I’m a Vegetarian Who Does HIIT Workouts Every Day. This Is What I Eat

As an athlete and personal trainer, I’m constantly on the move—whether it’s busting through a tough and sweaty HIIT workout, powering through a boxing or gymnastics class, or taking my dog on a hike, I don’t often stop moving.

I’m also a lifelong plant-based athlete, which means I have to be extremely conscious of what I eat on a daily basis to make sure I’m recovered and energized enough for my next workout. Consuming protein through our diets is the main way our bodies repair and recover from tough workouts, so as a vegetarian, it’s one of my top priorities.

Recently, one of my favorite ways to make sure I get protein is by adding Bolthouse Farms® Original Plant Protein Milk to my pre and post-workout meals. Made from pea protein, it’s completely vegan and has 10 grams of protein per serving, so it helps provide both the energy I need to go after my goals and for bolstering workout recovery.

As an athlete, I treat food as fuel for my body, which means skipping a pre-workout meal is just not an option.

In my experience, without enough fuel (a.k.a. food) before my workout, my performance suffers, and there’s no chance of me crushing all those personal records I work so hard for. My ideal pre-workout meal includes a good amount of quick-digesting carbohydrates, some protein, and a minimal amount of fat consumed about an hour before working out.

If I’m training in the morning, my go-to meal is steel cut oatmeal made with Bolthouse Farms Original Plant Protein Milk and topped with flax seeds and berries.

As an athlete, I consider my post-workout recovery meal the most important of the day, because that 30-60 minute window after a workout is crucial for restoring glycogen1 and decreasing muscle protein breakdown.

In other words, your post-workout meal helps you get stronger, feel less sore the next day, and get you back to full energy levels. And since working out actually causes micro tears in our muscles, getting in proper nutrition as soon as you can after your workout helps repair the damage caused by the workout sooner.