Food plays an important role in helping you achieve the best results from a workout. The foods you eat before and after a workout can help – or hinder – your ability to exert yourself physically, get results, and recover faster.
As a dietitian, I’ll share the best foods to eat (and when) as you're deciding how to fuel your workout in the best way and how to support muscle recovery after working out.
What Foods Are Best For Pre-Workout
What you eat before a workout should largely focus on healthful sources of carbohydrates, since your body will need the glucose for energy. Choices should focus around how much time your body has to digest foods before your workout and the type of activity you’ll be doing.
What To Eat Before Yoga, Pilates, or Deep Stretching
For these types of workouts, you want fuel that will make your body feel strong and flexible.
- 1 to 2 hours before: Eat a light snack that contains mostly healthful carbohydrates. Some examples are one to two cinnamon walnut bliss bites, a matcha green smoothie, a granola cookie, or a banana or apple.
- 30 minutes prior: Drink a glass of water. If you sweat a lot in yoga or pilates-style classes, or if it’s a hot yoga class, add an electrolyte powder to your water bottle.
What To Eat Before Cardio, Running, Cycling, HIIT, or Circuit Training
For these types of workouts, you need fuel that will give you endurance and prevent fatigue.
- 2 to 3 hours before: Eat a small meal that contains mostly carbohydrates with a moderate amount of protein. Some examples are a pick-me-up smoothie, nut butter toast, or protein overnight oats.
- 1 hour prior: Drink a glass of water.
- 30 minutes prior: Eat an easy-to-digest carb-focused snack, such as an energy bar or banana. Add electrolytes to your water bottle for sipping during the cardio workout.
What To Eat Before Strength Training and Resistance Workouts
For these types of workouts, you need fuel that will support the added stress put on your muscles as well as provide energy.
- 1 to 2 hours before: Eat a small meal that contains a balanced amount of carbohydrate and protein. Some examples are a savory cottage cheese bowl, layered chia pudding, an egg salad sandwich, or rice and chicken dish.
- 30 minutes prior: Drink a glass of water.
Foods To Avoid Before Working Out
Before any type of physical activity, it’s a good idea to avoid eating a high volume of foods, as well as foods that take a long time to digest. These include greasy and fried foods, or foods that have caused you to feel bloated or get a stomachache in the past, including carbonated beverages and very high fiber foods like beans or fiber supplements.
High-sugar foods are also not a great idea to eat before a workout. Though they do provide quick energy, it is often followed by a fast drop in blood sugar (referred to as a crash) and fatigue.
Which Foods Are Best For Post-Workout
After a workout, you may feel ravenous or not hungry for a few hours. However, it’s important to feed your body high quality recovery foods in this stage so you can support muscle recovery without being counterproductive to the physical movement you just did.
In the first hour after a workout, drink water and replenish electrolytes (by adding an electrolyte powder to your water), especially if you lost a lot of sweat during the workout.
As for food, focus on your next meal containing all sources of healthful macronutrients in this stage, including a source of protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats. Some good post-workout meal choices are:
- Fruit smoothie with protein powder
- Crispy chicken cutlets
- Salmon toast
- Hummus dip with veggies and pita
- Seafood salad
- Cottage cheese bowl
- Egg and avocado toast
- Savory Greek yogurt bowl
- Quinoa power bowl
Struesli Granola Is A Good Choice For Pre- And Post-Workout Fuel
Struesli Original is a grain-free granola made from a base of tiger nuts, nuts, unsweetened shredded coconut, chia seeds, flax meal, and hemp hearts. It is loaded with whole-food nutrition and a great choice for incorporating into pre- and post-workout fuel.
A ¼-cup serving of Struesli contains 9 grams of carbohydrate that provide long-lasting fuel, as well as plant-based protein, and healthy fats. When eaten in moderation before workouts and incorporated generously into post-workout meals, Struesli can help dish up the nutrition needed to power physical movement and to help muscles recover. It also doesn’t contain any added sugars or sweeteners of any kind, so the energy it provides is lasting without a crash.
Shop Here: Fuel Better Workouts With Struesli
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Written by Jessie Shafer, RDN, a registered dietitian and nutrition consultant for Struesli. Jessie is a former magazine editor and long-time journalist who loves to turn the science of nutrition into relatable tips that can inspire and improve health from the inside out.
Nov 16, 2025
