Plan your post-workout meal right!
A post-workout meal that maintains the balance of carbohydrates and proteins helps in a wholesome recovery that also succours your performance in future workouts.
To optimise your post-workout meal, a good rule of thumb to follow is to eat in the proportion that for every 1 gm of protein, you eat 4 grams of carbohydrates. Also, including food rich in healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidant rich foods as post-workout meals will help in reducing muscle cramps and inflammation.
It’s advisable to eat whole foods which help in easy digestion and are nutrient-dense like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. With these foods, the body is provided with nutrients that help it recover and become stronger. Some of the good post-workout meals include egg omelette with avocado, rolled oats meal with banana, almonds, whey protein, cottage cheese, quinoa with sweet potato, Greek yogurt, granola, etc.
While a post-workout meal is important, what is equally vital is the timing of the post-workout meal. Your body absorbs most nutrients immediately after exercising. So, ideally, a post-workout meal should be eaten within 30 minutes to an hour after your workout.
What not to eat post-workout?
While it’s a must to eat post-workout meals, there are some foods that are a big NO after working out as consumption of these foods will lead to the loss of the essence of a workout in the first place. These include:
- Foods high in fats as these slow down the nutrition absorption process thus delaying recovery
- Processed foods as they are preservative-laden and have a heavy amount of sugar
- Alcohol as they dehydrate the body
Conclusion
Finally, always remember that it’s completely normal to be hungry after a good gym session. What is important is you eat in half an hour to one hour of you exercising and eat a balanced meal that will aid in restocking the glycogen, repair the muscle tissues and give the body the right nutrients for it to recover properly. Also, stay hydrated by drinking enough water before, during, and after your workout.
