant to functional fitness athletes where workouts are predominately glycolytic or higher-intensity aerobic activities.
You need carbs.
Make sure you consume a meal 2-3 hours prior to training with complex carbohydrates – oats, rice, pasta, potatoes – as tolerated or preferred. Up to 30 mins before training, have a banana (higher GI fruits that are low in fibre), and during, if training for over 60 mins in one go. Have your higher GI carbs as either glucose/fructose combinations or dextrose powders.
The money-saving method would be concentrated fruit juice with a pinch of salt (electrolytes); however, be mindful that this is cheaper short term but excludes any potential dentistry work due to high acid levels.
Post workout, ideally within 60 mins of completion, you can now have the proteins but make sure these are with carbohydrates for better protein and glycogen uptake into the cells, increasing muscle protein synthesis for tissue repair and energy replenishment. You will get ‘more bang for your buck’ if you consume protein and carbs together – the dream team, than if you were to consume both alone in a silo. So, combine the two and watch your recovery gains grow.
All the above are the basic foundations of nutrition. It is highly specific to the individual both physiologically and psychologically, and if you require more help, then we can recommend practitioners to help you along the way, so please reach out.
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