Top Foods to Avoid Before Hitting the Gym

By
Dan J
-
Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash

Even super-nutritious foods have the tendency of affecting our body in a strange way. Despite keeping you in shape, some of the seemingly healthy meals shouldn’t be consumed before you hit the gym. Here are a few things you should scratch off your pre-workout menu.

Spicy foods

Foods with a lot of flavor and seasoning require a great deal of digestion time. No matter how tasty they are, jalapeño peppers or hot sauce will easily cause heartburn during your workout. Try to avoid them at least 24 hours before heading to the gym.

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JACKFRUIT TAQUITOS? Who wants to place an order!? Tag a friend who loves Mexican comfort food ✨🤭 INGREDIETS 1/2 white onion 1 (20 ounce) can jackfruit (in brine or water) 1/2 cup frozen corn 8 ounces barbacoa seasoning sauce or use any tomato based salsa (avoid chunky salsa) 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 10 corn tortillas Guacamole: 2 acovados 1/2 jalapeño (optional) 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped 1 small tomato 1/4 white onion 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper juice of 1 lime Cashew sour cream: 1 cup raw cashews (soaked for 2 hours) 1/2 cup water 2 tbsp nutritional yeast 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper juice of 1 lemon or lime 1/2 tsp garlic powder Full recipe + directions on Fuelednaturally.net (link in bio) #vegan #foodporn #veganfood #vegetarian #veganrecipes #veganfoodshare #foodie #food #foodies #foodgasm #mexico #mexicanfood #instapic #instagood #inspirationalquotes

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Dairy products

Despite being super tasty, dairy could slow you down during the workout. Stay away from milk and soft cheeses at least two hours before your training, especially if you’re lactose-intolerant.

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Protein bars

Good marketing tricked us into thinking protein bars are a healthy alternative to candy bars, but that’s not always the case. Unless they contain healthy 50-50 split of sugar and fat content, they shouldn’t be a part of your pre-workout menu.

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C H O C O L A T E – B A N A N A P R O T E I N B A R S I discovered this insanely delicious recipe while very pregnant in "nesting mode", experimenting in the kitchen in the days leading up to my delivery. Baby girl was over a week late, so there was a lot of time spent distracting myself and making food to fill up our new chest freezer in the garage. Oh and many many trips to Costco 😂 Baking healthy delicious treats that were freezer-friendly became somewhat of an obsession. This one is a winning recipe I'm excited to share! High in protein and fibre, it will satisfy your hunger AND your sweet tooth – without a sugar crash later. It's vegan and gluten free. Make it! You will be happy you did. 😋 Ingredients: 3 ripe bananas, mashed 1 cup gluten free rolled oats, ground into a flour 1/2 cup almond flour 1 tsp vanilla extract pinch sea salt 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp coconut oil 2 scoops vanilla protein powder ( I use Vega or Genuine Health) 1/2 cup almond or cashew butter 1/4 cup almond milk 2 Tbsp chia seeds 6 Tbsp water 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips Directions: Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9×9 baking tin. Combine chia seeds with 6 Tbsp water and stir. Set aside and allow it to form a gel-like “chia egg.” Place rolled oats in a Magic Bullet or blender and process into a flour. (Note: don’t be lazy and skip this part. I tried a batch with whole rolled oats instead of blended into flour and it wasn’t nearly as chewy or awesome!) Now combine the chia egg, oat flour and all remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix well. The dough batter will feel thicker than a traditional banana bread dough, closer to a cookie dough consistency. Spread batter into the greased pan and bake at 350 F for approx 25 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting into squares! This will take willpower 🙂 Store in a tupperware container in the fridge or freeze in freezer bags for a rainy day! 👌 #healthyrecipe #bellenutrition #veganrecipes

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Fast food

This one is pretty much a no-brainer – making your way to the gym after McDonald’s isn’t the best idea. Greasy fried foods like burgers, fries and pizza may lead to bloating and cramping, even diarrhea. After all, your body requires more time to digest them.

Beans

Bean-based foods can cause uncomfortable gas and bloating, since they’re a rich source of indigestible carbohydrate. No matter how tasty they can be, you should stay away from the gym after eating them, for everyone’s sake.

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