Food is any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink or that plants absorb in order to maintain life and growth. When you’re working out, your muscles use up their glycogen — the body’s preferred fuel source especially during high- intensity workouts. This results in your muscles being partially depleted of glycogen. Some of the proteins in your muscles can also be broken down and damaged
Eating the right foods soon after you exercise can help your body get this done faster. It’s especially important to eat carbs and protein after your workout.
Doing this helps your body:
- decrease muscle protein breakdown
- increase muscle protein synthesis (growth)
- restore glycogen stores
- enhance recovery
What Classes of Foods should I consider?
Protein. Carbohydrates and Fat
Why?
Protein helps repair and build muscle
Consuming an adequate amount of protein after a workout gives your body the amino acids it needs to repair and rebuild broken muscle proteins. It also gives you the building blocks required to build new muscle tissue.
Carbs help with recovery
Eating plenty of carbs to rebuild glycogen stores is most important for people who exercise often, such as twice in the same day. If you have 1 or 2 days to rest between workouts, this becomes less important.
Contrary to why we workout (sometimes to reduce fat) Fat is not that bad.
While fat might slow down the absorption of your post-workout meal, it will not reduce its benefits. For example, a study showed that whole milk was more effective at promoting muscle growth after a workout than skim milk
READ ALSO: 10 VEGETABLES THAT ARE SURPRISING SOURCES OF PROTEIN
Some Foods You Should Try
Peas
Peas not only freeze well, but they also have high levels of vitamin C and protein when compared to other vegetables. This means you’ll feel fuller for longer.
Eggs
Anabolism requires nutrients, however, which is why it’s important that you eat nutritious food after a good workout. Eggs are a good post-workout food because they are highly nutritious.
Whole Milk
Whole milk offers protein and carbohydrates for recovery and unlike skim milk, contains fat, which can help you feel full.
Chicken and Rice
Chicken and rice are both low-fat foods that are relatively inexpensive and can be prepared quickly. If you exercise often and have high calorie needs, chicken and rice can be beneficial, as they can be cooked in volume and tend to keep well over time.
Spaghetti
Consuming spaghetti can be beneficial both before and after exercise, as it is rich in carbohydrates, your body’s primary source of energy. In addition, spaghetti is easy to prepare and offers close to a 4:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein
Try out these foods after your workout today!
