One common question that we usually get is if Nooty can be used pre- workout. While Nooty Recovery Spread was designed to be consumed post-workout, a study published in 2012, found that consuming a meal high in fat (1,000 calories ,55% fat, 30% carbohydrates and 15% protein) before exercise (4 hours) has a significant positive effect on endurance performance [1].
The glycogen stored in muscles and liver is the most important source of energy for endurance exercise. During prolonged exercised glycogen is depleted. If the body runs out of glycogen the athlete “bonks” or “hits the wall”. This is especially true during competitive events or training sessions at moderate to high intensity efforts as these rely more on glycogen stores. To avoid running out of fuel, athletes need to eat enough carbohydrates before exercise. This common practice is known among athletes as “carbo-loading”.
However, eating too much carbohydrates before workout, especially when glycogen stores have peaked after carbo-loading, can cause elevated levels of insulin that me persist for a while and inhibit the utilization of fat as fuel which lead to rapid depletion of glycogen, thus increasing the risk of hitting the wall.
To avoid this, eating a high fat meal like Nooty before your workout, which contains whey protein isolate, healthy fats from almond butter and coconut oil and carbohydrates from quinoa, maltodextrin and sugar (295 calories, 40% fat, 40% carbohydrates and 20% protein), restores glycogen levels consumed during sleep or before working out and increases fatty acid levels in the blood. Fatty acids are used by the body as fuel reducing glycogen utilization thus conserving precious fuel to be used during exercise.
The study also found that eating a high fat meal pre-workout (4 hours) combined with eating a carbohydrate gel or drink right before workout (3 minutes) improved performance. This is because the insulin response caused by the carbohydrate is suppressed during exercise thus the body can use the extra glycogen in the blood stream as another source of energy.
Therefore, the answer to the opening question is that eating Nooty Recovery Spread pre-workout or post-workout has a positive effect on athlete performance.
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3407985/