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Thinking about what to eat after a workout may not seem like that big of a deal, but how you nourish yourself post-exercise is actually a really important part of recovery. Whether you’ve just finished a strength training workout, a pilates class, or your regular daily walk, replenishing your energy, fluids, and nutrients is essential.
But what exactly should we be eating and when? Below, experts break down which types of foods are best to eat after a workout—and which ones we should think twice about. Read on to find out everything you need to know about what to eat after exercising to support muscle recovery and improve your results.
Why it’s important to eat after a workout
Eating after a workout comes with a ton of benefits. Perri Halperin, MS, RD, CDN, clinical nutrition coordinator at the Mount Sinai Health System, explains that exercising diminishes your glycogen (the stored form of glucose used by the whole body for energy), tears muscle tissue, and depletes electrolytes. She says that eating the right foods will not only replenish your energy and restore its nutrients, but also help repair muscle, increase protein synthesis, and hydrate your body.
Not to mention: Eating right after a workout also helps prevent injury. Jenna Stangland, MS, RD, sports dietician and performance advisor for Momentous, notes that eating can “repair stressed and inflamed cells after an intense training session.”
When to eat after a workout
How long you should wait to eat after you exercise depends on a couple of factors. According to Stangland, you’ll want to consider four things: the length of the workout, the intensity of the workout, the type of workout, and your personal workout goals.
Generally speaking, she says that if you do an hour-long workout that is light in intensity or doesn’t involve weights (like, a walk or a chill yoga class), then you could probably just wait until your next meal to eat. However, if your workout is longer than an hour and more strenuous, you’ll want to eat within 45 minutes to an hour of finishing the workout. This is especially important if you’re trying to build muscle. “Getting a post-workout meal [or] snack sooner enables you to get another fueling opportunity two hours later to bring in more protein and calories to support the building of muscle mass,” she explains.
What are the best foods to eat after a workout?
Angie Asche, MS, RD, expert nutritionist at Centr, says to focus on the three “Rs” of recovery when thinking of that post-exercise meal: refueling, repairing, and rehydrating. You’ll want to refuel with carbohydrates, repair with protein, and rehydrate with fluids and electrolytes.
Combining the three can make for what Halpering describes as the ideal “post-workout trifecta.” She lists yogurt and fruit, peanut butter sandwiches, turkey on whole grain bread with vegetables, hummus with whole wheat pita and veggies, and chicken with brown rice as some of the simple combos you can make yourself after exercising.
To replenish your energy, you’ll need carbs—especially if you’re training for several hours or multiple times a day. Stangland says that complex carbohydrates (a.k.a. minimally processed whole foods) are the best types of carbs as they will provide a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and fibers. Complex carbohydrates also take longer to digest, increasing the feeling of satiety and providing energy that lasts. They also keep those dreaded blood sugar spikes at bay.
Some examples of complex carbohydrates include whole grains, brown rice, legumes, quinoa, sweet potatoes, vegetables, and fruits like bananas.
Protein helps repair and build muscle. To help the body maximize muscle growth, studies show that we should aim for 20 to 40 grams post workout. Good sources of protein are eggs, greek yogurt, beans, tofu, tempeh, fish, shellfish, chicken, and turkey.
Another thing Stangland says to look for? Foods with a high leucine content, like chicken, fish, and cheese. These foods contain amino acids that turn on muscle protein synthesis. There’s even some evidence to suggest that leucine may help improve muscle recovery and reduce inflammation.
Speaking of recovery, eating both carbs and protein will definitely help on that front, too. Halperin points to studies that show consuming carbohydrates in a 3:1 ratio to protein is the most beneficial for post-workout.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t other foods you should consider working into your post-workout meal as well.
“Anti-inflammatory foods are great after a workout to help with recovery and for reducing muscle soreness,” explains Stangland. “These could be tart cherries, turmeric, dark leafy greens, and deep-colored wild berries.”
You may want to add omega-3 fats, like those found in salmon, olive oil, walnuts, flax seeds, and chia seeds, as well. Studies show that just one week of eating foods rich in omega-3 can help reduce muscle damage.
Other nutrients to consider? Magnesium and vitamin E. In fact, Asche is a big proponent of both for their ability to support the muscles through soreness while reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. (She notes that research has found that almonds are helpful in exercise recovery.)
So what about fats? Turns out eating healthy, low-fat natural foods may also be beneficial after you exercise. “You can absolutely incorporate some fat in your post-workout meal or snack; I just recommend prioritizing sources of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat,” says Asche. To that end, she lists olives, olive oil, avocado, fatty fish like salmon and sardines, nuts like almonds, and seeds as healthy fats to look for.
However, it’s important to note that the current research on incorporating fats into a post-workout nutrition meal for repair and recovery isn’t conclusive. Because of this, Halperin says it is best to stick to a small amount of healthy fats.
Healthy post-workout meals and snacks
As mentioned, following a 3:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein has been shown to be the most beneficial for post-workout recovery. Sprinkle in some healthy fats for added nutrients, and you should be golden. Below, a few examples of some healthy options to help inspire your next meal.
- Banana with almond butter, sea salt, and cinnamon
- Apple, hard boiled egg, almonds
- Handful of cashews and walnuts with dried fruit
- Red pepper and celery with hummus
- String cheese, sliced carrots, and cucumbers
- Smoothie made with frozen blueberries, banana, flax seeds, protein powder, and almond milk
- Nicoise salad with tuna, hard-boiled egg, green beans, olives, and olive oil vinaigrette
- Grilled chicken breast, avocado, steamed kale, parmesan, and pumpkin seeds
- Grilled salmon with sweet potato, broccoli, and white beans
- Omelette with spinach, avocado, mushrooms, and whole wheat sourdough
- Greek yogurt with pistachios, fresh berries, whole oats, flax seeds
- Scrambled tofu with mushrooms, green onion, zucchini, turmeric, miso, and tahini
What should you drink after a workout?
While the best thing you can drink after a workout is definitely water, it might not hurt to boost it with some additional nutrients and electrolytes. “Consuming a healthy drink after a workout is a great way to get multiple functional nutrients in your body quickly and efficiently,” explains Stangland. “Depending on schedules, timing and resources, sitting down for a balanced post-workout snack is not always an option. A drink can get into the bloodstream quickly and deliver the recovery nutrients to the fatigued cells.”
How much water to drink after a workout?
To replace fluids and nutrients lost through sweating during a workout, you’ll want to drink two to three cups of water post-workout, as the American College of Sports Medicine recommends. While drinking a sports drink can certainly help maintain electrolyte balance, Halperin says it’s only necessary after super strenuous, long workouts. She also advises to note the sugar content of any electrolyte drinks you consume—they can be sneaky-sweet. Instead, swap packaged electrolyte mixes for coconut water with a pinch of salt.
You can also consider drinking a healthy smoothie post-workout. Asche recommends smoothies that contain whole foods rich in protein, carbohydrates, and antioxidants. Think: fruit smoothies blended with protein powder or Greek yogurt. Stangland likes mixing frozen tart cherries, ground flaxseeds, ice, almond milk, and whey protein powder like Momentous Chocolate Whey for a protein shake to help the body recover.
What should you never eat or drink after a workout?
As for what not to eat after a workout, Halperin says it’s best to avoid sugary foods like cookies, candies, pastries, muffins, and cakes, as well other foods high in fat. They won’t help your muscles recover and they may even cause an upset stomach.
Stangland adds that you’ll also want to avoid simple carbohydrates—which tend to be digested quickly and flood the bloodstream with immediate bursts of glucose—like sugar, syrup, and honey. You’ll also want to avoid lower-quality protein sources like sugary cereals, baked goods, bars, or beverages with a long ingredient list or a lot of preservatives. “These would be ‘empty calories’ coming in [your body] that are not as functional to refueling, rehydrating, and repairing the body after a workout,” she says, adding that you should also avoid fried foods.
Anything else with lots of added sugars should also be avoided as they contribute to inflammation and definitely won’t help your body recover. In short, avoid anything that will upset your digestive system, lacks protein, or is too high in saturated fat. And if you’re thinking of heading to brunch after your pilates session, don’t even think about getting a mimosa. Alcohol interferes with muscle protein synthesis and sleep quality, both which don’t contribute to an ideal workout recovery.
Wellness is a holistic practice—and that means what you do after your workout is just as important as doing the exercise itself. Don’t skip out on eating that healthy meal. After all, you wouldn’t want all your hard work to be for nothing, right?
