Ideal gym food?

[Eddo36]

I've been buying them on ebay and occasionally eat one MRE a few hours before a workout session, have noticed more boost of energy from that one MRE, great short-term benefits. Question I have is is eating MREs as gym food ideal for long-term (muscle development, etc), or for short-term only for energy?

[Norton]

This is my unscientific opinion. I would say if you eat one entire MRE a few hours before a hard work out. You would have endurance for long term. I always try to do three things before working out.
1 Eat some protein and some starch.
2 Then rest for about 45 minutes to let the food digest and I mean lay down or nap.
3 I have a cup of coffee or tea on the way to the Gym.
If you think about the Weight gain powders and drinks. They are high calories and super high protein. So a MRE is super high calories with a good mix of protein and carbohydrates to keep a combat troop functioning under high stress situations . It is a little unorthodox to eat an MRE before working out but the result would match the over the counter powders

[cavguy]

Not good for long term muscle development! They are relatively low in protein, high in fat and sugar, not to mention trans fats.... Stick with a whey protein supplement for the protein boost

[Eddo36]

Thanks for the responses.

[housil]

high in fat and sugar,

I´d like to disagree a little. Mostly they are low fat means less that 3.3 g of fat per 100kcal. There are a few that are higher than this like Beef Brisket or Pot Roast w/ vegetables etc.

I´m going to the gym three times a week (in winter) and twice a week in summer but also take a 2 hrs bike tour

so when ever I go biking, I´m eating just a banana in advance. They have enough sugar too "boost" me and I think a(ny) fruit/vegetable is better than any "man made" product.

Afterwards I eat one of these protein bars or just a plain cottage cheese.

[Woodland]

Hello Eddo36

When I was younger and I had MREs I sometimes ate one after training Those days I didn't know much about nutrition but it did work .
If you check the nutrition data on each MRE item you will see that they are indeed high in sugar and some are high in fat (Pork rib,Maple Sausage). MREs may contain as much as 90 grams of sugar (if you eat everything) which is more than twice of the new RDA according to the WHO.It's no problem if you eat one sometimes but I would recommend natural food instead.It also depends on your activity level how much sugar or "quick carbs" you can or should eat.I love MREs too but I also like to stay healthy.I usually eat the entree,crackers or bread and the spread plus one dessert max. but rather an apple.I like the dairyshakes as a single meal or share the pudding with my girlfriend.I put the cakes,puddings etc. aside and eat them later with my brother or my girlfriend.Eating an energy bar before training is OK.Some new MRE item contains complex carbs and vitamins and that's good.It's good to see that Natick is trying to make rations healtier by adding Omega3 fatty acids,complex carbs removing trans fats and decreasing vitamin A..etc. Don't forget that rations are for soldiers in the field sometimes under extreme conditions.Imagine carrying 60 to 100 pounds of weapons and equipment in the mountains or in a city or running with that load while fighting...That is extreme.Soldier's bodies burn calories like mad...
BUT no matter how active you are too much sugar makes you sick in the long run.So try to keep your sugar intake as low as possible.Housil is right .Eat a banana or an apple (or two) before training and eat a protein bar after finishing your workout but a decent homemade meal is better.Cottage cheese is perfect before you go to bed.
I have tried different protein shakes before (whey concentrate and isolate mix,whey and egg) but without much success.I just liked their taste
Don't base your diet on MREs or processed food if you can.I read last year (I think) that more and more soldiers are too fat to deploy in the UK and in the US...Plus here is this:

"The increasing rates of overweight and obesity within the US military adversely impact military readiness, limit recruitment, and place a significant financial burden on the Department of Defense."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4010088/

[Eddo36]

Hello Eddo36

When I was younger and I had MREs I sometimes ate one after training Those days I didn't know much about nutrition but it did work .
If you check the nutrition data on each MRE item you will see that they are indeed high in sugar and some are high in fat (Pork rib,Maple Sausage). MREs may contain as much as 90 grams of sugar (if you eat everything) which is more than twice of the new RDA according to the WHO.It's no problem if you eat one sometimes but I would recommend natural food instead.It also depends on your activity level how much sugar or "quick carbs" you can or should eat.I love MREs too but I also like to stay healthy.I usually eat the entree,crackers or bread and the spread plus one dessert max. but rather an apple.I like the dairyshakes as a single meal or share the pudding with my girlfriend.I put the cakes,puddings etc. aside and eat them later with my brother or my girlfriend.Eating an energy bar before training is OK.Some new MRE item contains complex carbs and vitamins and that's good.It's good to see that Natick is trying to make rations healtier by adding Omega3 fatty acids,complex carbs removing trans fats and decreasing vitamin A..etc. Don't forget that rations are for soldiers in the field sometimes under extreme conditions.Imagine carrying 60 to 100 pounds of weapons and equipment in the mountains or in a city or running with that load while fighting...That is extreme.Soldier's bodies burn calories like mad...
BUT no matter how active you are too much sugar makes you sick in the long run.So try to keep your sugar intake as low as possible.Housil is right .Eat a banana or an apple (or two) before training and eat a protein bar after finishing your workout but a decent homemade meal is better.Cottage cheese is perfect before you go to bed.
I have tried different protein shakes before (whey concentrate and isolate mix,whey and egg) but without much success.I just liked their taste
Don't base your diet on MREs or processed food if you can.I read last year (I think) that more and more soldiers are too fat to deploy in the UK and in the US...Plus here is this:

"The increasing rates of overweight and obesity within the US military adversely impact military readiness, limit recruitment, and place a significant financial burden on the Department of Defense."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4010088/

That's very informative, thank you.