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Hitting the wall. Bonking. Running out of gas. No matter what athletes call it, feeling depleted in the middle of a workout is frustrating. Fortunately, it’s also avoidable with the right fueling strategy. In fact, proper nutrition is critical to optimizing performance.
Whether you’re an athlete in training or exercising for personal goals, the right foods before, during, and after workouts fuel your body and support recovery. Experts agree that foods containing carbohydrates—like potatoes—can keep you energized throughout activity so you can lift heavier, tap into that runner’s high, or win your match.
When optimizing your physical performance, you need the right combination of nutrients to fuel your body properly. Potatoes provide three critical components necessary for peak performance:
Carbohydrates provide the primary fuel for your brain and are a key source of energy for your muscles, making them critical to optimizing your performance. It’s important to start your workout or competition with an adequate amount of carbohydrates to fuel your body.
Furthermore, your body’s stores of carbohydrates are limited and can be depleted after a single session of intense or prolonged exercise. For your body to function at peak levels, it’s critical to replenish these reserves of carbohydrates as they deplete, and potatoes can help you do it.
Potatoes are nutrient-dense and contain 26 grams of carbohydrates (for a medium, 5.3-ounce skin-on potato). Depending on your exercise goals, eating potatoes before, during, or after a workout helps your body use and store carbohydrates, which may promote peak levels of performance.
Potassium is an important electrolyte aiding muscle, cardiovascular, and nervous system function. When you exercise, your body can lose electrolytes through sweat. Failing to replenish them can negatively impact muscle function and prevent you from reaching optimal performance levels.
Eating potatoes provides the potassium you need to replenish some of these electrolytes. With 620 mg of potassium, a medium (5.3-ounce) skin-on potato contains more potassium than a medium-sized banana (422 mg per serving).
To have enough energy to perform at peak levels, you need to consume an appropriate number of calories to match the physical demands of the activity you’re participating in. This is especially true if you’re training for an athletic competition. Potatoes are more energy-packed than any other popular vegetable.
Consuming potatoes at strategic times will allow you to maximize their performance benefits.
Eating potatoes before exercise can help boost your energy stores to fuel your workout. Have a meal that includes potatoes between two and four hours before your workout or competition. Then, thirty minutes before exercise, you can also eat a potato-centric snack, focusing on carbohydrates.
To help you optimize performance, a nutritious meal before strenuous exercise should:
Eating potatoes as part of your pre-workout meal checks all these boxes to help unlock peak performance. Try these recipes that all provide you with the fuel you need to perform your best:
Depending on the type and duration of your exercise, you may need to eat during your workout to maintain optimal performance.
If you’re engaging in an endurance workout or competition that will go longer than 90 minutes, you should eat small snacks throughout to ensure you’re able to maintain peak energy and muscle function. Because carbs are the body’s preferred fuel, the recommendation is to consume 30-60 grams of carbs per hour, so eating potatoes in small quantities periodically throughout your workout can provide the nourishment you need to perform at peak levels. In addition, make sure to hydrate consistently throughout your workout.
Fueling your body during long or intense workouts is necessary to maintain energy levels and replenish electrolytes. Carbs provide quick energy and are easier to digest than fat or protein, which is why they’re the recommended fuel mid-workout.
The following recipes are convenient and delicious potato snacks to consume during exercise:
The food you consume after a workout plays a critical role in your body’s ability to recover properly. After rigorous physical exercise, your body needs fuel to replenish electrolytes and carbohydrate stores, as well as the nutrients necessary to aid hydration, muscle repair, and recovery.
With their carbohydrate content and nutrient density, potatoes provide valuable fuel for your post-workout recovery by:
Pair potatoes with high-protein foods to enhance your body’s recovery after exercise. Also, be sure to rehydrate with water!
The first two hours after exercise present the most critical time to aid your recovery. Your meals during this time should include:
Potatoes contain both carbohydrates (26 grams) and protein (3 grams). They’re also quick, easy to prepare, and pair well with lean proteins, making them ideal for a post-exercise meal.
Here are some easy, balanced potato recipes to make after your workout, race, or game:
You can prepare your post-workout meal—or prep the ingredients for it—ahead of time so all you have to do is combine, reheat, and eat!
Check out these videos featuring some easy-to-prep potato dishes that will take your athletic performance to the next level.
View potato performance meal prep videos.
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