The following information is for general education purposes only and should not be interpreted as medical advice or care. Please consult a medical professional for proper medical care and information.
I don’t know about you all, but the idea of eating a delicious post-workout meal is often what gets me through the last grueling minutes of a practice or game. Fortunately, post-exercise meals do more than just satisfy your post-workout hunger: similar to pre-exercise meals, what and when you eat after exercise can enhance your sports performance and overall wellbeing by aiding in recovery and replenishing your energy stores.
Before you learn about the different components of a post-exercise meal, take a second to answer this poll here:
What do you think is the most important nutrient after exercise?
Carbohydrates
Protein
Fats
If you answered carbohydrates, you're correct!!
It likely came as a surprise for many of you (it was definitely a surprise to me!) that protein isn’t the most important nutrient athletes should be focusing on post-exercise. While protein is critical to help repair and rebuild muscle (exercise involving repetitive muscle contractions such as running and jumping can break down muscle cells and cause muscle damage), carbohydrates should be the primary component of your post-workout meal. Training generally depletes muscle glycogen (the body’s primary fuel during exercise), so the main goal of the post-exercise meal is to replenish glycogen stores with carbohydrates and provide the muscles with some protein and fats to aid in muscle recovery.
*For the female athletes reading this, please consider reading this article about the particular importance of carbs for female athletes!!!
As you know by now, your nutrient timing is just as important as what types of foods you choose to eat after exercise. Numerous studies suggest that the quicker glycogen is replenished following activity, the faster an athlete will recover and the less likely he or she is to experience post-workout-related fatigue. Ideally, athletes should aim to consume their post-exercise meal within 30 minutes of working out to maximize muscle glycogen replenishment. However, because it’s quite unrealistic for many athletes to consume a full meal directly after exercise (transportation, school work, etc.), aim to have a smaller post-exercise snack thirty minutes after exercise followed by a full recovery meal within two to three hours after exercising. In addition, make sure to drink plenty of water post-exercise, and check out my other blog post on electrolytes to see whether a sports drink would be beneficial to your post-exercise recovery regime.
POST-EXERCISE SNACK IDEAS
POST-EXERCISE MEAL IDEAS
The following lists contain easily digestible foods for your post-workout snack/meal:
CARBS
Fruits
Rice (preferably brown)
Oatmeal
Potatoes
Pasta (preferably whole grain)
Whole wheat bread (toast, tortilla, etc.)
Quinoa and other whole grains
PROTEINS
Greek yogurt
Chicken
Fish - Salmon, tuna, etc.
Protein powders (there are plant-based ones out there!)
Lentils
Beans
Protein bar (look for low-sugar options)
Nut butter
Eggs
FATS
Avocado
Tofu
Salmon
Nuts
Seeds
Salad dressing
Cheese
Also, what you eat on a rest day is crucial to your recovery and ability to perform during your next exercise session. The book Sports Nutrition for Young Adults sums up this idea perfectly: “Think of eating on a rest day as recharging your phone after a long day of use. Your battery is low, and you need to provide your body with the proper nutrients so that it can get back up to 100% power”.
I would recommend finding several go-to post-exercise snacks and meals that you can easily whip up after a workout (Summer is the perfect time to try out new recipes!). My personal favorite post-exercise meals are protein oatmeal, a fruit and protein powder smoothie, a banana with yogurt, and chicken with rice. Food is fuel for your body:)
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