Doc reveals 2-ingredient snack to boost your workouts

Have a hit of honey, honey.

TikTok is abuzz with the sound of the ultimate pre-workout supplement: a spoonful of honey and a sprinkle of salt.

The easy treat is said to boost energy and get you through your sweat session. And better yet, science supports this combo.

Honey is a quick-digesting carbohydrate, an absorbable blend of glucose and fructose that delivers immediate fuel to power the body before and during a workout. Salt is rich in the critical electrolyte sodium which regulates fluid balance, pulling water into your muscles to improve athletic performance. Combined with carbs, sodium can help maintain blood sugar, improve fluid absorption and help you lift heavier, go harder and burn better.

Effectiveness established, let’s talk details. To take full advantage of this pre-workout spoonful, administer 30 minutes before a workout. Keep in mind, with such limited ingredients in this pre-workout snack hack, quality is of primary importance.

Naturopathic doctor Janine Bowring stresses the importance of using local, unpasteurized honey in your powerbite, “This is great for allergy season, it’s great for your immune system if it’s coming from where you live. Make sure it’s unpasteurized so it’s not heat treated wrecking all those enzymes and those active components.”

In addition to providing carbohydrate fuel, a recent study published in Nutrition Review found that consuming unpasteurized honey from a single floral source may improve blood sugar control and lower cholesterol levels. While unpasteurized honey is safe to consume, unpasteurized milk is not.

As with honey, salt quality takes precedence. Bowring explains, “The type of salt that you use matters. I like this sea salt from Utah which has a bunch of trace minerals in it, including potassium which is great for your pre-workout.” While Bowring recommends Utah-harvested sea salt, Himalayan sea salt and Celtic sea salt are also great options.

Many TikTok practitioners prefer to take this combo straight from the spoon but experts suggest blending honey and salt with water makes for less of a mess and more optimized hydration.

From spoon or cup, the salt-honey hack is a cheaper, safer and tastier alternative to pre-workout supplements like powders, capsules/tablets and ready-to-drink mixtures known to cause serious side effects.