While others are considering not to eat before the actual workout, it may be a wrong choice. Choosing not to eat during the workout phase will not only affect your body’s coordination but can stagger you. It sounds idealistic to skip eating for your body to store fat, but that’s not how the body works.
During the workout, the body works faster than usual—which means that it needs an instant energy source for your body to replenish its lost nutrients. When your body uses the stored fat, it will have a more challenging time to process. This will cause your body to crash down while you are in the middle of an intense workout.
Eating food before a workout is the right thing to do. But what food should be eaten? The answer is eating an easy source of carbohydrates, nutrients, and minerals! While pasta, bread, and rice are considered carb-heavy, they can be hard to prepare and can be too heavy for pre-workout food. That is why eating fruits like bananas or apple goes into place.
Is an Apple or Banana Better Before a Workout?
Looking for the perfect pre-exercise food can be rough. It should provide the right combination to fuel your workout, but it should be light enough that it will not hinder your actual training. The key in looking for the right pre-workout food is finding something with carbohydrates and protein but still low in calories and fat.
That is why eating fruits like apples and bananas are suggested. These fruits contain all the essential factors needed to be considered a workout’s “wonder food.” Both of these fruits have carbohydrates, nutrients, and protein. Apples and bananas are also low in calories and fat. At the same time, it also delivers other minerals that can improve your body’s strength and immunity.
To decide whether apple or banana is the best fruit to be eaten before a workout can be hard to determine. Both of the fruit contains their own sets of nutrients that can be beneficial for those who want to improve their workout routine. You may consider the following differences to identify what fruit should be included in your pre-workout meal.
What is an Apple?
Apples contain 80 percent of water, which can rehydrate you before your workout. Since the nutrients in apples are in liquid form, they can be easily distributed to your body. This fruit can be eaten raw or combined with yogurt, cheese, and salad to increase its flavor and nutritional content. Apples can provide enough calories and carbohydrates for you to complete your workout routine without staggering.
What is a Banana?
Bananas are considered one of the famous pre-workout snacks. It is easy to pack, versatile, and delicious. This fruit can also be mixed with carbohydrates, protein, and other nutrients—and can be digested easily. The other nutrients found in this yellow fruit include potassium, magnesium, manganese, vitamin C, and vitamin B6.
Can I Eat Apple Before Workout?
Apple is a fall’s favorite fruit that can be mixed in numerous dishes. You can easily pack a piece of banana into your gym bag, or you can consume it right before you start your workout. This fruit is infused with sugars and carbohydrates, which are essential to prevent your body from crashing down during intense training.
During a workout, your body uses carbohydrates and sugar and transforms them in the form of “fuel.” This fuel will provide the required energy for you to finish your routine more efficiently. In the case of apples, this fruit can give you nutrients quickly since your body can quickly transform the apple’s pulp into usable energy. Apples contain antioxidants and vitamin C that boost your immune system, which is essential to weight loss.
Several pieces of research also prove that consuming apple before your workout can assist in your weight loss journey. Eating apples before a workout can make you feel stuffed for hours and can keep you hydrated. Satiation is essential to maintain your body’s low-calorie consumption. If you don’t feel hungry, you will not eat a lot.
This fruit also contains a high dosage of polyphenol, which regulates your blood sugar levels. Polyphenol can boost the sensitivity of your insulin, a chemical to your body that slows down the consumption and digestion of sugar in your body. Eating apples can positively reduce the risk of having type 2 diabetes.
Should I Eat Banana Before Workout?
Banana is considered a popular pre-workout snack. This portable fruit is packed with carbohydrates and protein, which is needed for your body’s energy source. It is also soft enough to be digested quickly, quickly converting it into vitamins and minerals that can enrich your body.
A medium-sized ripe banana contains about 28 grams of carbohydrates. While you are working out, your carbohydrates are broken down into glucose—which is later transported to your muscles in the form of glycogen. Glycogen is essential in keeping your muscles and livers with enough energy during your intense exercise.
Athletes, runners, and bodybuilders store a lot of glycogen in their body used as their body’s fuel to sustain endurance-type of workout. However, the high carbohydrates found on bananas are not suitable for people using a ketogenic diet, a low-carbohydrate diet.
Eating bananas can also improve your body’s digestive process. For people that have a sensitive stomach, it is ideal for eating bananas rather than apples. Apples have high citric acid content, which can irritate the stomach lining. On the other hand, bananas are soft enough to consume, which is ideal for people who can easily have an upset stomach.
Finally, bananas are an excellent source of potassium—an element that is unique for this fruit. This fruit can provide 14 percent of the recommended daily value of potassium, which is generally high compared with other fruits. Low potassium levels can cause muscle cramps, which can limit your workout strength. Since potassium can be quickly released when you are sweating, it is suggested to eat a generous amount of potassium-rich foods like bananas to improve your workout routine.
