Better Eat Before Or After Sports? This Is The Right Option
Illustration of sports. (Unsplash/Jonathan Borba)

YOGYAKARTA - When you are going to do sports, of course, your body must have sufficient energy. Especially if you are going to undergo a sport that is considered tough. Usually people will eat before starting sports. But questions often arise, it's better to eat before or after exercise?

The body needs energy to support sports activities. Without energy, the body will be weak and not strong in heavy activities and for a long time. One of the sources of energy that can be obtained is the intake of nutrients or eating.

However, some people actually avoid eating before exercise for fear of feeling bad and even weak when moving. On the other hand, some people actually have to eat before exercising so that the body has energy and can do their best. So it's better to eat before or after sports?

The choice of eating before or after exercise often makes many people in a dilemma. Actually, there are no general rules regarding these two decisions. Eating before or after exercise is both good. This need really depends on the physical condition of each person.

If you do exercise with light intensity, then you don't have to eat before exercise. However, provided that your energy is still sufficient for your activities and body condition is in prime condition, and there are no health problems. Exercise when your stomach is empty will help burn fat as an energy source.

However, if you do heavy exercise or for a long duration, it is recommended to eat first. With food intake, your body will have the energy to support sports activities. It should be noted, if the food you eat is heavy food, it is necessary to pause a few hours before starting exercise.

Eating before exercise is useful for filling the body's energy so that it can be fully active. Good food before exercise is a food rich in carbohydrates and protein. Both of these ingredients provide the necessary nutrition for the body to perform extra.

So make sure you don't exercise in an empty stomach condition. If you want to eat, you also need to limit the consumption of foods that contain fat and fiber. This type of nutrition takes a long time to digest so that it can interfere with your digestion during a sports session.

But after eating, don't exercise immediately. Give a break for some time first so that the food is digested. The body needs time to digest food and process it into energy. The length of the digestive process depends on the amount and type of food consumed.

One of the recommended diets is to eat low-fat and calorie foods. Get rid of it about 3-4 hours before starting sports. Foods that can be an option, such as whole-grain bread with eggs or wholemeals with milk.

Eating after exercise is also recommended, but it must be done appropriately. You need to eat after exercise to help speed up the recovery session. The ideal meal time is 15-30 minutes after exercise.

Foods that are recommended for consumption after exercise are foods that contain carbohydrates and protein. Carbohydrates function to replace glycogen in the body. While protein is useful for increasing or building muscle masses that are pumped after exercise.

A study at The Colorado State University Extension revealed that good intake after exercise is foods that contain carbohydrates and protein, as well as a little fat. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietics says if you want to snack, you can consume a glass of low-fat chocolate as a distraction.

That's a review of whether it's better to eat before or after exercise. Both choices are equally good, as long as they are done appropriately depending on the condition of each person's body. The important thing to pay attention to is the time to eat, the number of portions, and the type of food consumed.

Stay up to date with the latest domestic and foreign news on VOI. You present the latest and most recent nationally and internationally.


The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)

Related News