Heading for a workout? Don't avoid eating -- your body needs fuel.

What exactly should you be eating pre-workout? Carbs are key, and fruit is the best. Try apples, bananas and grapefruit, all low on the glycemic index. Liz has more to say about the GI topic.

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Food is fuel. And medicine too. Prevention magazine's Cynthia Sass illustrates this with the following list of healthy food.

• Apples
• Blueberries
• Broccoli
• Cactus pear
• Capers
• Cherries
• Citrus fruits
• Cranberries
• Dark green leafy veggies
• Raspberries
• Red grapes
• Red onions
• Tea (black, oolong, green)
  
  

No doubt, these items are powerful components of a nutritious diet. They also have the power to heal with the antioxidant quercetin (a relative of resveratrol found in grapes). Noteworthy at this time of year is the fact that this natural bodyguard may be a flu-fighter. Seems it's antiviral and if you opt out of your flu shot this year, you might still be A-OK.

Don't take a quercetin supplement, though, says Sass -- we just don't know enough about how much to take, how long to take it, or how side effects might occur. Just harness its power through foods and if you're starting to feel run down, try three per day and aim for three different colors -- green tea, cherries and red onion is one good mix.

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Even if you're diligent about your workouts, if you're lacking proper nutrition, you're not getting as much out of your fitness routine as you could be. It can be hard to always choose the right food, and then, when you try to eat the right food the right amount of time before your workout ... well, it can get confusing pretty quickly.

This article on Active.com highlights five common mistakes athletes make regarding nutrition, and you should know that they're not all common sense mistakes. As a matter of fact, I've definitely been guilty of more than one!

Basically, it all comes down to eating well and eating at the proper times. It's not all that difficult in theory, but in practice, many of us eat too much (or too little) in the way of fat and calories. Check out their list for yourself and see just how well you're fueling your workouts!

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If you live in New Zealand, McDonalds is offering you an incentive to eat at their restaurants: They'll give you fuel discounts that you can use at your local Mobil Station. Sound like a pretty good deal? Well, this 'good deal' is not going over well down under, particularly with the Obesity Action Coalition -- they feel this kind of promotion is encouraging unhealthy habits and ultimately obesity.

They have one major problem with this offer in particular: The deal is only available if you order a big mac, fries, soda and an apple pie. It's not available on salads or other healthy fare. This meal works out to a whopping 1347 calories and 64 g of fat, so let's be honest here -- whoever eats this should leave the car at home and do a bit --or a lot -- of walking.

Your thoughts?

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Got a spare tire attached to your midsection, guys? Want it gone? Then try green tea. In one recent study, extracts from the beverage helped men burn 17 percent more fat during a 30-minute cardio workout.

Green tea is a sort of metabolism booster. It's not clear exactly why, but researchers suspect that something in the healthy drink makes fat turn to fuel during exercise. It doesn't happen without the exercise, though, because the only way to shrink a spare tire is to lose weight. Tea just helps you do it.

Tea helps in other areas too. Check out these six reasons to go green.

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The other day I told you how key it is to feed your body after exercise and suggested you eat these three post-workout power foods. As good timing would have it, just after sharing my message, I received an e-mail from my local fitness center. The topic? The importance of post-workout fuel.

It may seen counterproductive to eat after a workout, said the e-mail. I mean, we work so hard to burn all those calories, so why put more back in so quickly? Well, because an after-workout snack provides vital nutrients the body needs for muscle and cell repair. Eating after exercise also keeps us from feeling ravenously hungry a few hours later.

So, here's the deal: Aim to eat 15 to 30 minutes after the end of a workout. This is the period of time in which the body seems to get the most benefit from ingesting carbs and protein. Try yogurt, a fruit smoothie, or a protein shake and you'll feel energized and revived -- not sleepy and sluggish.

Got a favorite premium food you put in your tank? Tell us what it is.

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I've mentioned before that I'm a pescetarian (I know it sounds pretentious -- it just means that I eat fish, but not any other form of meat). I have a number of reasons for my personal food choices, and I try not to force my choices on anyone else.

In fact, my husband is a big meat eater (though he's become less of one since marrying me), and until now, I've never tried to persuade him not to have steak -- he's in great health and he enjoys it.

However, this post at Green Daily made me realize that perhaps I should be just a little more outspoken about eating vegetarian meals. From the post: "... driving your car aimlessly for three hours consumes less energy and is responsible for fewer greenhouse gas emissions than producing 2.2 pounds of beef."

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One elite athlete downs 12,000 calories per day just to keep from dropping weight, reported The Today Show's Matt Lauer the other day. Considering that the average man consumes 2,600 calories per day, this is big stuff. But hey, that's what it takes to keep some Olympic bodies in fighting shape.

What Olympic athletes eat can make the difference between a gold or a silver win. Food is fuel after all, and these folks require top-grade fuel (and lots of it) in order to compete -- and win.

It's up to U.S. Olympic Committee Executive Chef Jacque Hamilton to make sure the 600-athlete delegation gets tasty, healthy food free of butter, trans fats, and lots of sodium. Now that' a high-pressure job. But she's got it down to a science. Check out some of her favorite dishes, made with nutritious ingredients, fit for the finest athletes -- Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Chicken Stir-Fry, and Baja Chicken Salad. Right here they are.

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A research team at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is pinpointing obesity as a key cause of global warming. Their argument is that it costs more in fuel to transport heavier people. Also, obese people require more food to sustain themselves.

The World Health Organization predicts that by 2015, more than 700 million people worldwide will be obese. The London-based research team feels this overweight trend will have a hefty impact on the environment as well as health.

The researchers found that people who are obese consume nearly 18% more food than their thinner counterparts. This can impact the environment by creating a higher food supply demand and by causing more food travel miles. Also, the researchers state that thin people are more likely to walk than rely on cars for travel. What do you think?

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Have you ever been headlong into a workout, only to suddenly feel like you're out of fuel? I'm not talking about instances when you've pushed yourself to the point of exhaustion; rather, I'm talking about when you know you have more to give, but you're body just isn't having it. Chances are you're right on the money in feeling that your problem is fuel related -- in more ways than one.

Fuel costs are on the rise. No big shock there. In turn, so is the cost of food. Also no surprise, as evidenced by the larger numbers that mysteriously keep appearing on your grocery store receipts (and, concurrently, disappearing from your checking account ledger). Consequently, more and more people are turning to cheaper and less healthy foods than before. This dovetails with the second fuel-related reason why you're workouts may feel less than stellar these days.

Eating and drinking cheap, high-sugar foods will spike your blood sugar and energy levels, providing you with a quick -- albeit, very temporary -- rush of energy. It's like throwing a bunch of paper and sticks onto a flame; first, the flame will grow in heat and intensity, but it will quickly burn out if nothing more is added. If your goal is to burn fat, you must sustain your workout with slow-digesting fuel sources (whole grain carbs, protein, and good fats), thereby providing you with the fuel you need to keep your fire burning.

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Dear Fitz, My husband makes a big stink when I give our kids any type of 'sugar candy' like gummy bears or bubblegum. The kids are totally skinny and I don't see what the big deal is. They are kids! What do you think? Christy

A. Hey Christy. Your husband is a freaking genius. That's what I think! He has the insight and thoughtfulness to know that as parents, you should be teaching your children the best habits possible. He knows that your children are less likely to eat nutritious things when they've had a dose of candy. They're more likely to deal with the pain and terror that comes along with having their cavities filled if you give them candy. They're more likely to struggle with their weight and other less than lovely issues later on in life if you don't instill high standards in them today.

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Here at That's Fit, we're forever grateful for the service, courage and sacrifice made by the heroic men and women who serve as military, law enforcement officers, and firefighters. We're so grateful, that we'd like to dedicate some features to both showing our heroes off, and learning a little bit in the process as well. If you serve your country courageously, are a veteran or know someone who does, please return this form completed to Fitz along with a photo and we'll share your story with the world.

Name: Erik J. Fritz

Age: 19

Occupation: Bulk Fuel Specialist at the Marine Corps and Navy Reserves Unit

If you're in the military...where are you? Green Bay, WI,

How often do you exercise? Almost every day

What type of exercise do you do? Running outside and on the treadmill, lifting weights, and a lot of push-ups.

What gets you to workout, even when you're feeling lazy? Knowing that I have to stay in good shape to pass my PT.

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My husband and I have revamped our diet. We're not "on a diet." We've "changed" our diet. One is temporary. One is permanent -- this is the approach we've embraced.

Why?

I want to prevent a cancer recurrence -- I developed breast cancer three years ago -- and my husband's doctor urged him to drop 10 pounds. So we restocked our kitchen with healthy foods -- we nixed sweets and soda and acquired a low-sugar, low-fat, no-red-meat diet loaded with fruits and veggies. It's gone well. We've lost weight -- John shed 35 pounds; I lost 14 -- and we love how we're fueling our bodies. Still, it wasn't easy.

I've always been under the impression that coffee dehydrates you, and if you drank it, you needed to make it up by drinking extra water every day. Now studies are showing that while caffeine is a diuretic, drinking healthy amounts (500 mg a day or less) won't promote any significant fluid loss. In addition, drinking coffee before exercising may help fuel your workout. Coffee can also help with endurance by allowing you to workout longer than you normally would. To find out more about what researchers have found, check out this article.

So don't feel bad about having a cup or two of coffee during the day. It's good for you!

(via Fitsugar)

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