Half the questions I get on the gym floor are about food. Not macros, not "what supplements should I take" — the real questions. Should I eat before training? What about after? Can I drink karak? Is shawarma actually that bad? So I figured I'd write the answers down once, properly, in a way that fits how we actually eat in this city.
Quick disclaimer: I'm a coach, not a clinical dietitian. If you have medical conditions, see your doctor. Everything below is general advice for healthy adults training 3-5 times a week.
Before the workout: timing matters more than perfection
The most important question isn't what to eat before training — it's when. The closer your meal is to your session, the smaller and simpler it should be. The further out, the more you can include.
- 2-3 hours before: a normal balanced meal. Rice + chicken, eggs + toast, a tuna sandwich, an omelette with some bread. Carbs + protein + a little fat. You'll be digested by the time you train.
- 30-60 minutes before: something light and mostly carbs. A banana with a coffee. A small bowl of oats. A date or two. Don't eat a steak now — you'll regret it on the bar.
- Training fasted (5am crew): totally fine for most workouts under 60 minutes. Some people perform better fasted, some don't. Try both and see.
The Karak question, while we're here: yes, you can have one before training. The caffeine helps. Just don't make it your only "fuel" for a heavy strength session — you'll feel under-fed by the third set.
During: water, mostly
For sessions under 90 minutes, water is enough. Sip throughout — don't gulp a litre at once. Add a pinch of salt to your bottle if you're a heavy sweater (most of us in Dubai are).
For sessions over 90 minutes or if you're doing back-to-back classes, an electrolyte drink helps. You don't need anything fancy — a homemade mix of water, a squeeze of lemon, a tiny pinch of salt and a teaspoon of honey works as well as anything in a fluorescent bottle.
The food you eat 90% of the time matters far more than the food you eat in the 60 minutes around your workout.
After the workout: the protein window is bigger than you think
For years the message was "you have 30 minutes to eat after training or your gains will evaporate." That's been thoroughly debunked. The "anabolic window" is more like 4-6 hours, and your total daily protein intake matters far more than the timing of one meal.
That said — eating soon after training is still a good idea, mostly because it gets you fed when you're naturally hungry, and starts replacing what you used. A solid post-workout meal looks like:
- A palm-sized portion of protein (chicken, fish, eggs, tofu, lentils, labneh)
- A fist-sized portion of carbs (rice, bread, potato, fruit, oats)
- Vegetables, sauce, whatever makes it actually taste good so you eat enough
The Dubai-specific stuff
Now the local questions, because they come up constantly.
Shawarma post-workout: chicken shawarma is actually a pretty solid post-training meal. Lean protein, some carbs from the bread, vegetables, garlic sauce for flavour. Pick chicken over beef most of the time, ask for extra salad, and you're fine. The "lamb shawarma + fries + Pepsi" combo every day is what gets you in trouble, not the shawarma itself.
Karak chai: tea + milk + sugar. It's fine. One karak a day, even with sugar, isn't going to derail anyone. Three karaks a day for the caffeine and the calories will.
Supplements: the only two I tell most members to consider are whey protein (if you struggle to hit your protein from food) and creatine monohydrate (5g a day, plain, cheap, well-researched, useful for almost everyone training seriously). Skip the rest until you've nailed sleep, food and training for six months.
Hydration in Dubai heat: aim for around 3 litres a day in winter, 4+ in summer. More if you're training twice or you're a heavy sweater. If your urine is consistently darker than pale straw, drink more.
Want a nutrition plan that fits your life?
I run 1-on-1 nutrition consults at Pulse. We'll look at your training, your schedule, your food preferences — and build something realistic.
Book a consult →Training during Ramadan
A quick word, because we get this every year. Yes, you can train during Ramadan — thousands of our members do. Schedule heavy sessions for an hour after iftar when you're rehydrated and fed. Do lighter mobility, walks or technique work in the afternoon if you have to train fasted. Don't try to PR fasted at 4pm in July. That's just unkind to yourself.
The honest summary
The food you eat 90% of the time matters far more than the food you eat in the 60 minutes around your workout. Get protein in at most meals. Eat enough carbs to fuel your training. Drink enough water. Don't be religious about timing.
And yes, you can still have shawarma.
Layla Mansour
Nutrition & Conditioning Coach at Pulse. ISSN-certified, NASM-CPT, 8 years coaching. Layla writes about practical, sustainable nutrition for people who live in the real world.
