Doing heavy workouts needs the right nutrition to fuel your working muscles and give you energy. So what you eat after exercise is just as important as what you eat before.
There are many questions to ask, like:
- What should you eat after your workout?
- How long should you wait before eating?
But before answering these questions, it’s important to know how crucial food is for working out.
• Why food matters for your workout:
Your body uses up its energy stores called glycogen while you exercise. Some muscle breakdown happens too, plus you lose fluids through sweat. So nutrients are important after exercise to refill glycogen in your muscles, help build and repair muscle tissue, and restore lost fluids.
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Nutrition and timing:
Research shows eating the right amount of carbs and protein is especially important right after workouts. The timing depends on the type of exercise you do, for example:
- Heavy weight resistance training for muscle growth:
It’s recommended to eat 20-30 grams of lean protein and 30-40 grams of healthy carbs as soon as possible after working out.
- Light cardio workouts to maintain fitness:
In this case, eat the same amounts as above but you can wait an hour after your workout.
Good nutrition and hydration:
You need basic nutrients after hard exercise, focusing on carbs and protein, plus plenty of water. Drinking sports drinks during exercise is also important to replace lost fluids. On average, people lose 0.5 to 2 liters of sweat per hour and performance drops after 60-90 minutes of exercise. So sports nutrition research recommends drinking 2-3 cups of water for every pound of body weight lost during exercise. Since most people don’t weigh themselves, the simple rule is to drink lots of fluids during and after exercise to stay hydrated and avoid dehydration.
Don't skip post-workout meals:
Eating is a key part of sports success before and after workouts. Tough exercise leaves your muscles starving for fuel, so missing a post-workout meal can cause body issues that stop muscle growth or repair of damaged muscle tissue during exercise.
A study on nutrients' role in recovery after exercise found that without carbs, protein, and fluids, performance can weaken. The study showed eating carbs with protein right after workouts helps boost collagen creation in muscles, which restores muscle energy. Also, taking extra protein within an hour after exercise improves glycogen stores in muscles.
Healthy and easy foods you can eat after workouts:
Post-workout meals don't have to be complicated or expensive supplements. There are many foods that can help you recover after exercise like:
- Brown rice.
- Chocolate milk.
- Fruits (berries, pineapple, banana, kiwi).
- Green leafy vegetables.
- Quinoa.
- Nut butter.
- All grains.
- Yogurt.
For example, you can have a toasted bread sandwich spread with peanut butter and sweetened with honey, or brown rice with skinless chicken breasts and low-salt spices, or even if you have leftover quinoa from yesterday, you can eat it with a green salad plate.
