You’ve just finished a killer workout. You’re sweaty, spent, and starving. You’re probably eyeing a protein shake or a protein bar right about now—but is that what your body really needs?
Nutrition is crucial for maximizing your workout benefits. You don’t want to compromise your hard-earned gains by eating the wrong thing after a workout. Luckily, the science behind what goes on in your body when you workout tells us a lot about what we need to eat.
What Happens to Your Body During a Workout?
When you exercise, your muscles tap into your body’s glycogen (which is how your body stores carbs for energy) for fuel. Because you have burned through your glycogen stores, you will need to fill them back up so that you have energy for your next session.
Protein is a little different. Exercising doesn’t deplete protein stores, but it does create small tears in your muscle fibres. When you eat protein, you are giving your body the tool it needs to repair muscle, build new muscle, and prevent further muscle breakdown.
So, after you’ve exercised, you should look for foods high in carbs and protein.
Carbs and Protein: How Much Do You Need After Training?
For carbs, you should eat between 3 to 10 grams per kilogram of body weight every day to boost your glycogen stores, depending on how intensely you are working out.
For protein, aim for around 1.2 to 1.7 grams per kilogram of body weight every day to optimize muscle recovery and growth.
Foods High in Carbs
To hit your carb goals, add these healthy, high-quality foods in your meals:
- Dairy products, such as a milk and yogurt
- Fruits, such as apples, bananas, mangoes, dates, and raisins
- Grains, such as brown rice, quinoa, oatmeal, and whole-grain bread
- Vegetables, such as corn, peas, and sweet potatoes
Foods High in Proteins
Some of the healthiest high-protein foods include:
- Chicken
- Eggs
- Fish, such as salmon, sardines, and tuna
- Legumes, such as beans, lentils, and peas
- Nuts and seeds, such as peanuts, almonds, and nut butters
- Protein powder and protein bars
Putting It Together
You can mix and match the foods above to create meals and snacks high in both carbs and proteins, such as whole-grain toast with nut butter, salmon with peas, chicken with brown rice, or a fruit smoothie with protein powder.
What’s the Right Time to Eat?
To maximize your gains, you should eat soon after your workout. Ideally, you want to have a meal between thirty minutes to two hours after you exercise for the best recovery.
Final Takeaways
The most ideal post-workout meals are a combination of proteins and carbs. One more thing to keep in mind is that some foods might be high in carbs, such as candy, pop drinks, fruit juices, and white bread, but they have poor nutritional content and should be swapped for healthier alternatives.
