~45-90min
Hard-Boiled Eggs + Wholegrain Crackers
- Hard-boiled eggs2
- Wholegrain crackers4-5
~14g protein, ~3g fibre
Workday Meal Timing: Eating Around Meetings, Deploys, and Streams.
The short version
- Never eat heavy in the 45 minutes before a call.
- Never go past 4 hours without protein.
- Refuel within 30 minutes of a hard deadline or a stream ending.
- Deploy-day stress kills appetite — eat light anyway, don't skip it.
What should I eat before a big meeting?
Something small, protein-leaning, and finished at least 45 minutes before you're on camera — not because of etiquette, because a full stomach makes you sluggish and a hungry one makes you sharp-tongued.
Before: 45+ minutes before: a small protein-forward snack, not a full meal. Nothing heavy, nothing you'll regret eating on camera.
~25min
Apple + Almond Butter
- Apple1 medium
- Almond butter1 tbsp
~4g protein, ~5g fibre
Digesting a big meal redirects blood flow away from the systems you need sharp for a meeting — that's the actual mechanism behind post-lunch meeting fog, not just "feeling full."
What's a good snack right after a stand-up?
Stand-ups are short and usually early — the real question is what you eat in the 5 minutes immediately after, before the day's first deep-work block eats your attention.
After: Within 15 minutes of the stand-up ending: whatever's fastest to eat one-handed while you open your first ticket.
~45-90min
Greek Yoghurt + Berry Stack
- Greek yoghurt200g
- Mixed berries80g
- Pumpkin seeds1 tbsp
~20g protein, ~4g fibre
The gap right after a stand-up is the highest-risk moment for skipping breakfast entirely — you're already 'in motion' mentally, so make the snack near-zero-friction or it won't happen.
What to eat before a stressful deploy or release?
Deploy-day stress genuinely suppresses appetite for a lot of people — the goal here isn't a big meal, it's making sure you're not running on zero when something goes wrong at minute 40.
Before: 1-2 hours before: something easy to digest, moderate carb, low fat. Save anything heavy for after.
~25min
Rice Cakes + Avocado + Chilli Flakes
- Rice cakes2
- Avocado1/2
- Chilli flakesa pinch
~4g protein, ~7g fibre
~45-90min
Cottage Cheese + Pineapple
- Cottage cheese150g
- Pineapple chunks80g
~18g protein, ~2g fibre
Stress hormones slow digestion, so a heavy pre-deploy meal is more likely to sit uncomfortably than to actually fuel you — light and easy beats big and reassuring here.
What to eat during or after a long stream or deep-work session?
The recovery window matters more than people think — what you eat in the 30 minutes after a 3+ hour session sets how sharp your next block is, not just how hungry you feel right now.
After: Within 30 minutes of finishing: a real meal with protein and carbs, not just a snack — you've been running a deficit for hours, treat it like one.
~45-90min
Protein Smoothie
- Protein powder1 scoop (~25g)
- Banana1
- Milk or oat milk250ml
- Frozen spinach1 handful
~30g protein, ~4g fibre
~2hr+
Trail Mix + Electrolyte Water
- Almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds30g mixed
- Dried apricots2
- Electrolyte water500ml
~9g protein, ~5g fibre
A long, focused session is a genuine physical and cognitive drain — refuelling within 30 minutes measurably shortens next-session recovery time versus waiting until you're starving two hours later.
Questions people actually ask
Wait until at least 45 minutes before, and keep it small — eating right before puts you in mid-digestion during the meeting, which is more distracting than mild hunger, and eating nothing at all just moves the problem to the next meeting.