Eating before exercise

Can anyone recommend some good foods to eat before exercising to keep my energy levels high? Thanks :)

i usually eat banana & peanut butter 20 minutes before. or dried apricots & cashew nuts. but some people are sensitive when exercising right after eating.

or when i would go out for a long run in the summer, i would have pre soaked oatmeal (then cooked the normal way) about an hour before the run. pre-soaking allowed enough water to be absorbed, the slow release of the water really helped me stay hydrated.

That depends I guess on how close your exercise is to your last meal and what you ate at that last meal.   I have a pretty flexible schedule so I try to workout not long after I eat, so I am already fueled up without having to eat extra to get ready.  When I can't workout soon after a meal,  I find that fruit like apples, bananas, pears etc, works well for me.  Low in calories, with lots of fibre to slow energy release but still available energy fairly quickly because all the calories in fruit is natural sugars.  For longer or more intense workouts, say 1 hour plus, you might want to eat more complex carbs, like whole grains, legumes, vegetables etc.  They'll provide a steadier, longer release of energy.  

If you are trying to build muscle, and speed muscle recovery, it's also important to fuel up after you workout.  A protein shake with some juice or other simple carbs works best to help muscles supercharge recovery (building) and replace the energy you used up during your workout.  A scoop of protein powder in a half cup of rice or soy milk, half cup of OJ, a couple of TBSP of cocoa or carob powder, maybe a spoon of wheat germ, a spoon of olive oil, is a great recipe for muscle recovery and muscle growth, within a half hour so of your workout. 

Of course if weight loss is your primary goal, you might want to skip the protein shake, but if you can work it into your daily calories and use it as a snack or meal replacement while not going over your calorie goals, you can almost kill two birds with one stone, by building muscle and having a caloric deficit for weight loss.   By the way, if anyone has never tried it, that shake is about 350 calories, all good for you, fills you up for a couple of hours at least, and taste like a chocolate orange shake.   If it can replace lunch for you, like it often does for me, it's no extra calories for the day.  I tend to cut mine with some water too, and drink about half of it right after working out, and sip the rest for an hour or so, and I can go another 3 hours at least without feeling hungry at all.

hmm... i've read that since banana's have a higher glucose index level, it's better to eat apples or pears.

here's a section of a nutrition article:

"Athletes should eat foods with a low to medium GI before a match. This allows for a relatively slow release of glucose into the blood and avoids the unwanted insulin surge.

Consuming carbohydrate at least an hour before the start allows any hormonal imbalance to return to normal.

Example low GI foods include pasta, whole grain breads and rice, oatmeal, milk and milk products and fruit (except bananas and dried fruit). "

if its just a snack you want before excersizing, bananas are usually my best choice. with or without yogurt

My favorite pre-workout meal/snack is natural peanut butter and all fruit on a whole wheat english muffin. It really gives me the energy I need to make it through a tough workout.

What kind of exercise, what time of the day, and how long?

Ur...... bananas?