Because peak performance is not just a case of what to eat to fuel your training, but when. To get the best from your body you need to fuel it the right way. This means flooding your cells with proteins, wholegrains, fruits and vegetables. Calorie intake supports activity levels and wholesome, nutritious foods will help you support your performance goals.

According to a recent position statement from the International Society of Sports Nutrition ISSN , nutrient timing incorporates the use of methodical planning and eating of whole foods, fortified foods and dietary supplements. Put simply, by timing your intake of food and by manipulating the ratio of macronutrients it is possible to enhance performance, recovery and muscle tissue repair.

With advocates of nutrient timing suggesting it can also have a positive impact on mood and energy levels. Nutrient timing focuses on eating at specific times around exercise.

To have the maximum impact on your adaptive response to acute physical activity. Nutrient timing has been around since the s. Researchers found that when athletes manipulated carbohydrate intake around exercise, muscle glycogen stores increased and physical performance improved during time trials 1.

At around the same time, scientists realized that increasing carbohydrate intake immediately post-exercise led to significant improvement in glycogen synthesis rates - an important part of the recovery process 2. Since these innovations, nutritionists, performance coaches and researchers have spent hours analyzing the timed effects of different nutrients and supplements on exercise performance.

Athletic success is built on fundamentals. As you adapt to training and support your activity levels with the right foods, your performance will improve. But after a while, in order to really push your progress you will need another strategy layered on top.

And follow a healthy diet that supports their body composition and athletic performance. In other words, nutrient timing suits those that have already nailed their calories and macros. Nutrient timing techniques provide a competitive edge in athletes whose physiques are primed.

And build in timing manipulation as you progress. As time has passed and research has grown, we now know that nutrient timing provides several key benefits:. Energy balance and food choices are key indicators of a healthy, performance-optimized diet.

But evidence shows that timing is too. Because your body utilizes nutrients differently depending on when they are ingested. Athletes are always looking for that extra edge over competitors. Nutrient timing is a key weapon in your performance arsenal. Providing your body with that push it needs to be successful.

It is therefore important to put strategies in place to help maximize the amount of glycogen stored within the muscle and liver. A diet rich in carbohydrates is key of course, but emerging research has shown that timing carb ingestion is important to maximize overall effects.

Note: While strength and team sport athletes require optimal glycogen stores to improve performance, most of the research into nutrient timing using carbohydrates has been conducted on endurance athletes. Find out more about how glycogen storage can affect exercise performance in our dedicated guide Ever since the late s, coaches have used a technique called carb-loading to maximize intramuscular glycogen 3.

The technique varies from athlete to athlete and from sport to sport , but the most traditional method of carb-loading is a 7-day model:. There are variations on this model too. This technique has been shown to result in supersaturation in glycogen stores - much more than through a traditional high carb diet 4.

The idea is to deplete glycogen stores with a low carb diet and high-volume training regime. Then force muscle cells to overcompensate glycogen storage. Carb loading has been found to improve long-distance running performance in well-trained athletes, especially when combined with an effective tapering phase prior to competition 5.

Eating a high-protein breakfast —think eggs, lean pork sausage, Greek yogurt, or nut butter—first thing in the morning was linked to lower rates of weight gain, according to research published in the journal Obesity.

Plus, those who ate during this window were less likely to feel hungry than those who postponed their breakfast until after 10 a. Another reason to eat the most important meal of the day: Skipping it has been linked to a higher BMI.

Women who ate a calorie snack at 10 a. burned more fat than those who ate the same snack at 11 p. Studies also show that a light snack could lead you to eat less at mealtimes and may help you up your intake of low-calorie, nutrient-dense foods like fruits and vegetables.

Lunch break. The ringing phone, email notifications, and looming deadlines can make it tempting to postpone lunch, but waiting until late afternoon could cause you to overeat or make less healthy choices.

Research supports the idea of eating an earlier lunch. Late eaters—who grabbed lunch at p. Interestingly, despite eating a similar number of calories and micronutrients, dieters who ate lunch after 3 p.

lost less weight than dieters who dined earlier. Sitting down to a late supper could lead to weight gain. Jun published a small study that showed eating at 6 p. Eating an earlier dinner—and skipping late night snacking while binge-watching your favorite shows —could also help you sleep better.

When those who normally ate one-third of their calories between 6 p. and midnight, stopped eating between dinner and breakfast the next morning, their weight decreased, and their time in dreamland increased. A meal that is high in fiber and low in saturated fat can help you fall asleep faster.

Start your day with at least ounces of water and sip it frequently throughout the day. Consuming at least 32 ounces of water during your workout should keep you adequately hydrated. Next, consider at what point during the day do you exercise? Whether you work out first thing in the morning, mid-day or in the evening will factor into your meal-timing strategy.

Because liquid digests faster, a small smoothie might work well as a pre-workout meal. In fact, some people believe that exercising in a fasted state will help burn more body fat. Also, take into consideration the type and duration of exercise that will be performed. Pre-workout meals are vital, and you might also consider consuming a drink with grams of carbohydrates each hour during prolonged exercise.

If you work out later in the day, you can time your meals to help provide you with enough fuel to perform your best. The greater the amount of time between your meal and exercise, the bigger the meal can be.

Including grams of protein in your pre-workout meal can help with blood-sugar control, maintain or increase muscle mass, and decrease muscle damage during the workout.

The goal of the post-workout meal is to help you recover, rehydrate, refuel, build muscle and improve future performance. After your workout, there is an increase in blood flow and insulin sensitivity, which facilitates glucose uptake and glycogen resynthesis.

In other words, the hour immediately after you exercise is the time in which your body is most in need of nutrients, so eating the right meal during this time can initiate refueling and tissue repair better than if you wait.

More recent research suggests that this window of opportunity is actually a lot bigger than we previously thought, so immediately gulping down a protein shake is not necessary.

Add grams of fat for satiation purposes. More than anything, a well-balanced meal containing a variety of real, whole foods and plenty of fluid is the best post-workout meal you can eat.

This is another question that has the nutrition world completely polarized. There are those that believe that eating before bed will have your body digest and store the food as body fat and lead to weight gain. But if you exercise in the evening, the nutrients in a post-workout meal will go toward glycogen synthesis and muscle repair.

Regardless of the time of day or night, you must nourish the body after exercise to switch from a state of catabolism to anabolism. What and when you eat can make a big difference to your performance and recovery.

Well-balanced meals and fluid are important for energy production, recovery, prevention of injuries and proper growth.

Both meal composition and meal timing must be individualized for each person based on gender, age, body type, and type, intensity, duration and frequency of activity. Making sure to consume meals that are balanced in macronutrients and composed of real, whole foods is a great place to start.

Looking to expand your nutrition knowledge and learn how to translate that information into actionable lifestyle changes for clients and patients? Tiffani Bachus, R. Five tips for optimal physical performance during an athletic event: First, start your day off right with a healthy breakfast.

Make sure that you eat every three to four hours. Make sure you have a pre-workout meal an hour before the event. Have a post-workout meal within an hour of the event ending.

Hydrate with water throughout the day. Post-game meal 8 p. Did you find this article useful? Please tell us why?

Check out the Dietetics B. Learn More. Check out the Food Science B. Additionally, vitamins may affect workout performance, and may even reduce training benefits. So although vitamins are important nutrients, it may be best not to take them close to your workout Nutrient timing may play an important role in pre-workout nutrition, especially if you want to maximize performance, improve body composition or have specific health goals.

Instead, what you eat for breakfast has become the hot topic. Many professionals now recommend a low-carb, high-fat breakfast, which is claimed to improve energy levels, mental function, fat burning and keep you full. However, while this sounds great in theory, most of these observations are anecdotal and unsupported by research Additionally, some studies show that protein-based breakfasts have health benefits.

However, this is likely due to the many benefits of protein, and timing probably does not play a role Your breakfast choice should simply reflect your daily dietary preferences and goals.

There is no evidence to support one best approach for breakfast. Your breakfast should reflect your dietary preferences and goals. This reduction of carbs simply helps you reduce total daily calorie intake, creating a calorie deficit — the key factor in weight loss.

The timing is not important. In contrast to eliminating carbs at night, some research actually shows carbs can help with sleep and relaxation, although more research is needed on this This may hold some truth, as carbs release the neurotransmitter serotonin, which helps regulate your sleep cycle.

Cutting carbs at night is not a good tip for losing weight, especially since carbs may help promote sleep. However, further research is needed on this.

Instead, focus your efforts on consistency, daily calorie intake, food quality and sustainability. Whether your diet is high or low in carbs, you may wonder if timing matters to reap their benefits.

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