So you have just had a great workout, and you hit your workout routine right out the park. Now it is time to head the kitchen and prepare a meal that will be equally great tasting and with health benefits.
It comes to easy to some, the idea that all you need is to give your best at the gym and then go on to either not eat or that you can just eat anything. This couldn’t be farther from the truth, especially after a great workout. According to Verywell Fit, eating post-workout helps your body replenish lost nutrients and repair muscles, making this an essential component of your workout.
The paper sourced some great information from the site that shared on what an ideal post-workout meal should look like.
- Brown rice and boneless skinless chicken breast: Prepare with your favorite low-sodium spices or salsa for a nutritious recovery meal. You can do this in the crockpot, stovetop, or oven.
- Egg scramble: Easy one-skillet meals where one whole egg, vegetables, and sweet potatoes can be tossed with favourite spices and sprinkled with fresh black pepper.
- Leftovers: What you cooked the night before is calling your name and ready to refuel that body. Do you have cooked quinoa ready to go? Toss on salad greens and sprinkle with balsamic for a well-balanced meal.
- Nut or seed butter: Putting nut or seed butter on whole-grain sprouted toast is a post-workout pleaser. This nutrient-dense meal contains quality plant protein, healthy fat, and high fibre.
- Power smoothie: Blend your favourite fruit with non-fat Greek yogurt or favourite tolerated dairy, some water, and ice. You can significantly boost healthy fats with a spoonful of your favourite nut butter.
- Wraps: Whole grain high-fibre wraps are a great start to a wonderful recovery meal. Add some fresh avocado, lean meat of your choice, greens, beans, or whatever suits the theme of the wrap, roll up, and enjoy.
Verywell Fit said the goal of post-workout nutrition is to eat adequate macronutrients before, during, and especially after exercise. They said research has shown that when consuming more than 1.2 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of weight per hour is adequate to restore glycogen stores without additional protein. However, adding 0.2 to 0.5 grams of protein per kilogram of weight per hour is recommended if you’re consuming less than 1.2 grams of carbohydrates per hour. This amount of carbohydrates and/or protein is needed to optimise muscle protein synthesis. Note that endurance training will need more carbohydrates than protein in a day, while resistance training will need more protein.
Protein consumption is recommended at a dose of 20 to 40 grams every three to four hours with a casein (a protein found in milk that gives milk its white color) consumption of 30 to 40 grams in the evening to optimise muscle protein synthesis.
