Eating a balanced diet with a variety of foods helps people get the best muscle recovery after exercising, especially during tough physical activities like cycling long distances or running.
People need to restore energy stores after hard workouts by refueling and replenishing hydration lost fluids. The exact nutrition needs depend on goals, fitness level, activity intensity, and timing of the workout. So, the food and drink chosen after exercise can help boost optimal recovery while building muscle.
Muscle pain can be not just uncomfortable but also affect daily activities and life routines. So, it's important to have recovery plans and strategies that reduce muscle pain and damage caused by exercise.
In this article, we'll look at the top 10 foods and drinks that help you recover well after workouts.
Top 10 foods and drinks for recovery after exercise
1. Tart cherry juice
Drinking cherry juice can benefit both trained athletes and beginners. Studies show tart cherry juice and extract can help muscle recovery and ease delayed onset muscle soreness DOMS, Delayed onset muscle soreness DOMS is a type of injury from doing unusual or intense exercises. It causes symptoms like painful movement restrictions, swelling, and stiffness..
Also, exercise increases oxidative stress, cell damage, and inflammation, but luckily, there are many foods and drinks rich in antioxidants that may reduce these side effects and help the healing process.
Sour cherry juice has high levels of plant compounds called anthocyanins which have strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and help reduce noticeable pain and muscle damage from exercise.
2. Watermelon and watermelon juice
are considered Watermelon A sweet, hydrating food packed with nutrients. Also, eating watermelon or drinking its juice can be a good way to help muscle recovery after workouts.
Watermelon is rich in the amino acid L-Citrulline. This amino acid is a building block of proteins. It also has antioxidant effects, boosts nitric oxide NO levels, and improves blood flow and cell energy in muscles.
For these reasons, research shows that watermelon juice may reduce muscle soreness and damage after exercise. For example, studies found drinking 500 ml of natural watermelon juice cuts muscle pain 24 hours after working out.
Also, watermelon has important nutrients that boost exercise performance and recovery, including carbs andamino acids Antioxidants, so watermelon is a healthy choice for people who work out, no matter its benefits for muscle pain.
3. Fatty fish
Fatty fish, like sardines andsalmon, are an excellent source of nutrients the body needs to recover muscles. They are a vital source of proteinProtein is one of the big nutrients that helps repair muscles. It's the process of renewing muscle cells after damage caused by working out.
Some experts suggest eating about 30 grams of protein after exercise to support optimal muscle recovery. You can get this amount from eating around 113 grams of cooked salmon, which gives about 29 grams of protein.
Besides that, fatty fish also contain omega-3 fatty acidsThese omega-3 fatty acids help reduce delayed onset muscle soreness DOMS, fight inflammation, and boost muscle growth. So, experts recommend getting 1.8-3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids after workouts to help muscles recover best.
4. Pomegranate Juice
Pomegranate juice is considered pomegranate It's a rich source of compounds called Polyphenols, which are plant compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. So drinking pomegranate juice might help muscle recovery after exercise.
Studies found that drinking 250 ml of pomegranate juice 3 times daily for 3 days before training sessions weightliftingshowed that pomegranate juice reduced release of an oxidative stress marker called Malondialdehyde and boosted antioxidant defenses, suggesting this drink can improve muscle recovery after working out.
5. Beetroot juice
Contains beetroot (beetroot) has dietary nitrates and pigments called Betalains. Nitrates help deliver oxygen to muscles and improve mitochondria efficiency, parts of cells that make energy for them. Meanwhile, Betalains can reduce inflammation and oxidative damage.
Also, some studies found that drinking beet juice right away or after 24 or 48 hours post intense workouts greatly reduced muscle pain.
Besides that, studies also found that drinking beet juice for 3-7 days before working out cut down delayed muscle pain and improved exercise performance during recovery.
6. Whey Protein
Some research shows whey protein might boost muscle recovery after workouts for both athletes and non-athletes. One study over several days had obese men take about 0.9 grams per 1 kilogram of their weight split into three doses before fitness tests. Whey protein noticeably reduced muscle damage signs.
Also, whey protein may improve muscle function after sessions of resistance trainingand helps muscles recover after exercise.
7. Eggs
Eggs are knownegg white as a food rich in nutrients and preferred by athletes because of its high protein content. Eating it after workouts helps boost muscle recovery.
Even though many prefer just egg whites, studies show whole eggs might be better after workouts. Studies found eating whole eggs post-workout led to greater muscle growth.
This might be because egg yolk is nutrient-dense and offers many vitamins and minerals and fatty acids, like vitamin A andselenium andzinc, which speeds up protein synthesis and muscle building.
8. Dairy products
is milk Different dairy products are one of the best sources of energy after workouts. This is because milk has high amounts of protein, which gives the body the nutrients needed to repair muscles and reduce pain after exercise.
Milk and other dairy products also have carbs. Eating both protein and carbs together helps muscle growth and fills their glycogen stores, which is the stored form of glucose in muscles. Milk also contains sodium, which is important for treating dehydration.
Also, studies found cow's milk helps a lot with workout performance and muscle recovery. Chocolate milk was also found to maybe improve exercise performance and recovery after workouts.
9. Starchy vegetables
When exercising hard, your muscles use up their glycogen stores. Having enough stored glycogen in muscles is key for good athletic performance. So, it's important to refill these stores after training.
Eating foods rich in carbs helps refill glycogen stored in muscles, and starchy vegetables, like sweet potatoes andpumpkin, are a healthy choice for carbs after exercise.
Also, combining starchy veggies with other protein sources like eggs and chicken is an effective and tasty way to restore glycogen stores and give your body the protein it needs to heal muscles.
10. Coffee
Drinking coffee before or after workouts might help reduce delayed onset muscle soreness DOMS because caffeine in coffee blocks adenosine receptors. Adenosine is a chemical released in the body after injury and it activates pain receptors.
Some studies on people who usually consume low amounts of caffeine showed that taking caffeine an hour before intense upper body workouts significantly lowered muscle pain levels on days two and three after exercise.
Also, other studies found that caffeine taken 24 and 48 hours after intense exercise improved muscle strength recovery and reduced delayed onset muscle soreness DOMS.
In the end, nutrition is key for muscle recovery, so it's helpful to include some of the foods and drinks mentioned above in your diet for the best muscle recovery.
