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Nutrient timing is the practice of eating certain foods at certain times in order to achieve a certain outcome, such as building muscle or losing weight.
Nutrient timing has been around for decades in the context of professional sport, and many aspects of it have been extensively studied.
Indeed, John Ivy, a leading researcher in carbohydrate timing, published a book in 2004 called ‘Nutrient Timing: The Future of Sports Nutrition.’
Since then, many nutritional resources have promoted nutrient timing as the most effective way to lose fat, gain muscle, and improve performance.
The first significant limitation of the current research is that it looks only at short-term blood markers and ignores the long-term results (or lack thereof).
The upshot of all this is that the findings from existing research into nutrient timing may not actually be applicable to everyone.
This concept is based on the idea that the body has a period of 15-60 minutes after exercise in which it is in the perfect condition to absorb nutrients.
Let's delve a little bit deeper into the science. When people talk about nutrient timing, they often refer to what is known as the "anabolic window."
This theory is based on two main principles, and the first is carb replenishment. According to this principle, when you give your body carbohydrates straight after a workout, it absorbs them more quickly.
By absorbing the carbohydrates more quickly, the body in turn stores more glycogen, which both speeds up recovery and improves performance.
On the other hand, it has been suggested that this timing is only relevant if you are training several times in the same day.
If, like most people, you only work out once per day at most, it is likely your body has plenty of time to replenish glycogen just by eating at normal mealtimes.
The second principle of the anabolic window is protein intake, according to which eating protein after a workout makes up for the protein used during exercise and stimulates the production of protein in the body.
While this does make perfect sense, research suggests that protein intake does not actually need to happen in such a short window after working out.
In fact, it is the total daily intake of protein that is important. Indeed, people should be focusing on eating high-quality protein at each meal.
The likely exceptions to this are elite athletes, and people who work out more than once per day.
The obvious conclusion to draw from all of this is that if you are getting all the nutrients you need from a balanced diet, the anabolic window is probably less important than we are sometimes led to believe.
On the one hand, the existing research does show that glycogen is replenished more quickly within 30-60 minutes after exercising.
What you consume during the pre-workout window, by contrast, may indeed have a significant impact on whether you are able to achieve your goals.
By contrast, if your goal is to lose fat, research suggests that training with less food in your body may be more effective.
Research suggests, for example, that eating a well-balanced, easily digestible meal 60-150 minutes (about two and a half hours) before exercise may help improve performance.
Finally, vitamins have been shown to negatively affect performance during a workout. What's more, they may actually reduce the benefits of training.
While vitamins are an important part of your daily nutrition, it may not be a good idea to take them directly before exercise.
Sources: (Healthline) (WebMD)
Even if you're not a professional athlete, you might have heard that eating certain things at certain times can help maximize exercise results. Lots of people will tell you to eat protein shortly after a workout, for example. In sports science, this concept has a name: nutrient timing. But while this concept has been extensively researched in the context of sport, research results do not necessarily apply to the average individual.
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According to Healthline, it is recommended to drink 12-16 oz (300-450ml) of water and electrolytes before working out.
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Even if you're not a professional athlete, you might have heard that eating certain things at certain times can help maximize exercise results. Lots of people will tell you to eat protein shortly after a workout, for example. In sports science, this concept has a name: nutrient timing. But while this concept has been extensively researched in the context of sport, research results do not necessarily apply to the average individual.
Intrigued? Check out this gallery to learn more.