What to Eat Before and After a Workout in India
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Try NYUS free on AndroidThe short answer
You do not have to hit a particular food or a particular clock time. The two sources we read both put total protein over the day ahead of timing (quoted below), and the position stand says its advice is for exercising adults, mostly highly trained ones. By our arithmetic from IFCT 2017, the nine plates on this page run from 1.3 g of protein (a banana) to 21.4 g (two rotis with paneer), and from 25 g of carbohydrate (banana) to 69.0 g (dal and rice). The weights are ours, so weigh a plate once before you trust your eye.
It sits next to our high-protein Indian foods guide, which has the same protein-per-100 g rows, and our banana guide.
What two sources say about timing
We read both texts on Europe PMC on 10 November 2026 (the passages quoted, the scope statements and the stated limits). Neither is about Indian food, and neither says what a plate must contain.
- Position stand of a sports-nutrition society. Kerksick et al. (2017) write that the review concerns "the timing of macronutrients in reference to healthy, exercising adults and in particular highly trained individuals on exercise performance and body composition". They say: "Meeting the total daily intake of protein, preferably with evenly spaced protein feedings (approximately every 3 h during the day), should be viewed as a primary area of emphasis for exercising individuals." They also write that "Ingesting a 20–40 g protein dose (0.25–0.40 g/kg body mass/dose) of a high-quality source every three to 4 h appears to most favorably affect MPS rates when compared to other dietary patterns". Limits: it is a review for exercising adults and especially highly trained people, about muscle protein synthesis (MPS), performance and body composition; "appears" is theirs. They add that findings need context, naming age, sex, fitness level, dietary status, training volume and intensity.
- A meta-analysis of 23 trials. Schoenfeld et al. (2013) write that "...initial findings indicated an advantage conferred by protein timing, meta-regression revealed that results were confounded by discrepancies in consumption. This ultimately led to the determination that total protein intake rather than temporal factors explained any perceived benefits." Limits: their own caveat is that the timing of the meals in the control groups varied significantly from study to study, and the studies looked at strength and muscle size, not at food choice, weight or health.
Our reading: the first source asks for evenly spread protein across the day and the second finds that the day's total explains the benefit, so neither supports a rule such as "eat within 30 minutes". For reference only, one plate here, two rotis with paneer (21.4 g), reaches the 20 g low end of the stand's per-dose range and the other 8 stay below it; the range is the stand's own figure for a high-quality source, for a single dose, and we are not telling you to reach it.
Lighter plates
Each plate is a sum of IFCT 2017 Table 1 rows at the weights shown, raw or dry, before water, oil and cooking. Protein and carbohydrate are worked per row to 0.1 g and the rows are added, so a total can differ by 0.1 g from one rounded in a single step; calories are rounded to the nearest 10. These are examples, not a recommendation of what to eat before or after training.
| Plate | What is counted (weights are ours) | Protein | Carbohydrate | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A banana | 100 g banana | 1.3 g | 25.0 g | about 110 kcal |
| Poha with a few peanuts | 40 g dry rice flakes (poha) + 10 g raw peanuts | 5.4 g | 32.4 g | about 190 kcal |
| One roti and a banana | 30 g wheat atta + 100 g banana | 4.5 g | 44.3 g | about 210 kcal |
| Dates and a glass of milk | 30 g dry dates + 200 g whole cow milk | 7.2 g | 32.4 g | about 240 kcal |
Larger plates
| Plate | What is counted (weights are ours) | Protein | Carbohydrate | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dal and rice | 40 g dry toor dal + 60 g raw milled rice | 13.5 g | 69.0 g | about 350 kcal |
| Two rotis with paneer | 60 g wheat atta + 80 g paneer | 21.4 g | 40.4 g | about 440 kcal |
| Two rotis with two boiled eggs | 60 g wheat atta + 100 g boiled whole egg | 19.7 g | 38.5 g (wheat atta only; the egg row prints no carbohydrate) | about 340 kcal |
| Moong chaat (dry weight) | 40 g dry whole moong | 9.0 g | 18.5 g | about 120 kcal |
| Milk and a banana | 250 g whole cow milk + 100 g banana | 9.5 g | 37.4 g | about 290 kcal |
Not counted: oil, ghee, salt, chutney, sabzi, curd, lemon, the water in cooking and anything you add to milk. Pulses and dal are weighed dry because cooking adds water. The paneer, egg and milk rows are as sold or boiled, as IFCT prints them.
The rows behind the plates
Per 100 g edible portion, as printed in IFCT 2017 Table 1 (mean of the regions sampled; the banana row has a single region); energy in kJ converted at 4.184 kJ per kcal.
| IFCT 2017 row | Code | PDF page | Energy per 100 g | Protein | Carbohydrate | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banana, ripe, montham | E009 | 49 | 463 kJ (110.7 kcal) | 1.25 g | 24.95 g | 0.32 g |
| Rice flakes | A011 | 41 | 1480 kJ (353.7 kcal) | 7.44 g | 76.75 g | 1.14 g |
| Ground nut | H012 | 55 | 2176 kJ (520.1 kcal) | 23.65 g | 17.27 g | 39.63 g |
| Wheat flour, atta | A019 | 42 | 1340 kJ (320.3 kcal) | 10.57 g | 64.17 g | 1.53 g |
| Dates, dry, pale brown | E017 | 50 | 1340 kJ (320.3 kcal) | 2.45 g | 74.91 g | 0.35 g |
| Milk, whole, Cow | L002 | 57 | 305 kJ (72.9 kcal) | 3.26 g | 4.94 g | 4.48 g |
| Red gram, dal | B021 | 43 | 1384 kJ (330.8 kcal) | 21.7 g | 55.23 g | 1.56 g |
| Rice, raw, milled | A015 | 41 | 1491 kJ (356.4 kcal) | 7.94 g | 78.24 g | 0.52 g |
| Paneer | L003 | 57 | 1278 kJ (305.4 kcal) | 18.86 g | 2.41 g | 24.78 g |
| Egg, poultry, whole, boiled | M004 | 58 | 618 kJ (147.7 kcal) | 13.43 g | not printed | 10.54 g |
| Green gram, whole | B011 | 42 | 1229 kJ (293.7 kcal) | 22.53 g | 46.13 g | 1.14 g |
What the numbers say
- Protein per plate is mostly a question of what sits beside the roti. Two rotis (60 g of atta) carry 6.3 g of protein; adding 80 g of paneer brings the plate to 21.4 g and two boiled eggs to 19.7 g.
- Fruit and milk plates are lighter on protein. A banana has 1.3 g; milk with a banana, 9.5 g.
- Dal and rice is mostly carbohydrate by weight. The plate has 69.0 g of carbohydrate and 13.5 g of protein from 40 g of dry toor dal and 60 g of raw rice.
- Dry weights hide the size of the bowl. 40 g of dry whole moong is 9.0 g of protein, but once soaked or cooked it fills a much larger bowl.
What IFCT 2017 does not have
IFCT 2017 Table 1 has no row for curd (dahi), chaas, sprouts, roti or cooked dal, poha as cooked, tea or coffee, sports drinks or protein powders, so we give no numbers for them; use the pack label or your own weights. We say nothing about supplements.
Where NYUS fits
To log plates like these against your day, see what NYUS is: it has 8,900+ foods with calories and macros, and you can log by search or barcode.
What this page leaves out
- A protein, carbohydrate or calorie target for any body weight: we have not looked one up, so we give none; ask a doctor or registered dietitian for yours.
- Endurance events, heat, illness, pregnancy, medical conditions or medicines; none of that is covered.
- Any claim about muscle, fat loss, performance or health: the page adds up food data and quotes two sources with their limits.
Log what you eat and see your day add up
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Try NYUS free on AndroidFrequently asked questions
Do I have to eat within an hour of a workout?
No single timing is required on the evidence we read. The ISSN position stand (Kerksick et al., 2017) puts meeting the total daily protein intake, ideally spread through the day, as a primary area of emphasis, and a 23-trial meta-analysis (Schoenfeld et al., 2013) found that total protein intake rather than timing explained any benefit. Both are about exercising adults and muscle outcomes, not food choice or health, so read them with that limit.
How much protein is in two rotis with paneer?
By our arithmetic from IFCT 2017, 60 g of atta (A019) and 80 g of paneer (L003) come to 21.4 g of protein, 40.4 g of carbohydrate and about 440 kcal, before oil, sabzi and the water in the dough. The weights are ours.
How many carbohydrates are in a banana?
IFCT 2017 row E009 (banana, ripe, montham, one region) prints 24.95 g of carbohydrate and 1.25 g of protein per 100 g, so the 100 g banana in this guide has 25.0 g and 1.3 g, about 110 kcal. A banana in its skin weighs more than its edible 100 g, so weigh the peeled fruit.
Does IFCT 2017 have curd, chaas or sprouts?
No. We searched the IFCT 2017 PDF text on 10 November 2026 and found no row for curd, chaas, sprouts or cooked roti or dal; that is why this guide counts atta, dal and pulses dry and gives no figure for those foods.
Can I log these plates in NYUS?
NYUS has 8,900+ foods with calories and macros and logs by search or barcode, so you can enter plates like these. It gives general information, not medical advice.