If you have decided to follow the keto diet, there are two problems you need to investigate. First of all, it is important to know what you eat before a workout and, secondly, quite as important, when you should have your meal when you work out. Keep reading to find out the best guidelines for eating before workouts and some meal ideas before your training.
This guide will show you how to build a meal before training and what to eat before workout on keto diet for improving your performance. You will also learn how to create a few snacks and meals that you can eat before hitting the gym!
Listen To Your Body
One of the golden rules for a good meal, before the gym, is that you should listen to your body. Our bodies respond differently, and something that might work for one person does not necessarily work for you.
Therefore, if you decide to try out some of our top guidelines, make sure you always take into consideration how your body responds to your choices.
And, also, make sure you are keto-adapted before hitting the gym! Otherwise, sports will put enormous pressure on your system and might delay your adaptation.
The Best Time To Eat
Most people find it is good to eat between 30 minutes to 3 hours before your workout, but you will need to know how your stomach reacts, so you have to adjust this period to your own body.
If you are prone to gastric reflux, it may be best to give yourself a full three-hour window between the last meal and an intense workout.
On the other hand, if you feel dizzy, tired or lethargic, due to the fact that your stomach is empty, then you should shorten the time between the last meal and the training time to 90 minutes.
You will have to find out what works best for you, but generally eating a high-fat meal a few minutes before your workout is not the best idea. Actually, when you are following a keto diet, it is essential to remember that your body does not need any carbs anymore to function.
Because you burn fats when you are keto-adapted, you can easily go to the gym on an empty stomach. If you want to lose weight, this might be the best shot you have at burning as much stored fat as possible.
However, not everyone going to the gym or following a keto diet wants to burn fat and lose weight. In this situation, here is some good news: you can eat any keto-friendly foods you wish before going to the gym, without any of them affecting your performance.
What To Eat Before A Workout?
You need to introduce healthy snacks before training, experimenting with various options, to find the foods that are most suited to your body. Also, it would help if you tried to eat at different times in order to establish the proper time for you to eat.
As we briefly mentioned above, you can have any foods that you usually eat during your mealtimes. For instance, some people prefer to have a protein-packed meal before the gym. This is because it can provide all the amino acids you need to have high-quality performance and also to help your muscles repair themselves.
Other people prefer to go for fat bombs since this is the primary source of energy if you are keto-adapted. Thus, people who do not want to lose their own body fat prefer to go for high-fat meals.
If this does not sound good to you, you can even go for a full meal before hitting the gym. This means that you will get both protein and fat, but this is not for everyone – so make sure you can work out on a full belly without any distress if you want to go for this option instead.
Meal Ideas
- An egg white omelet with spinach and feta cheese
- A cup of cottage cheese and some low-sugar fruit
- Blueberries and Keto whey protein from chocolate
- A homemade mix of coconut flakes and dark chocolate
Ready-Made Snacks
Available on the market are some ready-made healthy snacks when you don’t have enough time to prepare them at home, such as:
1. Keto Fat Bombs
They look like little bars or balls, containing walnut butter, coconut butter, oil, and carbohydrate-free sweeteners like stevia and cocoa powder.
2. Fresh Berries
A small portion of fresh fruit associated with yogurt or some cheese before training provides nutrients and will fuel you for your training.
3. Greek Yogurt or Cheese
Although you should pay attention to Greek yogurt as it is only tolerated on the Keto diet, you can fit it into your meal if your macros allow. If not, you can go for matured cheese that will provide you with a quick source of fats.
4. Keto Salads
If you can find any, they would be a great idea for a quick meal before your workout.
Homemade Quick Meals
We have also put together some meal ideas for you to prepare at home and stay away from processed foods. Apart from the usual Keto salads – such as tuna, lettuce, olive oil, you could also make a variety of quick snacks.
You can have cucumber rolls by slicing the cucumber thinly and rolling up cheese, smoked salmon, and cream. You can throw in any combination you wish – with mayo, salmon, spring onion, and much more.
Other Alternatives
It might be a good idea to have a cup of coffee one hour before your workout. It can help you with your energy during the workout. What is more, you could fit in sources of creatine, which is an amino acid found in poultry, and it is commonly used in sports nutrition.
Wrapping Up
All in all, you are not required to eat before your workout, but if you do, you can safely have any Keto-friendly foods.