Fit Fare

Perhaps you’re like me and find it impossible to get up early to work out and have to wait till the end of the workday. Or maybe you’re one of those runners I envy who bounce out of bed during the wee hours of the morning, ready to don your sneakers and hit the gym or the road. Either way, your workout might benefit from eating a snack first. Though many runners just head out the door without eating anything and prefer it this way, eating a small appropriate snack can be just what your body needs to get the most out of the workout and start burning fat. This isn’t to say that you’ll always need a snack - if your last meal was well-balanced and had a good amount of complex carbohydrates (from whole grains and vegetables), you’ll probably have enough glycogen stored in you to carry you through up to a 45-minute run.

What is glycogen you ask? Glycogen is the body’s main form of stored energy, which is generates from glucose. It is what the body uses in order to convert the fat cells into energy. Which is why for longer workouts, you might need to snack before or possibly even during your workout. So while many people choose not to eat anything before their workouts, perhaps because it makes them feel ill or uncomfortable, one nutritionist explained to me that eating a small glucose-rich snack is like the spark that is needed to turn our bodies into fat-burning furnaces when we work out.

For the pre-training snack, you need about 200 calories, and it is generally best to avoid too much fat, protein or fiber, because they are difficult to digest. In this case, carbohydrates are your best bet. There are plenty of snacks out there that are perfect for your pre-workout snack, and I’ve experimented with a wide number of them.
Clif bar makes a wide variety of such snacks, such as the Clif Shot or the more gummy bear-like Shot Bloks, and I’ve probably used those most often. In addition to tasting pretty good, they are also mostly organic: the Clif Shot’s primary ingredient is organic brown rice syrup.

Other times, something as simple as a slice of toast with some honey has been a great snack before my run. However, I’ve always wanted to experiment with developing the perfect pre-run treat that is both the best source of immediate energy and very tasty.

I’d read in an old issue of Self magazine, a year ago or so, about a recipe that Uma Thurman’s personal trainer had developed for her when she was training for the Kill Bill movies. Normally, this would be the sort of thing I would clip out of the magazine and save for future use. Sadly, I somehow have lost the issue before I could rescue the recipe. The snack, if I recall correctly, had a combination of ground nuts, cacao powder, dried fruit and honey and sounded delicious.

Now, snacks for before working out are a bit of a tricky issue because everyone’s bodies function a bit differently, and while some people could eat hard boiled eggs or a steak and then go run without a problem, others would find themselves completely ill after merely drinking a few sips of a sports drink. It is for this reason that I would love to hear from you about what snacks have worked for you before your workouts.

The recipe I’ve been mulling over for myself would be somewhat similar to this illusive Uma Thurman treat. Using honey makes sense because honey is a carbohydrate that has a low glycemic index, and, according to the National Honey Board, has had a positive metabolic response, and effective energy production on tested athletes. Sure, their job is to promote honey, but it does seem like a good idea, and it is natural and delicious. Mixing some nuts in would add a bit of protein, but should be tested to make sure they aren’t too difficult for the digestion. Cacao adds flavor and great amounts of antioxidants, which, while they probably won’t enhance your immediate performance, are good for you down the road. Dried fruit again add flavour and some more sugar in the form of fructose.

Until I fully develop this recipe, I’ll continue to experiment with the perfect energy snack and hope to hear back from you about what keeps you going!