What to eat before and after exercise?

SZ-Magazin: Ms. Zopf, should athletes follow a special diet? Yurdagül Zopf: Healthy amateur athletes, i.e., those who exercise at a moderate intensity for less than five hours a week, don't need to. The key is not to rely solely on protein intake—as is often initially thought. Many athletes focus entirely on a protein-heavy diet or rely on protein-enriched foods, which are often highly processed. But the best thing is simply to eat a varied, Mediterranean-style diet.