7 Foods you should never eat before a workout

Putting any of them in your tank too close to your workout session can leave you lethargic, crash your system, and cause wicked cramps.

By: Pooja Tyagi |
May 8, 2017 3:33 pm

What you eat or drink before your workout session can make a whole lot difference to your performance in the gym. Remember that poor eating habits can undermine even the best efforts to stay fit. There are few foods that you just can’t eat before hitting the gym. Putting any of them in your tank too close to your gym time can leave you lethargic, crash your system, and cause wicked cramps. Here is the list of food:

Sugar and refined carbs: Sugar and refined carbohydrates always spike your blood sugar level and make you feel lethargic in the middle of your workout session. Never eat something with sugar or refined carbs before gearing up for your gym session.

High-fat meals and fast food: You might think to eat a burger or any other fast food will not matter before going to the gym as any way you will workout and lose it. But fast food and high-fat meals usually take 3-4 hours to digest. Thus, consuming them close to your workout session will only make you feel heavy.

Carbonated beverages: These are the drinks with carbon dioxide dissolved in water. The list includes soft drinks, seltzer water, sports drinks, and energy drink. Drinking them prior to a workout can cause excess air to build up in your stomach, resulting in bloating.

drinking

Fruit juice: Juices are high in sugar and contain no fiber, they go right through your system, causing a blood sugar crash later. Thus, prior to your sweat session, it’s always better to eat an orange instead of drinking a glass of orange juice.

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Cruciferous veggies: Cruciferous vegetables are unique because they are rich in sulfur-containing compounds called glucosinolates. These compounds can cause gas in some people. Thus, it’s always better to avoid them prior to your workout. The list of such vegetable includes names like arugula, bok choy, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, mustard greens, radish, turnip, and watercress.

Broccolli

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Bean-based foods: Consuming them close to your gym time can cause gas and bloating because of the presence of high in indigestible carbohydrates in them. Example: Humus.

Beans (Image: Dreamstime)

Hard Boiled Eggs: The energy you use at a gym comes from the cards, but hard boiled eggs are the source of protein, which takes a longer time to digest and stays in your stomach while you workout. They provide no carbohydrates.