Your body is your vehicle, so it’s important to keep your engine running when you work out.
That means fueling up your body by eating the right foods to give you the energy you need to go hard at the gym.
To fuel or not to fuel prior to a morning working out continues to be a hot topic.
Fitness icon Shaun T, the man behind the Insanity craze, reveals that while he prefers to exercise first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, he often needs a snack to keep him going before and after a workout.
And the food he turns to for a slow-release energy boost is sweet potato, which he calls a ‘powerhouse food.’
On days when he’s feeling low in energy, he has half of one about 45 minutes before be begins a training session.
Insanity inventor Shaun T says he eats half a sweet potato before a training session
Insanity is based on HIIT, which is popular for torching up to 1,000 calories an hour
‘A half a sweet potato is my best friend,’ the 39-year-old from New Jersey told Business Insider.
‘I call it the powerhouse food. It’s an amazing carb, and you don’t need to add sugar or anything like that. Just bake it and eat it just like that.’
And if you try Shaun’s Insanity, dubbed ‘the hardest fitness program ever put on DVD’, you’ll likely need some fuel in your belly.
It became a huge hit for its claims to be able to burn up to 1,000 calories in an hour and transform your body in 60 days.
Some experts say that by training on an empty stomach or after a light meal, your body is not preoccupied with digesting huge amounts of food, but instead is able to deliver large amounts of oxygen to your muscles and potentially burn more fat.
Others argue that when your ‘gas tank’ is on empty, your body starts to break down amino acids from your muscle mass, converts them to glucose for energy, and instead of burning fat, can break down valuable muscle tissue.
Why are sweet potatoes so nutritious?
Sweet potatoes contain complex carbohydrates which release glucose into your system more gradually than refined carbs (such as sugars and white grain products such as bread and rice) which leads to a steady supply of energy.
As sweet potatoes are high in fibre they not only boost your energy, but can assist with weight loss too as they keep you feeling fuller for longer.
They have more grams of natural sugars than regular white potato but more overall nutrients with fewer calories.
They pack a powerful nutritional punch. In one medium spud, there is over 400 percent of your daily vitamin A requirement. They’re also rich in vitamin C, magnesium and iron – all of which are essential energy nutrients.
The high potassium content helps to balance electrolytes whilst exercising, and lowers blood pressure too.
One medium sweet potato (skin on) provides about 6 grams of fiber, which helps prevent constipation and promotes regularity for a healthy digestive tract.
Sweet potatoes are a great source of beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant which is converted to vitamin A in the body. This may reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer.
Experts advise keeping the skin on, as this contributes significant amounts of fiber, potassium, and quercetin (another potent antioxidant).
You may want to have it plain like Shaun T, but if you want to use sweet potato more in your everyday cooking, here are some ideas below.
Sweet potato recipes
Lamb and sweet potato casserole
This lamb and sweet potato casserole is a great way of getting a nutritious punch
Serves 4
Ingredients
5 spray low-fat cooking spray
450 g lean lamb leg steak, cut into chunks
2 large onion(s), red, thinly sliced
2 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon ground coriander
8 portion cardamom pods, green, split open
600g sweet potatoes, (1lb 5 oz), peeled and cut into large chunks
425 ml fresh stock, (3/4 pint) vegetable or chicken
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C/ 350°F/Gas Mark.
Spray a large flameproof casserole dish with low fat cooking spray. Heat, add lamb chunks and cook until browned. Add onions and garlic. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring, until softened.
Add ground coriander, cardamom pods and sweet potatoes. Pour in stock. Season.
Transfer to the oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours, or until the meat is tender. Serve and enjoy!
Tip: You could use lean shoulder of lamb instead of the leg steaks.
Roasted sweet potato and chickpeas
This roasted sweet potato and chickpeas recipe is simple and quick to make
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 large red onion, finely chopped
4 fat garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2cm (¾in) pieces
1tbsp cumin seeds
1tbsp ground coriander
Thumbnail of ginger, grated
2tbsp olive oil
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
1tbsp honey
1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Handful of mint or parsley, roughly chopped
Couscous to serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6.
Put the onion, garlic and potatoes into a roasting pan, scatter over the spices, season with salt and pepper and drizzle over the oil.
Roast for 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes, honey and 200ml (7fl oz) water and roast for a further 15 minutes. Stir through the chickpeas and return to the oven for a final 10 minutes. Scatter with the herbs and serve with couscous.
Tip: This is also delicious with crumbled feta cheese scattered over the top for the last 10 minutes of cooking
Sweet potato and cumin soup with feta yogurt
Sweet potato and cumin soup with feta yogurt is a warming treat on a winter’s day
Serves 6
Ingredients
1kg orange-fleshed sweet potatoes
1 large onion
4 garlic cloves
3 tbsp olive oil
1 heaped tsp ground cumin
a pinch of dried chilli flakes
1.2 litres chicken or vegetable stock
sea salt
75g feta crumbled
150g greek yoghurt
chopped sun-dried tomato optional
Method
Peel and thickly slice the sweet potatoes. Peel and chop the onion. Peel and finely chop the garlic.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry for afew minutes until relaxed and glossy, stirring occasionally. Put in the garlic, cumin andchilli and fry for a minute longer. Add the sweet potato, and continue to cook for another couple of minutes, stirring frequently. Pour in the stock and season with salt, bring to the boil and simmer over a low heat for 20 minutes, by which time the sweet potato should be meltingly tender.
Liquidise the soup in batches. Return it to the saucepan and season with a little moresalt if necessary.
Combine the feta and yoghurt in a bowl. Serve spooned on top of the soup, with a scattering of chopped sun-dried tomato if using.