Even when your workout is perfectly tailored to prepare you for your next game, match, meet or race, you may not gain the full benefit without eating a proper post-workout meal. Strenuous exercise breaks down muscles, causing them to grow back stronger and perform longer with repeated use. However, your muscles cannot repair and regenerate without a healthy supply of carbohydrates and protein, best eaten within the hour following your workout.
Complex Carbohydrates
Your post-workout meal should center around carbohydrates, which are necessary for re-energizing tired muscles and replenishing the body's store of glycogen, the fuel burned by muscles during strenuous exercise. Consume half to three-quarters of a gram of carbohydrates per pound of body weight and select nutrient-rich carbohydrate sources such as whole-grain bread or pasta, oatmeal, fruits, vegetables or low-fat dairy products. Replacing lost carbohydrate energy after a workout not only rejuvenates your muscles but also restores blood-sugar levels to normal, curbing the urge to indulge your sweet tooth.
Choosing the Right Carbs
When adding servings of carbohydrate-rich foods to your plate during your post-workout meal, stick to complex carbohydrates -- those made from natural sources such as plants or whole grains -- instead of simple carbohydrates made with heavily processed ingredients such as all-purpose flour or refined sugar. While simple carbohydrates such as candy, crackers or cookies provide carb energy, the foods are digested much more quickly than complex carbohydrates, offer few nutrients and leave you feeling hungry sooner. Complex carbohydrates keep you energized longer and infuse your body with natural vitamins and minerals.
Proteins
Once you've selected complex carbohydrates to form the foundation of your post-workout meal, add protein to your meal, following a 4-1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein. Protein promotes muscle recovery and also stops cortisol, a stress molecule found in the body, from breaking down amino acids into glucose, which can cause excess fat storage. Choose high-quality protein sources from lean meats, such as poultry, or fish, nuts, peanut butter, beans, eggs, yogurt or low-fat milk.
Combining Carbs and Protein
Many athletes drink low-fat chocolate milk or eat energy bars after a workout to consume the right amount of carbs and protein. However, chocolate milk and many pre-packaged snack bars often are made with high fructose corn syrup, an artificial sweetener with potentially dangerous health effects. Instead of buying sugary foods to eat during your post-workout meal, try making your own muscle fuel out of fresh ingredients. Mix yogurt or oatmeal made with low-fat milk with fresh fruits such as berries, pineapple or bananas for a quick, energy-packed snack. For a muscle-repairing meal, fill half your plate with fresh fruits and vegetables, one quarter of your plate with lean meat and the remaining quarter with starches from whole-grain bread, pasta or rice or vegetables such as a baked potato or yam.
References
- CNN Health; Working Out at Lunch? Here's How to Recover; Maureen Callahan; June 2007
- CNN Health; Healthy Meals for After Exercise; Dana Angelo White; September 2009
- "The Baltimore Sun"; Dos and Don'ts for a Post-Workout Meal; Lauren Martin; May 2011
- MayoClinic.com: Fitness
- NoMeatAthlete.com; The 7 Secrets of Post-Workout Recovery; Matt Frazier
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