Alex Suros, Fitness Director of Raketa Clubs, on how to choose the right snack bars and why you shouldn’t eat dairy when you’re losing weight.
Pre-workout meal
When we talk about food before training, it is important to eat at least something in an hour, otherwise there will be no point in training.
If you are just going to run (functional workout), then you do not need to load a lot of carbohydrates. Strength training requires carbohydrates, even fast ones, since the body requires more energy and such carbohydrates are quickly absorbed in the body.
A protein shake can be consumed before training. It is not responsible for energy activity, but even it contains a small amount of carbohydrates to nourish the body if you did not have time to eat before training.
BCAAs (amino acids) can always be drunk – before, during, and after exercise. Many athletes on drying are interrupted only by chewing gum and BCAA – due to their sweetness, they cheer up and replenish the useful substances removed with sweat. They will not harm the body, but the effect can be felt only if you drink the right amount for your body. Usually it is written on all BCAA cans, and inside there is a special measuring spoon.
Post-workout meal
It is necessary to individually approach this issue. But for general guidelines for people trying to lose weight, it’s important to cut out carbs after exercise and add more protein, healthy fats (omegas), and fiber (vegetables).
An ideal dinner is chicken or turkey breast with non-nutritive sauce (pomegranate, soy, balsamic) and tomato and cucumber salad. Do not add cheese, mayonnaise, or olive oil at best. By the way, it is recommended on all diets and helps digestion.
Sports bar – sports nutrition or not?
At the moment, there is no patent on what counts as sports nutrition and what is not. It is more of a sport snack, a sports snack. A protein bar contains a lot of protein, which means it can be classified as a sports nutrition and consumed before training. But to make it tasty, sugar is added to it – pure protein will quickly get bored and tasteless. It is ideal to choose bars that contain the least amount of sugar, honey or sweetener.
Is it possible to replace the evening meal with protein?
When a person misunderstands the terminology of sports nutrition, a negative reaction occurs. It is important to understand that sports nutrition is just an addition to the main diet. A protein shake at night will definitely not harm, but it should go as an additional food to the main one. If, for example, an athlete does not eat meat, he can drink soy protein shakes – to replenish strength and so that muscles grow well. Or if lactose is not digested.
Proteins (proteins) are divided into short and long. The short ones include meat (digested within 2-3 hours), and the long ones – milk protein (7-8 hours). It is best to consume long protein at night, it will nourish the body longer, and there is no risk of waking up hungry in the middle of the night and rushing to the refrigerator.
The perfect snack for the day
Obviously, quality snacks like nuts (in small doses), fruits and vegetables haven’t hurt anyone. The main thing is to remember the rule – dried fruits need to be washed in the same way as ordinary fruits – a lot of bacteria accumulate on them. The most nutritious nuts are Brazilian, be careful with them. I do not advise buying a “sweet mixture” in a supermarket – it usually contains not dried fruits, but candied candied fruits, which are full of “empty calories”. Banana, water-steamed oatmeal, and almonds are a great and healthy snack.
About the dangers of dairy products
Indeed, now dairy products (not farm products, but those that can be bought in any supermarket) are not of good quality. There is no longer the GOST that was before. But good products can still be found, you just need to spend a little more time looking. But if you seriously monitor the correctness of your nutrition, then it is better to switch to other options – in store cottage cheese, for example, there is often a lot of palm oil and almost no animal proteins. And purchased cottage cheese, even zero-fat, is oversaturated with sugar – in terms of calories, this is even more than ordinary cottage cheese with jam or honey.