12 foods to avoid after exercise

After doing any kind of physical exertion, you’d be in need of food to replace the energy that you’ve burnt off.

By re-energising yourself with healthier choices of meals or snacks, all the hard work you put into your work-out session doesn’t go to waste.

Here are a list of 12 foods to avoid after exercising:

1. Raw vegetables

Knowing that vegetables are extremely good for our health, it might seem odd that you should avoid eating raw vegetables after exercise. Vegetables like carrots, celery and broccoli all work well as a healthy, low-fat,snack, but they work better when they are cooked and eaten in combination with other healthy foods after a workout. In their raw state, vegetables don’t provide enough fuel or calories to help our bodies restore our energy and metabolism that’s lost during exercise. If you do prefer to eat them raw, then bulk it up by dipping the veg into some protein-rich, healthy dips like natural yoghurt.

2. Fried foods

It may be tempting to eat your favourite full English breakfast after a workout just because you think you’ve burnt off enough calories to allow yourself to be naughty, but don’t. It’s just not worth it. Avoid eating fried foods that are high in fat, like chips or burgers, after exercise. The initial rush you will feel after eating fried foods will soon disappear, leaving you with no nutritional gain and the need to do another workout to work off the extra calories and carbohydrates.

3. Crisps

Crisps and certain nuts have extremely high levels of salt. Your body might be craving salt after your workout, especially when you have just sweated out a load of salt during exercise. Eating salty snacks lowers your body’s potassium levels which your body needs to help it recover quickly after exercise. Potassium is an electrolyte that is lost during exercise and it’s essential that you eat foods that boost the levels back to where they should be rather than eating high salt foods that will further deplete them.

4. Pizza

There are so many better food options to enjoy after a workout, so leave pizza off the list and save it for that special treat. The average pizza is usually packed with toppings like processed meats and cheese, which the body has a hard time digesting and are high in unhealthy fats.

5. Fizzy drinks

Even though you are bound to feel very thirsty post-workout, stick to drinking water to rehydrate and avoid drinking fizzy drinks. They are packed full of sugar and chemicals, have zero nutritional or hydration value and cause tooth decay. The diet variety are equally full of sweeteners and chemicals. But if you’ve drunk plenty of water and still want something else to drink after your workout, then it’s recommended that you opt for a drink that contains a combination of carbs and protein like a glass of chocolate milk.

6. Chocolate

Avoid eating milk chocolate after exercise. You may think you need a hit of the delicious brown stuff to boost your energy levels, but chocolate is full of sugar and is high in calories. The high that you get from chocolate won’t last long and your body needs to be recharged properly by eating the right foods that aid muscle repair and boost your metabolism, rather than chocolate which has a negative impact on your health regime.

7. Pastries

Although it is advised that you should eat some carbs to boost blood-glucose levels that are lost, that doesn’t mean it’s okay to start scoffing down on pastries. The fats found in pastries like croissants are bad for your heart and clog your arteries. Pastries are also high in calories and sugar. For a good carb boost post-workout, have a slice of whole wheat toast instead and add some nutritious and filling peanut butter which will leave you feeling satisfied.

8. Energy bars

What are good protein bars to eat after running? Many people get confused about when they should eat an energy bar as part of their workout diet. Energy bars should be eaten before a workout rather than after because they provide you with the fuel you need to get you through the exercise. So all the sugar, as energy bars are full of, is worked off during your exercise. If you eat energy bars after your workout, you are slowing down your metabolic rate. They aren’t called energy bars for nothing and will give you an energy boost that you no longer need after your workout, which may lead to a restless night’s sleep.

9. Energy drinks

Again, as with energy bars, energy drinks are no good post-workout. They don’t hydrate your body, but are full of caffeine and are carbonated, which will leave you feeling bloated. Energy drinks are full of sugar and artificial sweeteners so unless you are an athlete, avoid drinking them before and after a workout and stick to water instead.

10. Spicy foods

If you’re a lover of spicy foods, you might crave this after exercising. Eating these foods post-workout is not a good idea as the heat and fieriness of these foods can lead to heartburn and indigestion which will impede the effects of your workout, leaving you feeling uncomfortable.

11. Granola bars

Even the name sounds healthy, so you probably weren’t expecting to see them on this list.

Thanks to smart advertising, we are led to believe that all granola bars are a healthy and good idea as a post-workout snack when in fact, some of them are not. They may contain a load of unhealthy ingredients like corn syrup, trans fats and sodium which the body struggles to digest while also not having any nutritional value.

Read the label carefully before buying, to ensure it has the right ingredients and less of the ones that are bad for you. You’re probably better off eating a piece of fruit like a banana instead.

12. Cheese

If you are a cheese lover, then you can probably can’t think of anything nicer than to have melted cheese on toast after exercising. While cheese is a source of protein that your body needs, it’s highly processed and full of fat. If you find yourself craving cheese, then opt for healthier cheeses such as mozzarella, teaming it with some whole grain bread for a protein and carb rich healthy post-workout snack.