By: Emily Ing and Igor Klibanov
You’re getting ready for your workout when suddenly you feel the slightest rumble in your stomach and feel like you could go for a snack for some extra energy. Should you eat something? As a diabetic it can be tricky managing blood sugar levels and working out. With sudden spikes and dips it can feel surprising and overwhelming. So today we’ll be going over some tips and tricks to make it just a little less tricky, along with everything you need to know about the right pre-workout for diabetics.
Here’s what we’ll take a look at today:
- Pre-workout meals vs. energy drinks vs. pre-workout supplements.
- Should you eat a pre-workout meal?
- Choosing the best pre-workout snack for you.
- Can diabetics take pre-workout supplements?
What we won’t address, however is things like whey protein for diabetics, electrolyte drinks for diabetics, or specific supplements, like Curalin or Cera Care.
Pre-Workout Meals vs. Energy Drinks vs. Pre-Workout Supplements
Before we get into the meat and potatoes of this article (no pun intended) let’s take the time to understand the difference between energy drinks, pre-workout meals/snacks, and pre-workout supplements.
Most of the time, when somebody mentions “pre-workout” the image of a supplement comes to mind. But in reality, there are multiple things that you could classify as a “pre-workout” because of its vague name. The prefix “pre” just means ‘before’ which would lead “pre-workout” to just mean” before a workout.”
Now that we get the general gist of what a pre-workout can be, let’s get into the differences between some of them.
When somebody says they had a pre-workout meal or snack, it just means they ate something before they did their workout. It could be as simple as having a hard-boiled egg or slice of whole wheat bread. This can be within any reasonable time range, so having lunch at 12pm and a workout at 5pm could still count as a pre-workout snack. But a dinner at 7pm and a workout in the morning wouldn’t exactly count as a pre-workout snack/meal.
Sometimes the mention of an energy drink will come up when we’re talking about a pre-workout. The main difference between an actual pre-workout supplement and an energy drink are two small things:
1) An energy drink is guaranteed to have caffeine in it. And even if it doesn’t say “caffeine” outright on the ingredients label, it may say other ingredients such as guarana (pronounced gwahr-uh-nah) or yerba mate (pronounced yehr-buh-maa-tay).
They sound fancy but they’re both just plants that naturally have caffeine in them, anyway. When opting for some whole wheat bread with a spoon of peanut butter, your body is getting the energy it needs for a successful workout, and may not need the caffeine. But there are factors that will determine whether eating pre workout meals/snacks is healthy for you or not – especially if you have type 2 diabetes.
2) A pre-workout supplement isn’t guaranteed to have caffeine in it, and oftentimes has extra amino acids added such as arginine (pronounced aar – juh – neen), citrulline (pronounced si – troo – leen), or others.
Some diabetics will use either Ensure or Glucerna – both of those will straddle the line between a meal and a supplement. They’re small shakes, specifically formulated for diabetics.
So in simple terms, the only real differences are the ingredients used even though their uses are very similar most of the time. If you want to read more into energy drinks check out this article here All About Energy Drinks!
Should You Eat a Pre-Workout Meal?
Now, before we can decide whether or not a pre-workout meal is necessary, we have to take a look at the variables at play here. In no particular order, we’ll be covering:
- Hypoglycemic tendencies
- How long before the workout was the meal eaten
- What type of workout you’re doing: cardio, strength, or stretching
- The intensity and duration of the workout
- Your blood sugar before and after the workout
Make sure you stick around till the end to read up on the most important variable!
Do You Have Hypoglycemic Tendencies?
Let’s talk about this.
As a refresher, hypoglycemia (pronounced hai – pow – glai – see – mee – uh) just means low blood sugar. Hypo means “low” when put in the front of a word like in hypothermia (low body temperature).
Glycemic comes from the word glycemia which is just a fancy way of saying blood sugar. So together, they make hypoglycemia meaning “low blood sugar.”
So now that we know what this big word means, how do we figure out if we have hypoglycemia? Well, normal blood sugar falls between 4-7 mmol/L or 72-126 mg/dL for my American readers. Anything above 7 mmol/L (126 mg/dL) is high blood sugar. And on the other side of things, anything below 4 mmol/L (72 mg/dL) is low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia.
So if you do have hypoglycemic tendencies, a pre-workout meal or snack might make sense for you to prevent a hypoglycemic episode during exercise, which could predispose you to injury, or worse.
How Long Before the Workout Was The Meal Eaten?
How long before the workout was the meal eaten? How big or small was your meal before the workout routine? These are both factors that impact the use of a pre-workout meal. The size of a meal and time between eating and a workout can change the impact the meal has by crazy amounts. If you had a big lunch at 12 and plan to work out at 5, you probably don’t need another snack before the workout.
But if you have a small lunch at 12 and plan to work out at 5, it might be a good idea to eat something before the workout. However, depending on other variables, such as digestion speed, this can change person-to-person.
What Type of Workout are You Doing?
In addition to the previous point, what workout you’re doing will heavily impact what type of food you need more of.
For example, if you’re planning on doing a cardio-heavy workout, you’ll want to have mainly carbs in your pre-workout meal or snack (so it should be low fat, low protein, low fiber). But if you’re going to do a strength training session, you’ll want to have more protein in addition to carbs.
People with diabetes or those with excessively fluctuating blood sugar levels should test their glucose levels to ensure they can perform at their optimum safely. Since those with type 2 diabetes produce too much insulin (at least in the beginning of the condition), exercise can greatly reduce glucose levels. So be sure to test yours before and after a workout.
If you’re looking to just stretch, a pre-workout meal probably won’t even be necessary.
Intensity and Duration
How long are you working out for? And how intensely are you going? These variables actually go hand in hand, because by default if you’re doing a higher intensity workout, it’ll be shorter. Nobody can sprint for 3 minutes, but you can jog for 10+.
According to the American Diabetes Association, physical activity is vital to managing your blood glucose levels, and eating a healthy meal is part of the plan for controlling type 2 diabetes. Something as simple as a hard-boiled egg can have an impact on your workout. The bottom line is that a longer or higher intensity workout will call for more “fuel” (AKA food).
Your Blood Sugar Before and After a Workout
As they say, save the best for last. This is the most important factor in determining whether or not you should have a pre-workout meal. To keep it simple the bottom line is: if you check your blood sugar before a workout and it is low (below 4 mmol/L or 72 mg/dL), snack. If it’s normal or high, don’t snack.
In addition to this, it’s important to keep in mind your blood sugar after a workout as well. If your blood sugar is low after a workout, you can just eat a regular meal after your workout to boost it back up to normal. But if it’s extremely low and/or you feel confused, shaky or irritable it’s best to eat more carbs during your pre-workout snack next time. It doesn’t have to be much, just 20g more, which is equivalent to ⅛ of a bowl of pasta. This is especially true for those with type 2 diabetes, and are about to perform physical activity.
Choosing the Best Snack as a Pre-Workout for Diabetics
So now that we can figure out whether or not we should have a pre-workout meal at all… Then what is the best pre-workout snack for people with diabetes?
There’s no definite answer for what the “best” snack/meal is or protein to carb ratio. It’s different for everyone. The best way to find out what’s best for you is really a matter of experimentation.
But let’s keep in mind what the best pre-workout snack does for you. A good pre-workout snack will be one that:
- Prevents hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
- Keeps you comfortably full, but not bloated (you should still feel like you’re able to move comfortably after eating).
Even though there isn’t a single best snack, there are certain foods and food combos that maximize the effect of the pre-workout snack. The following 4 have recently blown up in popularity for being “healthy and delicious snacks” and for good reason.
- Rice cake and peanut butter
- Peanut butter and apples
- A slice of whole wheat bread with peanut butter
- Dates, prunes, and other dried fruit
(Fun fact! Peanut butter is a really good “health food” because it’s very balanced. There are very few foods that are balanced foods regarding carbs, protein, and fats. Peanut butter has all three in good ratios.)
Can Diabetics Take Pre-Workout Supplements?
So can diabetics take pre-workout supplements? Yes. Should they? No. But should people with type 2 diabetes eat pre-workout meals? Yes, if they’re prone to hypoglycemia or overall low blood glucose levels. Remember to seek medical advice if you haven’t worked out in a long time and you are in the process of learning to manage your type 2 diabetes and blood glucose levels.
The reason they shouldn’t take pre-workout supplements is the same reason they shouldn’t drink energy drinks: they’re kind of useless (most of the time).
The reason pre-workout supplements work in the first place is because your body isn’t used to the spike in caffeine, which is the main ingredient in most pre-workout supplements. But as time goes on and you continue to take the pre-workout supplements, they become less and less effective (they give you less energy).
Think of it this way, the first time a smoker has a cigarette, it has a big impact on their body. But by the time someone has been smoking for 20+ years, their body has become used to it and the cigarette has less and less effect on their body. By the time they’ve been smoking that long, they might need a pack a day to have the same effect as their very first cigarette.
Conclusion
In the end, is it a good idea to take pre-workouts as a diabetic? Well, that’s a loaded question. The short answer is: pre-workout meals or snacks, sure, if they keep you from going into hypoglycemia. If so, the workout meal or snack should be light, but contain enough carbs to fuel your body and make the most out of your workout.
But just skip the supplements and energy drinks. They’re nothing but caffeine and sugar.
If all you’re looking for is to be fitter and not become a competitive athlete, the supplements and energy drinks bring you little to no benefit. The only other time we can think of that having an energy drink would be good is when you’re low on sleep and need to drive home. The risk of falling asleep at the wheel is greater than the risk of high blood glucose. One will kill you immediately. The other will take 30 years. Any other time, there really isn’t much of a point.
People with diabetes can find it difficult to manage their blood glucose levels, but it doesn’t have to be. With a healthy, balanced diet and physical activity, you are well on your way to living a life where you are in control of your glucose levels.
According to the American Diabetes Association, you should check your blood sugar levels before and after a workout. This is a great way for people with diabetes to know their blood glucose levels and how a pre-workout, low-fat snack, or meal can help them.
If you want to read more about energy drinks and their effects check out our article “All About Energy Drinks.”
