What is the very best thing to eat pre and post workout?

Hi,
I'm new to this whole thing but a good friend told me that she likes to eat 1/2 a protein bar about a 1/2 hour before working out and then she eats the other half when she is done working out.
I haven't tried it yet but I will be giving it a shot ;-)

A small banana 1hr prior to, and a protein shake within half an hour after.

Is your workout going to be more or less than 1 hour? That's about the point where your body's ready supply of energy is gone.

If you are planning a 30-60 min cardio workoout, you shouldn't eat anything prior (make your body provide the energy) and nothing after. 30-60 min of strength/intervals/tempo (something hard that does microscopic muscle damage) and you might want a little protein within 15 min post workout to rush ammino acids to the worked muscles and speed repair.

If you are planning something longer than an hour, try to eat some carbs as close to starting your workout as you can. This will add extra energy to your body, but not give it enough time to try and store that energy. After about an hour all of the quick energy will be gone (glycogen & glucose) and your body will then start to go after other energy sources (fat & muscle). Adding a small ammount of carbs at this point can keep you body on track with getting the energy from stored fat. There is a LOT of energy stored in fat, but it's the hardest for your body to retrieve. So to give it time to get the fat energy out, you give it a little goose of some carbs (fruit juice, sports drink, energey gel, etc). Just remember those are calorie dense, and a little goes a long way. You could waste an entire workout by adding too many carbs, so pay close attention. After a longer workout you want to provide you body with quick fuel (carbs) and some repair material (protein) to be able to start rebuilding energy (glycogen & glucose) stores for the next workout and also to repair those just worked muscles so they become stronger and more efficient.

The best thing about this process is the more you force your body to do it, the better it gets at doing it. This is what we call getting in "shape" and what your body calls more efficient energy conversion and waste removal.

Boil it all down: Find what works for YOU, just always make sure what you add is less than what you burn. Good Luck!

Raw almonds! I like to nibble on them before and after my workouts. They really keep me going and they taste so much better than protein bars or shakes.