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How To Eat Healthy For A More Powerful Workout?

According to a 2019 survey conducted by Mintel, 64% of Indians lead a sedentary lifestyle and do not engage in any form of exercise and physical activity. However, people are becoming aware of the need to exercise regularly because working out reduces your risk of falling ill and keeps comorbidities of COVID-19 such as diabetes, hypertension and asthma in check. Despite this growing awareness of fitness and nutrition, most people do not reap all the benefits that exercise has to offer because they are not complementing their exercise regime with the proper diet. It is no secret that the effects of exercise can be amplified with the correct foods. Exercise and nutrition go hand in hand.

Here are some pointers to consider when charting your workout diet plan in order to make the most out of your daily exercise routine.

1. The Importance of a Healthy Breakfast

Eating a healthy breakfast that consists of whole-grain cereals, bread, bananas, yoghurt etc., can provide you with the energy needed for a satisfying and rejuvenating morning workout. Breakfast should ideally be the biggest meal of the day in order to maintain a healthy balance between exercise and diet. Therefore, you need to be mindful of the fact that skipping breakfast may cause loss of energy and even dizziness and lightheadedness during workouts.

2. Control Portion Sizes

If you consider making breakfast a relatively large meal, then it is best to tailor your workout diet plan in such a way that you exercise not before three to four hours after breakfast. However, if your routine places workout in the evening hours, then you can eat a moderate-sized meal (like lunch) about at least two to three hours before a workout. More importantly, it is much more effective to eat smaller meals more frequently throughout the day instead of the standard 3 large meals when aiming for weight loss.  

Eat 20 grams of whey protein and 20-30 grams of slow-digesting carbs within a half-hour of training. Aim to get 20%-30% of your daily calories from healthy fat sources such as salmon, nuts (particularly walnuts), seeds and avocados. Keep saturated fat (found in dairy and meat products) to 10% or less of your daily calorie intake.

Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD

3. Pre-exercise Snacks

Although consuming small energy-boosting snacks before a workout may not always provide a massive increase in energy levels, it does help to maintain blood sugar levels as well as reduce unwanted hunger pangs during a workout. These snacks can include granola bars, peanut butter sandwiches, fruits and other protein or energy bars. One of the most important nutrition tips when considering pre-workout meals or snacks is that you should never consume them less than an hour before working out.

4. Post-workout Meals

After a successful workout, it is important to replenish your body with carbohydrates and proteins for muscle recovery. A good fitness and nutrition plan includes a healthy balance of protein sources like lean meats, lentils, fats. For example, yoghurt and fruit, peanut butter sandwiches, pasta with meatballs and chicken with brown rice make for healthy post-workout meal options.

Also Read: What Are Whole Foods? A Comprehensive Guide to Healthy Eating

5. Don’t Completely Cut out Fats & Carbohydrates

It is a common misconception that fats are bad for a healthy workout diet plan. The fats contained in foods like olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, nuts and egg yolks are in fact good for your body. These fats can help improve digestion, nutrient absorption and can even boost testosterone levels in men. Moreover, the complete exclusion of carbohydrates from your diet can be counterproductive as well. Just as proteins like chicken breast, lean-cut beef and all kinds of fish help to build muscle, good carbohydrates and fibres found in brown rice and whole-wheat bread, cereals and fresh fruits can aid the metabolism of your body and provide energy.

6. Other Factors to Consider

Apart from food, water also plays an important role when it comes to exercise and nutrition. According to the recommendations of the American College of Sports Medicine, drinking two to three cups of water before working out, half to one cup of water every 20 minutes during a workout and two to three cups of water for every pound of weight lost after working out is a healthy practice. Limit alcohol intake and quit smoking if you want to see added health benefits.

Conclusion

With the help of these nutrition tips, you can develop a healthy workout diet plan at home and achieve the required results of either building muscle or weight loss or both. However, it is recommended that you consult a professional like a dietician and/or nutritionist in order to get expert advice on exercise and diet that is best suited for you depending on your individual needs. The amalgamation of the right nutrition and optimum exercise can yield fruitful results for a healthy body, 

Also Read: Soft Foods to Eat: A Comprehensive Health and Recovery Guide

Disclaimer: The information provided here is for educational/awareness purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional and should not be relied upon to diagnose or treat any medical condition. The reader should consult a registered medical practitioner to determine the appropriateness of the information and before consuming any medication. PharmEasy does not provide any guarantee or warranty (express or implied) regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of the information; and disclaims any liability arising thereof.

Links and product recommendations in the information provided here are advertisements of third-party products available on the website. PharmEasy does not make any representation on the accuracy or suitability of such products/services. Advertisements do not influence the editorial decisions or content. The information in this blog is subject to change without notice. The authors and administrators reserve the right to modify, add, or remove content without notification. It is your responsibility to review this disclaimer regularly for any changes.

Which Is Worse For Your Health – Sugar Or Carbs?

There is one question that puzzles us as much as the ‘which came first – the egg or the hen’ question. This one is linked to health. You guessed right! If you are conscious about your health, we bet you may have googled this question as well. Let us put this musing to rest, once and for all and get to the bottom of the conundrum.

The origin of the debate

Ever since the pandemic struck and we have been trapped in our homes, we have been bombarded with social media posts and discussions on the need to be mindful of our health. Now more than ever, with a virus running rampant, we have to scrutinize our dietary and lifestyle choices. The COVID infection has the potential to take a nasty turn if we are already saddled with comorbidities such as obesity.  

For the first time, the whole nation began to scrutinize health and how it can be improved through a strict diet.

And at the forefront of the list of foods that we decided to be wary about were – sugar and carbohydrates. 

But what if there was more to the story than what you already know? Which is more dangerous of the two and are the carbohydrate and sugar side effects as they are made out to be? Let us take a look.

Here’s what you should know about sugars

What are sugars? Simply put, sugars are the simplest form of carbohydrates. Monosaccharides and Disaccharides are the two categories of sugars.  

Monosaccharides and Disaccharides can be found in nature (in fruits and vegetables). They are produced during photosynthesis. Sugars can also be extracted from the said natural products and used as an additive.

That is why sugars can also be categorized into:

The composition of both is exactly the same. When you eat plant products, you are consuming sugar, the same sugar that you add to desserts, the ones that are present in candies, ice-creams and fruit juices. Your body is blind to the source of the sugars. When monosaccharides and disaccharides enter the body, they are broken down into the simplest form of sugar-glucose. This glucose is used by your body as energy to carry out all its functions.

So why is sugar bad? 

Technically, sugar isn’t harmful in fact, it is essential. It is our obsession with added sugars and the processed sugar side effects that pose a serious risk to your health.

Added sugar is sugar that you do not need because this is excess sugar. The added sugar side effects will do the following:

The optimum amount of daily sugar consumption should not be more than:

This target can easily be met by fruits and vegetables (and yes, no need to forego mangoes, ripe papayas or bananas to curb your sugar intake, these are very beneficial fruits). Just say no to processed sugar.

Complex carbohydrates are present in foods such as bread and pasta. Simple carbohydrates are in foods such as table sugar and syrups. Complex carbohydrates contain longer chains of sugar molecules than simple carbohydrates. The body converts these sugar molecules into glucose, which it uses for energy. I routinely recommend complex carbohydrates.

Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD

Here’s what you should know about carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are one of the three macronutrients (along with fats and proteins). Sugars are a type of carbohydrate. Fibres and starches (called polysaccharides) are also carbs. All carbohydrates are broken down by your body into glucose which in turn acts as fuel to power all your activities.

Foods high in carbohydrates are an important part of a healthy diet. Carbohydrates provide the body with glucose, which is converted to energy used to support bodily functions and physical activity.

Dr. Ashish Bajaj, M.B.B.S., M.D

So why is a carbs diet considered harmful?

Not all carbohydrates are bad. There are two types of carbs:

So, you see, a simple carbs diet can be dangerous. Examples of foods you need to be cautious about are:

  1. Cookies
  2. Baked products
  3. Fruit juices
  4. White bread
  5. Table sugar (both brown and white)
  6. Ketchup

Complex carbohydrates are good for you. Examples of good carbohydrates are:

It is recommended that 45% – 55% of calories of our calorie intake should come from carbohydrates. So, you cannot do away with a carbs diet or you would not be able to function. Choose your carbs wisely.

What happens if you consume too many simple carbs?

Uncontrolled simple carb consumption can trigger:

Also Read: Foods to Avoid with Trulicity: A Comprehensive Dietary Guide

What should you do to stay healthy?

Now you know that you cannot eliminate carbohydrates and sugars from your diet. So here are a few suggestions for you:

Don’t let diet fads call the shots. Your needs are unique to your body, sex, age and geographic location. Be wise and mindful of your diet and lifestyle choices and your health will naturally improve itself.

Key Takeaways

Disclaimer: The information provided here is for educational/awareness purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional and should not be relied upon to diagnose or treat any medical condition. The reader should consult a registered medical practitioner to determine the appropriateness of the information and before consuming any medication. PharmEasy does not provide any guarantee or warranty (express or implied) regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of the information; and disclaims any liability arising thereof.

Links and product recommendations in the information provided here are advertisements of third-party products available on the website. PharmEasy does not make any representation on the accuracy or suitability of such products/services. Advertisements do not influence the editorial decisions or content. The information in this blog is subject to change without notice. The authors and administrators reserve the right to modify, add, or remove content without notification. It is your responsibility to review this disclaimer regularly for any changes.

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