What Should I Eat After I Workout?

 

After a tough workout, you’ll most likely have blown through your stored muscle glycogen and torn up your muscles.  Therefore, the goal of post workout meals are recovery. The American College of Sports Medicine and the International Society for Sports Medicine recommend your post workout fuel consist of three main components:

 

1. Carbohydrates

The recommendation for optimal muscle glycogen refueling is to consume carbohydrates at 1.2-1.5 g/kg body weight (about 0.5g/lbs body weight) during first 30 minutes, and again every 2 hours for 4-6 hours. High glycemic index carbs will best encourage rapid absorption of carbs and fluids, glycogen repletion, and muscle protein synthesis.

 

2. Fast and Slow Absorbing Protein

The recommendation for recovery is to add protein to carbohydrates at a carb to protein ratio of 3:1, or by supplementing with 0.2-0.5 g/kg body weight protein (typically about 20g total). An example of slow and fast absorbing proteins are whey and casein, respectively.  The fast absorbing protein is needed to quickly begin muscle rebuilding, whereas the slow absorbing protein is needed to help fuel muscle recovery throughout the day.

 

3. Water

A general guideline is to ingest 16-24 oz of fluid per lbs body weight lost during exercise. Beverages and snacks should contain sodium to help with stimulation of thirst and fluid retention, as well as to prevent hyponatremia.  

Examples of post workout meals that fit these criteria include:

 

  • Greek Yogurt with Fruit

  • Low-Fat Chocolate Milk

  • Turkey or Chicken on a  Whole Grain Wrap

  • Eggs on Whole Grain Toast

To simplify, here are a few takeaways.   

  • Have a quick, post workout meal with healthy sources of carbs and protein, and make sure to rehydrate ASAP.

  • Don’t go overboard.  A post workout meal should be about 300 calories unless you’re consuming a main meal soon after working out.  Pre and post workout snacks still need to fit into your daily calorie range.

  • Remember that these are only guidelines.  Everyone has different needs and preferences; find what timing and macronutrient ranges work best for you.

References:


Potgieter, S. “Sport Nutrition: A Review of the Latest Guidelines for Exercise and Sport Nutrition from the American College of Sport Nutrition, the International Olympic Committee and the International Society for Sports Nutrition.” South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 26, no. 1, 2013, pp. 6–16., doi:10.1080/16070658.2013.11734434.