what to eat

Dear Fitsugar,
I have been working out and trying to be healthier for about 5 months now.
I'm a college student so I workout Monday - Thursday in the evening and I
eat dinner about an hour before. This semester though, I am taking a
Fitness walking class at 7:00 am!!! I was wondering, should I eat breakfast
before or after I take that class.
-College Walker

What a great way to start the day. After not eating for 8 hours while sleeping, you will need to refuel your body before working out. But you will probably not have enough time to prepare or even digest a full meal. Since carbs are easier to digest than protein or fat, you should stick to carbs. Plus carbs are easily converted into fuel for your muscles. If your plan is to get up and go, try eating a banana, a piece of whole wheat toast or a small cup of nonfat yogurt. You might need to experiment with the right food or combinations of foods that work best for you as a pre-workout snack. Follow your workout with a well balanced meal that includes all the macro nutrients - fat, protein and carbs.

Source

The hour of 3pm rolls around and the desire to snack hits hard. It makes sense since we all experience a natural slow down somewhere between lunch and dinner. If your lunch was heavy in the carb department, like say noodles, you will likely crave more carbs and if you skipped breakfast (naughty you) your afternoon hunger pains will be even more intense.

First off, don't ignore your hunger pains. You could end up grouchy, unable to concentrate, or both. Plus your chance of overeating at dinner increases. Take a moment to evaluate your hunger; are you bored or truly hungry? If you are bored, take yourself for a short walk. If you are hungry don't walk to the vending machine, there are rarely healthy options in those machines.

Aim to snack on foods that have some protein and some carbs - an apple with almond butter, melon and cottage cheese or yogurt, cucumber with light lox spread or my favorite "go to" snack hummus and veggies. Obviously these snacks take a little forethought, and if you haven't packed a snack try to find a package of raw or roasted (not honey roasted) nuts and a piece of fruit.