Trimarni pre-workout pancakes

Yum - Trimarni pre-workout pancakes with nut butter, cinnamon, syrup and bananas)

A common struggle among athletes is eating before a workout.

Many athletes have no idea what to eat (often due to confusion - how much, what, when, why) but a large portion of athletes struggle to properly digest food before a workout, which causes GI issues during the workout and thus, even the thought of eating before a workout is a scary thought (which is even more scary when it comes to race day and an athlete feels he/she can't eat before a race).

Here are a few of the benefits of consuming a pre-workout snack: 
-Fuel your upcoming workout
-Help with delaying fatigue during the workout
-Giving you energy for your workout
-Helping you think more clearly during your workout (focus, attention)
-Helping you stay satisfied (and not hungry) during your workout
-Reducing the  risk of dizziness, lethargy or shaky feelings, due to low blood sugar
-Prevent overeating after the workout
-Reduce sugary/sweet cravings later in the day
-Better control over portions throughout the day
-Less tendency to snack in the evening

As you can see, there are clear performance benefits of consuming a pre-workout snack but eating before a workout plays a favorable role in food choices throughout the day - which for any athlete who is looking for a safe and effective way to lose weight, this goes against the common trend that many athletes intentionally restrict calories before a workout in hopes of losing weight. Typically, this approach backfires and athletes end up sabotaging a high intensity or long volume training session (or even an EZ workout) due to fatigue and then overeat later in the day.

Here are some of the reasons why athletes struggle to accept food before a workout: 
-Thoughts that eating before a workout is bad (ex. you can't lose weight, calories in/calories out, you want to be "metabolically efficient")
-Your digestive system needs healing (ex. gut flora, bacteria)
-Inappropriate food choices before a workout (too high fiber, too heavy, too gassy)
-Poor timing of food choices relative to the start of the workout
-You want to save your calories for post workout
-Starting the workout too soon after sitting all day or waking up (you only give yourself 20 minutes or less from being sedentary or waking up before you start working out)
-Unhealthy daily nutrition choices
-Eating too much in the evening (large portions)
-Eating too close to bed
-You don't like the feeling of food in your gut
-You have to constantly use the restroom (loose stools, gas, diarrhea)
-You haven't trained your gut to accept food
-You think you don't need it


In my experience in working with athletes who struggle to consume food before a workout, there are many reasons as to why athletes choose to not eat before a workout.
But we need to fix this as there is a big problem with not eating before a workout.

At some point in your training and on race day, you WILL need to eat before you exercise.
Convincing yourself that you don't need to eat or that you can never eat before a workout (for whatever reason) is not only performance limiting but it can also affect your health.

My hope is that with my Trimarni pre-workout pancake recipe, you will find joy and energy by eating before a workout. I mean, who doesn't love pancakes?
I will not be attaching any rules as to when you need to eat the pancakes (ex. what workout distance/intensity) or how much but instead, I encourage you to try them out, in a portion that you feel comfortable with (1/3, 1/2 or the entire batter).
You should find these pancakes very light and easy to digest (thus the ingredients that I used in making this creation) so that you can eat a portion of your liking and feel clean in your gut, within 20-30 minutes.

If you feel that your training partner or friend would benefit from this blog post, I encourage you to share. I have worked with far too many athletes who have struggled with eating before workouts and races and I know how much of a performance limiter it can be to feel that you can't eat before a workout/race OR that you have no idea what to eat.

Let's start with pancakes.
Enjoy!

Trimarni pre-workout pancakes

Makes 3 medium sized pancakes

Ingredients

1/2 cup gluten free flour (or your choice low fiber flour)

1/4 cup lactose free 1% milk (or your choice milk)

1/8 tsp salt

1 egg
1 tsp baking powder

1. Mix together ingredients in a bowl until smooth.
2. Pre-heat small skillet to low/medium heat.
3. Lightly coat skillet with butter (I prefer salted butter over olive oil when making pancakes)
4. Pour 1/3 batter into small skillet to make a "thin" pancake.
5. Cook for ~90 seconds or until bottom of pancake is firm and golden brown. Flip. 

6. Cook other side for 30-60 seconds (sides may flip up a little).
7. You can serve your pancake in the traditional style (in a circle) or roll it up like a crepe or fold like a pita. 

(And if you were wondering - these can be anytime pancakes - for a snack, breakfast or even brinner).

Total calories (this is for the entire batter, portion as you wish depending on your workout. You can always save a pancake or two for after your workout): 

360 calories

8.5 g fat
450 mg sodium
57g carbohydrates
6g fiber
18g sugar (natural)

14g protein

Topping suggestions for additional flavor/calories:
Honey

Maple Syrup
Jam
Nut butter
Butter
Bananas

Cinnamon
Fruit

For vegan and dairy-free diets:

1/2 cup gluten free flour 

1/4 cup lactose free 2% milk (or your choice milk)

1/8 tsp salt

1 egg (or 8-10g protein powder, but pancake consistency may change)

If your Trimarni pre-workout pancakes work for you and you love them, consider making a large batch and freezing for future workouts AND for race day. 

Pre-workout fueling - it's not healthy eating

Within a "healthy" diet, a high-fiber diet has its many benefits such as controlling blood sugar levels, lowering high levels blood cholesterol, normalizing bowel movements and keeping the intestines/gut healthy. 

Furthermore, a high fiber diet has been shown to assist in weight loss and maintenance because fiber is associated with satiety. 

In today's society, we are heavily educated about"healthy" eating and certainly, fiber has an important role in our diet. 

High-fiber diet
Recommendations for daily fiber are:
21-25g/day for women
30-38g/day for men
Most individuals receive around 15g of fiber in the daily diet. 
How easy is it to meet recommendations with a real food diet?
1 cup rraspberries- 6 grams
1 cup cooked barley -8 grams
1 cup lentils - 15 grams
Total: 29 grams fiber

Because fiber (along with adequate fluid intake) moves through the digestive tract quickly and relatively easily for most healthy individuals, you can see why we need fiber in the daily diet. 

Healthy eating vs. fueling

When working with athletes on daily and sport nutrition, many athletes complain about GI issues in training/racing as well as stool-related problems during workouts/races (ex. loose stools, diarrhea, bloody stools, constipation, etc.)

As athletes, we must see food differently than the normal population. Certainly, healthy eating is extremely important to us athletes because we place an incredible amount of stress on our immune system, muscles, joints, organs and heart . Therefore, it is imperative that we eat a "healthy" diet to keep our body in good health. 

But when it comes to eating for performance, athletes need to recognize that certain foods can help/hinder our workouts if they are/are not timed appropriately.

Athletes, you probably understand that fiber plays a role in a healthy diet but when it comes to fueling for performance, it's ok to eat some proclaimed "unhealthy" foods before our workouts/races.

And why do I use the word "unhealthy"? Because to the average fitness enthusiast (and even some athletes who have yet to appreciate/understand sport nutrition), the foods that we want to eat before a workout are typically not encouraged in a healthy, high fiber diet. 

As a former clinical RD, I would never recommend juice, raisins, white rice or honey to a diabetic or to anyone who is struggling to control blood sugar or to lose weight. 

Why?
Because these foods digest rather quickly and above all, choosing an orange, raspberries, brown rice or lentils would pack a whole lot more valuable nutrients and sustainable fiber.
But for an athlete, the low-fiber options provide so many benefits to our soon-to-be, body in motion. 

Low-residue diet

If you ever have gastric surgery or you are diagnosed with diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, IBS or Crohn's, it's likely that you will be temporarily placed on a low-residue diet.
A low-residue diet provides foods that are very easy to digest. Residue is the undigested food (ex. fiber) that composes stool so that essential goal of the diet is to have fewer and smaller bowel movements throughout the course of the diet. This will often ease symptoms like diarrhea, bloating, gas and stomach cramping in individuals with clinical issues. 

Think back to when you have a stomach virus or the flu. 

Certain comfort foods like applesauce, saltines, broth, white toast with jam, rice or cream of wheat with honey may come to mind instead of a veggie and fruit packed protein smoothie, chicken or steak with a salad or trail mix. 

As athletes, a low-residue diet in the 24-48 hours before a race can certainly help to minimize your GI issues on race day without compromising energy. However, when it comes to pre-workout fuel, the options on a low-residue diet list may look "unhealthy" in the daily diet but they are absolutely perfect for pre-workout fueling. 

In my next blog, I will discuss what foods to emphasize before workouts as well as how much/when to time them with your workouts.