Looking for the best vegan pre workout foods to keep you feeling satiated and energetic? I know, for me, one of the most annoying feelings is when you all of a sudden crash and/or get hungry in the middle of a workout. It’s really easy to lose your focus or get frustrated once this happens. I’ve put together this article as an antidote to this dilemma. We are going to look at the optimum nutrients for a plant based pre workout meal. There are certain foods that are better suited to plant-based strength training, and I will cover them in this article.
Ready to boost your plant based pre workout regimen?
Let’s go.
What Should My Pre Workout Meal Consist of?
There are certain foods more ideally suited for consumption before strength training. Doubt that? Think about what type of foods you might avoid in other situations. Would you have loaded nachos right before an important exam? Would you eat cake an hour before a job interview? Pizza before a marathon? Unless you’re some sort of superhuman, I’m guessing the answer to these is no.
The same goes for strength training. You want a meal to keep you feeling strong, energetic, and satiated. You want to keep your pre workout meal fairly light so you aren’t feeling “heavy” and tired. The best foods for this will tend to be high in complex carbohydrates, moderate to high in protein, and fairly low in healthy fats.
Carbohydrates should be the prime nutrient in your pre workout meal for a few reasons:
- Carbohydrates are known to increase performance for endurance athletes, especially complex carbohydrates
- Muscle glycogen can be boosted with pre workout carbohydrate consumption
- Depletion of carbohydrates has been shown to decrease performance during exercise
Protein is the other nutrient to make sure you get enough of pre workout for these reasons:
- Protein consumed pre workout has been shown to increase muscle size and strength
- Eating protein pre workout has been shown to increase muscle protein synthesis
What Should I NOT Eat Before the Gym?
There are definitely some foods and nutrients to avoid in your pre workout meal. You want to avoid sugar and other simple carbohydrates. Simple carbs cause a spike in your energy levels, but then ultimately cause you to crash. Crashing during a workout is not good. So don’t consume simple carbs like:
- Sugar
- White bread
- Fruit juice
- Soda
- Sports drinks (ex. gatorade)
- Sweets (cookies, candy, etc)
Some other foods and drinks to avoid are:
- Carbonated drinks – these can cause you to feel bloated which can lead to stomach discomfort during your workout
- Fried foods – the excess oil and fat in these foods will be difficult to utilize during your workout, leaving you feeling sluggish
- Spicy foods – you don’t want to get heartburn during a workout!
You also want to make sure fiber is moderate to low. If you consume too much, it may cause stomach discomfort.
Summary
Complex carbohydrates and protein are ideal pre workout nutrients for plant based strength training due to their beneficial effects on performance, as demonstrated by multiple scientific studies. Avoid simple carbohydrates and excessive amounts of fiber.
Pre Workout Meal Timing
How long before your workout should you eat? Ideally, you want to wait 2-4 hours after eating to begin your workout. There are a couple reasons for this:
- You want to make sure your food is fully digested. Performing intense exercise while your stomach is trying to digest a meal can decrease performance, as your body is trying to simultaneously accomplish two competing tasks
- Exercising before your food is fully digested can cause stomach discomfort. Ever been in the bottom of a heavy squat and suddenly had your stomach turn the wrong way because you ate recently? Yeah, not a good time…
Note: Some people do better working out 2 hours after eating and some do better waiting up to 4. It depends on you. Personally, I like to workout 2 hours after a meal, because I find I start to get hungry during my workout if I wait 4 hours. But everyone is different, so see what works for you.
What Should I Eat 30 Minutes Before the Gym?
Since life doesn’t always work out as we plan, sometimes we have to resort to a quick snack right before our workout instead of a well-constructed and timed meal. If you find yourself in this situation, try to eat something loaded with carbs and nothing too heavy. You want to keep it light since you are going to be exercising soon.
Although you want to avoid simple carbohydrates 2-4 hours pre workout, the closer to exercise you are, the more simple carbohydrates you should consume. Let’s say you are eating a snack 30 minutes before you head to the gym. That is a good time to eat something with simple carbohydrates since these types of carbs are quickly absorbed and utilized by the body.
Some excellent plant based pre workout foods to eat 30 minutes before the gym include:
- Fruit – cantaloupe, watermelon, plums, just try to choose fruits lower in fiber to avoid any possible stomach discomfort while exercising
- White rice – many people do really well with this simple grain, and 30 minutes before a workout is ideal to pack some rice in. Stick with white rice as opposed to brown 30 minutes before your workout since brown has a lot more fiber
- Fruit juice – usually has added sugar in it, but since you are so close to your workout anyways the sugars will be utilized
- Sports drinks (ex. gatorade) – consumed within 30 minutes of your workout, the simple sugars will be utilized. Sports drinks are also great to consume during your workout
Looking for a quick, premade, plant based pre workout snack for on the go? Check out my list of the Best 21 Vegan Bodybuilding Snacks for Ultimate Gains
Summary
Ideally, wait 2-4 hours after eating to begin your workout. If you’re eating 30 minutes before the gym, eat something loaded with carbohydrates. The closer you are to your workout, the more simple carbohydrates you want to consume.
What is the Best Plant Based Pre Workout Meal?
Now that we know the nutrients and foods we want in our pre workout meal, as well as the nutrients and foods we want to avoid, it is time to reveal my options for the best plant based pre workout meal.
Best Plant Based Pre Workout Meal Options
- Peanut butter sandwich on sprouted grain bread
- Oatmeal with unsweetened oat milk and nut butter
- Muesli with unsweetened soy yogurt
- Mix of white and brown rice with tofu
- Tofu scramble with potatoes
Don’t let the simplicity of these meals fool you. They are perfectly apt to fuel even the most intense workouts. Try them out and let me know what you think in the comments!
To see what vegan nutrition expert and YouTuber Derek Simnett of Simnett Nutrition eats for his plant based pre workout meal, check out this cool video:
FAQ
Q: Is Cereal a Good Pre Workout Meal?
A: It depends on the cereal. If it is something like Froot Loops, then it’s not going to be ideal due to all of the simple carbs and sugar (unless you’re consuming it within 30 minutes of working out).
If we are talking about whole grain oat cereal, that is different since it is composed of complex carbohydrates, and usually contains a decent amount of protein as well.
Q: Is a Banana Good Before a Workout?
A: Bananas have sugar and some fiber, but the sugar in them is fructose, which is a slower-digesting simple carbohydrate. As long as you don’t eat too many bananas, or combine it with foods extremely high in fiber, yes, a banana is a good pre workout snack or addition to a meal. It’s especially good in a pinch 30 minutes or so before your workout.
Q: Can I Have Eggs on a Plant Based Diet?
A: Eggs are animal products, so the answer is no. However, you can have something better: tofu! Try this tofu scramble, add a little bit of vegan shredded mozzarella, and thank me later! Another great-tasting vegan egg alternative is Just Egg.
Continue Reading
