To achieve the best results at the gym, it is important to make sure you take care of yourself before you step inside.

You may have heard the term ‘pre-workout’ supplements but if you don’t want to necessarily invest in these before working out you can eat it!

Most people underestimate the power that food has and instead can look to quick fixes in the form of supplements. That is why we have carefully crafted some pre-workout meals that if consumed at the right time before going to the gym, will help you on your way to achieving those goals - no supplements necessary.

Why Hydration and Diet Is Key To Success During Your Workout

Being correctly hydrated is absolutely king before going to the gym first and foremost. If you are not well hydrated you will not be able to perform well at the gym end of story, and may even experience dizziness and muscle cramps during your workout. Apart from being well hydrated, our bodies also need to be well nourished also.

By strict definition anything for ‘pre-workout’ means something used to boost or enhance a workout session. If you are dreaming of a great body shape and your workout will help you achieve this, then what you eat is the key to achieving a successful workout. Everything you eat is intrinsically linked to the way your body performs on a daily basis, so if you don’t feed your body right then it will underperform during your workout, meaning you won’t burn off as many calories or even build as much muscle. 

When making up the ideal pre-workout meals, keep it simple by choosing organic protein sources that are not processed (the same applies whether vegan or an omnivore), organic vegetables, whole grain carbohydrate sources and healthy fats.

Many people use the 2:1 carbohydrate to protein rule, but you will need more for example if you are an athlete, training as a bodybuilder or for a fitness competition and no matter who you are be sure to eat until you are full.

The meals we have designed today however are for everyone who are in good general health doing a general workout, but those in the above categories may need additional foods and drinks to support their goals. Now let’s move on to the 5 simple pre-workout meal and lunch recipes for on the go!

Pre-Workout Meal 1: Grilled Chicken & Broccoli Pasta Lunch Bowl (Dairy Free and Low Gluten)

Yield: 1 meal for 1 person 

Ingredients:

• 5 cups organic spelt pasta (or any other past including gluten free)
• 1 cup cauliflower (chopped and steamed or boiled)
• Olive oil
• ½ an onion (chopped finely)
• ½ teaspoon Himalayan salt
• Pinch black pepper
• 2 cups cornstarch (or another substance to thicken the sauce)
• 4 garlic cloves (peeled and minced)
• 5 cups almond milk (or any other dairy free milk)

Instructions:

1. Cook the pasta and cauliflower in two separate pans, using as much water as the pasta packet states is  needed and using only a little for the cauliflower to either boil or steam.
2. Whilst they are cooking, prepare the pasta sauce. In a large pan over low-medium heat add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the prepared garlic and onion. Cook for 3-4 minutes until everything is combined and softened. Adding the salt and pepper also.
3. Stir in the flour and slowly add in all the milk, whisking as you go. Bring this to a gentle simmer and ensure you mix as it thickens up to avoid any lumps. This will take around 5 minutes to give you a nice creamy vegan pasta sauce.
4. As soon as the pasta and cauliflower is done, drain them both together in the same sieve, and then add to your lunch box container. Mixing in your desired amount of pasta sauce.
5. Put the lid on, grab your reusable fork and stash your lunch in a cooler bag until about 1 hour before going to the gym. (This recipe can also be made the night before if time is limited in the morning.)

Nutritional Information Per Meal:

Carbohydrate -  276 g

Protein - 8.77 g

Total lipid (fat) - 33.91  g

Iron, Fe - 3.69  mg

Calcium, Ca -  123 mg

Pre-Workout Meal 2: High Protein Overnight Oats & Almond Butter Lunch Bowl (Vegan, Dairy and Gluten Free)

Yield: 1 meal for 1 person

Ingredients:

• ½ cup almond butter
• 5 cups rolled oats
• 1 banana
• 5 cups almond milk
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup (optional)
• 1 scoop Half Human vanilla protein powder
• Toppings: Nuts and superfood powder mix (for this recipe we used walnuts and moringa powder)

Instructions:

1. Before you go to bed, mix the almond milk, protein powder and oats in your favourite lunch tin.
2. In the morning add maple syrup if desired and any nuts and superfoods you have to hand.
3. Stash this, a banana and reusable cutlery in your cooler box until 1 hour before going to the gym. (This recipe can be made the same day - ideally you need 2 hours at the very least before eating your oats.)
4. When you are ready to eat your overnight oats lunch bowl, add some sliced banana for more taste and pre-workout nutrients.

Nutritional Information Per Meal (excluding superfood powder)

Carbohydrate - 192.18 g

Protein - 93.88 g

Total lipid (fat) - 107.31  g

Iron, Fe - 19.83  mg

Calcium, Ca - 1040 mg

Pre-Workout Meal 3: Healthy Thai Quinoa Buddha Bar Lunch Bowl (Vegan, Dairy and Gluten Free)

Yield: 1 meal for 1 person

Bowl Ingredients:

• ½ cup purple cabbage (chopped)
• ½ cup carrots (peeled and sliced)
• 2 cups quinoa (rinsed)
• 1 handful of cashew nuts

Sauce Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons almond butter
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon avocado oil
• 1 tablespoon coconut aminos

Instructions:

1. Cook the quinoa by placing in a deep saucepan, and filling with enough water that covers the quinoa. Bring to the boil and then simmer until all the water has absorbed and the tails of the quinoa are sticking out.
2. Take the quinoa off the heat and then line the bottom of your lunch box with it. Topping with the remaining ingredients (except the sauce ingredients).
3. Add all the sauce ingredients together either in a sauce container and add it when you are ready to eat your meal or mix it directly into the lunch meal.
4. Put the lid on your lunchbox and grab your reusable fork and knife and stash your lunch in a cooler bag until about 1 hour before going to the gym. (This recipe can also be made the night before if time is limited in the morning.)

Nutritional Information Per Meal:

Carbohydrate - 238.26 g

Protein - 56.91 g

Total lipid (fat) - 53.3 g

Iron, Fe - 18.47 mg

Calcium, Ca - 249 mg

Meal 4: Spicy Quorn & Sweet Potato Lunch Bowl (Vegan, Dairy and Gluten Free)

Yield: 1 meal for 1 person

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sweet potato (chopped and peeled)
• 1 cup cauliflower (chopped)
• ½ bag Quorn meat free frozen chunks
• 1-2 cups of purified water
• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 4 tablespoons harissa paste 

Instructions:

1. Take a large stock pot and place inside the sweet potato, cauliflower, and quorn chunks. Cover with one cup of water and bring to the boil.
2. Once the pot is boiling, turn down to a medium heat and continuously stir. Ensuring that you add more water if necessary.
3. Take off the heat once all the ingredients are thoroughly cooked and softened.
4. Add that to your lunch tin, topping with the balsamic and harissa paste mix.
5. Put the lid on, grab your reusable fork and stash your lunch in a cooler bag until about 1 hour before going to the gym. (This recipe can also be made the night before if time is limited in the morning.)

Nutritional Information Per Meal:

Carbohydrate -  36.71 g

Protein - 25.11 g

Total lipid (fat) - 2.05 g

Iron, Fe - 5.24 mg

Calcium, Ca - 209 mg

Meal 5: Egg & Avocado Gluten Free Burrito Wrap

Yield: 1 meal for 1 person

Ingredients:

• 1 gluten free wrap
• 2 free range eggs (boiled)
• 1 handful of lettuce
• ½ an avocado (sliced)
• ½ cup of sauce of your choice (we used a mix of our homemade vegan mayonnaise mixed our homemade tomato sauce with a little dairy free coriander pesto)

Instructions:

1. Lay all the ingredients on top of each other in a line down the middle of the wrap, as close to one edge as possible then slowly fold the other half of the wrap with no ingredients, over the other half.
2. Roll the wrap then tuck in both ends of the wrap.
3. Cut in half and then stash in your lunchbox with other snacks like chopped cucumber or an apple etc along with your reusable cutlery and enjoy 1 hour before you go to the gym.

Nutritional Information Per Meal:

Carbohydrate -  29.37 g

Protein - 28.17 g

Total lipid (fat) - 54.03  g

Iron, Fe - 8.93 mg

Calcium, Ca - 363  mg

Time Your Pre-Workout Meals Accordingly

When it comes to timing try to eat a well balanced meal like those listed above 1-2 hours before you go to the gym and workout, and again another meal similar to our post-workout meals *link to post-workout recipe blog* 1-2 hours after working out. This is a safe gauge to ensure you give your body the nutrients it needs before and after your workout. Eating closer than 1 hour before your workout could leave you feeling bloated when you workout.

If you still feel like you might want to venture out into the pre-workout supplement sphere then be sure to do some research before investing. Many pre-workout supplements on the market contain come very dubious ingredients, with some not even being listed at all.

This is why we at Half Human have created our own pre-workout supplement for those who want to go this route, and we are proud of this product because we know all the ingredients have come from nature and for complete transparency to our customers we have listed everything that is in all the supplements across our range.