“You are what you eat”. Those words that your mother may have shoved down your throat time and time again when you were stuffing your face with junk food back in the day may have become cliche. “Eat your vegetables, they’ll make you big and strong” being a close second, I was constantly pestered to eat properly back when I thought candy and burgers were love and life. However, at this point in my life, I can’t thank my dear sweet mother enough for teaching me the basics of proper nourishment.
After a certain duration of living away from home and making your own decisions of what to put in your body, the honeymoon period of ice cream for breakfast and pizza for dinner every day becomes stale pretty quickly. Going back to the first sentence, if you eat like crap, you’re going to feel like crap. If you eat properly, and feed your body what it can derive energy from, then you’re gonna be healthy, happy, and walk around feeling like you’re the queen.
Now think about it: what kind of mindset do you want to be rocking when you’re fresh to death and ready to hit the town for a night of debauchery with the girls? Do you want to be sluggishly dragging all night? Not projecting any energy and standing alone in the corner? Or do you want to be the life of the party–doing rounds and projecting good vibes?
If you’re a sane person, the answer should be obvious.
You always hear how you should eat high fat, high carb meals before you go out drinking. The fact is if you actually pound cheeseburgers and fries before the pregame you will feel bloated, fatigued, and not mentally sound. Junk food is not life-giving food, it is life-depleting food. Your body needs to work so much harder to process the processed foods you just dumped into it that it will noticeably affect your overall demeanor. Not only this, but all the carbs and sodium will make you feel bloated and less cut, which can both consciously and subconsciously affect your confidence.
What should you eat?
Going back to what I mentioned earlier, there isn’t one specific meal for optimal performance. It’s all about eating life-giving food. Things that come from the earth, things that your body will graciously accept, rather than saying “screw you” and sapping your energy.
While I usually vary what I eat before heading out, it always comprises three basic elements: meat, carb and vegetables.
For meat, I usually opt for a high fat option (salmon, steak, ground turkey etc). This keeps the body fuller longer than other low fat meats and helps one remain more mentally sound throughout the night.
For a carb, I recommend opting for whole grains. This can be anything from whole wheat pasta to brown rice or quinoa. Since carbohydrates are the main bodily source for energy, eating a good amount will both supplement you post-workout and keep you going long through the night.
Vegetables can be absolutely anything. If it qualifies as a vegetable, steam and eat it like an animal. I usually opt for the royal mix (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots) but I’ll often throw on some fresh asparagus or spinach if I’m feeling fancy.
I’m also a big fan of frozen mixed veggie bags. Since I don’t have time to go to the store every day and buy fresh, freezing can keep vegetables fresh and available for weeks. Boil some water, throw ‘em in for 5 mins, bang bang.
What are your go-to meal options before going out? Let us know in the comments below!