Ever wondered what kind of food to eat after a workout?
How do we optimize nutrition after a morning or evening workout?
What’s the best food to eat after a workout? Which type of nutrients are needed, and a few easy and quick recipes for post-workout meals.
How Important It Is To Eat The Right Way?
Most of us are well aware of why it is so important to eat correctly, especially after a workout even at home.
We need to understand a little better the right foods after a workout and how our body will react after physical activity.
In general, after post-workouts, the muscle tissues try to rebuild and repair their muscle proteins. That is because the glycogen (A substance deposited in our body tissues and stored as carbohydrates. It is used to keep the blood sugar levels stable) substances in the muscle during your exercise are depleted and thus, need to replenish.
Besides, some proteins in our muscles are slightly damaged or broken down but don’t worry, this is ain’t gonna be a big issue to worry about.
So having the right nutrients after a workout is to help our body quickly to rebuild its glycogen substance and repair these broken down muscle tissue. As simple as that!
Isn’t that great that at least we now know that our body needs to have the right nutrients to replenish what it has lost during an exercise?
Which one is the best fit for your workout schedule?
Find out more about my blog Morning Vs Evening Workout
Why Do You Need To Eat Properly After A Workout?
Of course, I mean everybody thinks the same too.
It doesn’t matter what to eat, as long you can eat to the fullest to fill the hungry stomach because you are so hungry and thirsty after a workout.
It is absolutely right to eat well after losing some energy during a workout but have you really thought what you’ve eaten is truly right for your body in long run?
To me, there is no right or wrong answer to that. The thing is we need to know ‘What you eat is What you are now’
When you exercise, you (#Ad) burn a lot of carbohydrates which are the main fuel of your muscle. Can you imagine after like 30 – 60 minutes of exercise, your muscles are able to store these carbohydrates and protein as energy for post-recovery.
So why must we eat after an exercise? Below are my opinions.
The first is dehydration. Your body will be dehydrated after exercise, that’s for sure. Even if you are under certain conditions like inside your home, it does cause some increase in sweating and dehydration. If you don’t replenish the lost fluids, it may cause electrolyte imbalances (Electrolytes are minerals in our blood, tissues, and throughout our body).
Next is cramping and muscle loss.
As mentioned, your body runs out of this glycogen substance and needs to use the readily available other sources of energy, the fat, or if not, the muscle tissues. So obviously, you are losing the muscle mass and potentially getting weaker. Plus, if you sweat a lot, this could lead to muscle cramping too.
Lastly, (#Ad) low blood sugar in the body. Whether you are exercising in the morning or any of the day, if you do not eat or replenish the energy back into your body within a few hours, your body will consume the stored energy. So, the glycogen will be replaced and it takes some time. That’s why your body will experience slightly low blood sugar levels.
There are plenty of other reasons but I think that these three factors should be taken into main consideration.
What Nutrients To Eat After Exercise To Replenish Energy?
There are plenty of delicious and healthy diets to eat after an exercise at home.
Of course, we need something that is rich in nutrients and most importantly to replenish the energy lost post-exercise. This will help to stimulate the growth of the new muscle tissues.
Basically, the three major components that we need to look into are carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
We’ll dig a little more into these three guys and their benefits.
Carbohydrates (carbs) – They are good for muscle recovery as we know the need to replenish the glycogen stored in our body after an exercise. However, it pretty much depends on the kind of physical activity that you are doing.
If you are doing a mild or light exercise or resting for 1 or 2 days in between, then there is no need to consume a high portion of carbs.
Proteins – They are good for regrowing and repairing muscle tissues. Having an adequate amount of protein after an exercise will allow the amino acids needed to regrow these proteins. Research had shown that consuming around 20 – 40 grams of proteins in your diet will help your body to recover better.
Healthy Fats – Do not be afraid when you read the word ‘FAT’. In fact, I would say that ‘Healthy Fat’ is not that bad after all. It’ll slow down the absorption process of your diet BUT will not cut down the benefits. A study recently shows that having whole milk is good in promoting muscle regrowth after an exercise.
Suggest limiting the amount of fat intake after an exercise, but do note that having some heart-healthy fat in your post-exercise diet will not affect the recovery of the muscle tissues.
Speak with your nutritionist for guidelines.
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What’s The Best Food To Eat After A Workout?
I have here a few simple and easy-to-make healthy diets for post-exercise. Sorry, not many pictures here to share.
It will help you to replenish the energy you need for your next-to-do lists later in the day.
1. Banana Oatmeal – Good for breakfast. Get the regular or fast-cooking type of oatmeal instead of the instant type. The latter tend to have high sugar content. You need a bowl of regular low-fat milk, 1 sliced fresh banana, oatmeal, and sunflower seeds (as an option if you like, it is high in protein content).
Cook the oatmeal on a stove and then mix well with the milk in a bowl. Add the sliced banana and sunflower seeds and stir a bit. You are ready to enjoy it.
2. Overnight Oats – As the name suggested, best to make it the night before your bedtime. You will need 1/2 cup of natural yogurt, 1/2 cup of low-fat milk, 1/3 cup of your favorite oats, 1 teaspoon of honey, 1 teaspoon of berries of your choice, and 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
Mix well the honey, cinnamon, oats, and yogurt in a sealable medium to a large jar. Then, sprinkle the berries onto the top of the mixture and seal the jar tightly. Let it rest in the fridge overnight.
3. Burrito Rice – Great simple diet. All you need is 1 cup of cooked brown rice, about 4 ounces of grilled fillet chicken, 1/4 fresh avocado plus lettuce, pepper & onions.
Mix all well together and serve in a small bowl. Note that avocado is rich in healthy fats.
4. Simple Smoothie – Just simple to make – in minutes! We loved it when we were kids too. You need a blender.
The core ingredients are half a cup of unsweetened almond milk, frozen or fresh berries (if you need a sweeter taste), 1 tablespoon of peanut butter, 1 tablespoon of protein powder, OR 1 cup of Greek yogurt. Blend all well and it is all ready to serve.
5. Asian-style salad – If you just like healthy mixed varieties of green, this is definitely a great choice. I normally mix it with sesame oil and miso paste as dressing. Why miso paste? It is actually a fermented soybean, high in protein, fiber, and Vitamin K.
Fill in the green leaves of your choice and add in a few drops of the sesame oil, and miso paste (to your taste) in a large salad bowl. Mix well and serve. You can add some whole-wheat croutons if you like per serving.
6. Crushed avocado in wholemeal toast – Roughly takes around 10 minutes to prepare and it’s healthy too. Get 2 slices of wholemeal toast, 1 large ripe avocado, and 1 teaspoon of each of these ingredients: sesame seed, chili flakes, sea salt, olive oil; 20 – 30g of finely chopped cherry tomatoes.
You know how to cut the avocado, right, LOL.
Then, drizzle the olive oil with the avocado in the bowl. Use a fork to crush the avocado until it is smooth (not so chunky). With the toasted bread, spread the avocado on the bread, and don’t forget the chopped cherry tomatoes onto it.
Finally, before you can get a bite of it, sprinkle with the sesame seeds, chili flakes, and sea salt to taste.
My Overall Thoughts: What’s The Best Food To Eat After A Workout
There you have it, I do hope that you will get some great tips and inspiration after reading this article. This is entirely based on my personal opinions and may not reflect anyone’s decision to agree with it or not.
I would also say that a post-workout meal with both combined (#Ad) protein & carbs is a practical way and will enhance storage for the glycogen and protein substances in the body. Make it a ratio of (3:1) Carbs to Proteins.
Oh, and don’t forget to drink water after a workout to stay well hydrated!
After a workout, drink at least 2 to 3 cups (around 450 – 700mm) of water for every pound of weight loss during the workout. This is recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine.
How often you will exercise and what you should eat or drink depends on the intensity and length of your workout.
Feel free to comment below and I will speed back within 24 hours.
To your Home Exercise success and Stay Healthy Always!
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