What you eat will make or break your endurance training. So, whether you’re looking to run a marathon, take on a grueling cycling tour, or simply doing some Sunday exercise, you need to make sure you eat right.
That’s going to look a little different than the more sedentary among us. Keto and low-carb diets are completely out of the picture, and so are low-fat ones. When you lace up your best running shoes or hop on your bike (even one of the best electric bikes), you need a good amount of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins to fuel your exercise.
There are plenty of foods you shouldn't eat before exercise (just check out our list of 7 foods you should never eat before a run), but with that in mind, we’ve collected four recipes that you can easily make in one of the best air fryers to give you the energy to make that long trek as well as give you the energy to recover.
Of course, this should be part of an overall balanced approach to food. That means plenty of fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables such as bananas, avocados, flaxseed, among many others. Using healthier oils such as olive oil will help as well.
However, we have gathered a variety of recipes here so that you have a pre-run snack for a quick pick-me-up, a more carb-heavy recipe for sustained energy
1. Air Fryer Banana Chips
Having a way to get a quick boost of energy right before an event is crucial and dried fruits are one of the best ways to get it. You’ll get some needed glucose and, in the case of these air fryer banana chips, some extra carbs to boot.
While there are plenty of great dehydrated fruit recipes for the air fryer, they usually take hours upon hours for the final results. And, you need an air fryer that can go to a very low temperature and not all of them can.
With these banana chips, you don’t have to worry about that as they’ll cook at 350°F (177°C) for 10 to 12 minutes making them as speedy as you hope to be on the big day.
2. Air Fryer Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Runners and cyclists need to load up on carbohydrates to maximize performance. And, sweet potatoes are a fantastic way to do just that. And, since they’re packed with complex carbs, they break down slower, providing energy for longer. Like most whole foods, they also come with a good subset of necessary nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin C, and anti-inflammatory anthocyanins (they’re good for brain health as well).
Making these roasted sweet potatoes in the air fryer is a no-brainer then. Instead of baking the sweet potatoes whole, you cube them for something a little more bite-size. And, though the recipe offers some simple seasonings to bring out the flavor, you can play around with how you season them for alternative flavor profiles.
Whichever way you go though, you’ll have finished and roasted sweet potatoes for your carb needs in about 25 minutes.
3. Maple Mustard Air Fryer Frozen Salmon
Salmon is an excellent source of protein for anyone, not just runners. But, it has some extra health benefits as it’s a good source of vitamin B and that all-important Omega-3 fats, which helps with blood flow and inflammation. It even has astaxanthin, which gives salmon that pink color and helps prevent cell damage.
While you can’t really go wrong with any salmon recipe, I like to make this maple mustard air fryer frozen salmon recipe. To get the most benefit from it, I recommend leaving the skin on as well as following the recipe’s suggestion of using wild salmon over farm-raised for its higher omega-3 content.
Though it’s a little more involved than some recipes, you won’t need any extra condiments for flavor as the dijon mustard and maple syrup provide more than enough flavor on their own. And, it’s really not that involved as it will take about 17 minutes from start to finish. Just note the adjustment to the recipe if you plan on using fresh over frozen filets.
4. Air Fryer Frozen Broccoli
Anyone tackling any kind of endurance training or events needs to not only consume a good deal of protein and carbohydrates, but a good deal of vegetables as well. And, broccoli is one of the best to include in your diet as it’s a great source of calcium as well as iron and beta-keratin, aka vitamin A.
For a quick fix of cooked greens, I like these air fryer frozen broccoli. It’s convenient as I can just chuck a bag of frozen broccoli into the air fryer (once seasoned of course) and come out with crispy, delicious results. There’s no need to thaw – in fact, you shouldn’t as you’ll end up with mushy results.
Plus, this healthy recipe includes a small amount of healthy fats in the form of avocado oil as well as turmeric, known for its anti-inflammatory properties. While the recipe takes about 25 minutes, only five of that is prep and the rest of it is in the air fryer with a quick shake halfway through for even results.
This article is part of TechRadar's Get Fit for '24 week of fitness content.
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