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The Day

What I eat before
a 6am class.

Three small recipes for when you don't feel like eating but still need fuel.

By Charlotte 4 min read
A yoga mat by a window in warm morning light

Most mornings I'm up before 5 and training by 6, and honestly the last thing I want to do at that hour is eat a real breakfast. But I also know from experience that training on a completely empty stomach doesn't work for me. I need a little something, just enough to take the edge off without feeling heavy or weighed down.

Pre-workout on a queasy stomach is all about small, easy to digest bites with a little natural sugar and protein. These are the three things I rotate through depending on how much time I have and how hungry I actually feel. The dates and the banana are best eaten about 15 to 30 minutes before you start so the sugar has time to hit your bloodstream. The chia pudding needs to be made the night before, so that one is for your prep ahead mornings and the other two are for grab and go.

Recipe one

Salted almond butter
stuffed dates.

A two bite energy hit. Quick sugar from the date, fat and protein from the almond butter, salt to wake you up.

Ingredients
  • 3 Medjool dates, pitted
  • 1 tablespoon almond butter
  • A pinch of flaky sea salt
Steps
  1. 1 Slice open the dates lengthwise, keeping one side attached like a little boat.
  2. 2 Spoon almond butter into each date.
  3. 3 Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and eat right away.

Good 20 to 30 minutes before training. Swap almond butter for peanut or cashew butter if that's what you have open.

Recipe two

High protein chia pudding
with berry compote.

Made the night before so it's ready to grab. The frozen berries thaw overnight into a little compote, and cottage cheese bumps up the protein without making it heavy.

Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons chia seeds
  • ¾ cup milk of choice
  • ⅓ cup cottage cheese
  • ½ cup frozen mixed berries
  • 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
Steps
  1. 1 In a jar or bowl, stir together the chia seeds and milk until no clumps remain.
  2. 2 Stir in the cottage cheese and honey or maple syrup.
  3. 3 Spoon the frozen berries on top, right out of the freezer, no need to thaw first.
  4. 4 Cover and refrigerate overnight. The chia will thicken into a pudding and the berries will thaw into a soft compote on top.
  5. 5 Give it a stir to mix the berry juice through before eating.

If you want it smoother, blend the cottage cheese in with the milk before adding the chia so there's no curdy texture. Eat cold, no need to warm it.

Recipe three

Half banana with
honey or nut butter.

The bare minimum for when you really don't want to eat but need something in your system. Takes thirty seconds.

Ingredients
  • ½ banana
  • 1 teaspoon nut butter or honey
  • A pinch of cinnamon
Steps
  1. 1 Peel half a banana and place on a small plate.
  2. 2 Drizzle or spread the nut butter or honey over the top.
  3. 3 Finish with a pinch of cinnamon if you like.

Honey leans more quick sugar, nut butter adds a bit of staying power. Either works, depends on how long until you train.

Small, fast digesting carbs plus a bit of fat or protein so you're not running on empty but also not weighed down. Rotate based on how much time you have and how hungry you actually feel.

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