5) Easy-to-digest Proteins
Like many fats, proteins also take a long time to digest and require lots of energy to break down, which is why a pre-race meal of steak and eggs is a recipe for gut disaster or sub-par performance.
But for efforts of greater than 3 hours in duration, your body can use up to 15 percent of its energy requirements from protein. In addition, high blood levels of amino acid during exercise can lower your rating of perceived exertion and significantly decrease post-exercise soreness.
More: Eat Right to Minimize Muscle Soreness
For this reason, I recommend that prior to your big workout or race you include any or all of the following:
A) 20 to 30 grams of a hydrolyzed whey protein, which is a type of "pre-digested" protein that is more expensive, but much easier to absorb and assimilate compared to regular whey protein. I recommend Mt. Capra's DEEP30 protein.
B) 5 to 10 grams of essential amino acids, which have an extremely high absorption rate. I recommend Master Amino Acid Pattern.
C) 10 to 20 grams of a hydrolyzed collagen protein source. For this, I recommend you either use an organic, clean powder such as Great Lakes or Bernard Jensen, or simply drink a cup of bone broth with your pre-race meal. Compared to eating a steak, these type of protein sources are far less stressful for your digestive system to break down and absorb.
Remember: You don't want to be making your gut work any harder than it needs to.
So let's tie this all together:
Two hours prior to your big race or workout, you would eat a large (preferably mashed or blended) sweet potato or yam with a tablespoon of coconut oil, a few pinches of sea salt, and a little raw honey for flavor. You would also have a glass of water or coffee with hydrolyzed collagen added to it. About 60 to 90 minutes later, you would chase this all down with one serving of X2Performance, which you preferably should have been loading with for the seven days leading up to the race.
My new book, at BeyondTrainingBook.com, is jam-packed with even more meal ideas, so be sure to check it out.
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