Foods to Eat after Workout
The post workout is probably the most important meal of the day for an athlete or someone who is into nutrition and fitness. But the availability of many ready-made shakes, the trouble of fitting these shakes with your diet and just plain lack of information whether to eat or not after to eat a workout will be confusing.
But when you will understand what nutrients will your body needs and does not need after workout and where to get this nutrients from, the post workout meal will probably become the most simple and quick meal of the day.
So what you should or should not eat after workout?
Water should be drunk after a workout. But your post workout meal should contain two things. For one, you should be eating proteins and carbs and you should not be eating fats. There are good and bad fats. It just happens that there are certain times of the day when fat should not be eaten. This is during post workout. It slows down the digestion of protein and fat. So this will lead to three questions:
1. How soon should I eat?
2. How much protein and carb should I eat?
3. What food should protein and carbs be coming from?
There is this so called "window of time" that exists after a workout when it is most beneficial for your body to receive its nutrition. Try to take it within one hour after workout. If possible, 30 minutes would be better. Since time is of utmost importance, eating long digesting foods like egg whites, chicken and tuna fish are not the ideal type of protein. These foods are whole foods and the protein they digest slowly. Thus after eating these foods after workout and by the time the protein is digested and ready to be used by the body, lots of time would have already passed. That is why the ideal food to be taken after workout is a whey protein powder mixed with some type of liquid thus making a whey protein shake.
A whey protein shake will be digested quickly in your body because it is liquid. It is also the fast digesting protein there is. A reason why it is the choice of most people as an after workout meal. As for how much, try to consume 0.15 to 0.25 grams of protein per pound of your body weight. Thus 175lb person should consume between 26 to 43 grams.
Carbs are important after a workout. It will be used by the body to restore muscle glycogen. If your post workout meal does not contain carbs, the body may break down muscle tissue. But there are good and bad carbs. Whole wheat bread, brown rice, etc has fiber. This is what makes good at any time of the day but not after a workout because fiber slows down digestion and the post workout meal is all about speed. Thus a baked potato may be a good choice of carb. But it may be the ideal food this time because of the presence of dextrose. It is not a supplement. It is a type of sugar. While you should not be eating sugar at any time of the day, post workout is the exception. Along with whey protein, dextrose should be ideal. Bring a shaker bottle to the gym. Blend whey protein powder, dextrose, glutamine and creatine in it.
But when you will understand what nutrients will your body needs and does not need after workout and where to get this nutrients from, the post workout meal will probably become the most simple and quick meal of the day.
So what you should or should not eat after workout?
Water should be drunk after a workout. But your post workout meal should contain two things. For one, you should be eating proteins and carbs and you should not be eating fats. There are good and bad fats. It just happens that there are certain times of the day when fat should not be eaten. This is during post workout. It slows down the digestion of protein and fat. So this will lead to three questions:
1. How soon should I eat?
2. How much protein and carb should I eat?
3. What food should protein and carbs be coming from?
There is this so called "window of time" that exists after a workout when it is most beneficial for your body to receive its nutrition. Try to take it within one hour after workout. If possible, 30 minutes would be better. Since time is of utmost importance, eating long digesting foods like egg whites, chicken and tuna fish are not the ideal type of protein. These foods are whole foods and the protein they digest slowly. Thus after eating these foods after workout and by the time the protein is digested and ready to be used by the body, lots of time would have already passed. That is why the ideal food to be taken after workout is a whey protein powder mixed with some type of liquid thus making a whey protein shake.
A whey protein shake will be digested quickly in your body because it is liquid. It is also the fast digesting protein there is. A reason why it is the choice of most people as an after workout meal. As for how much, try to consume 0.15 to 0.25 grams of protein per pound of your body weight. Thus 175lb person should consume between 26 to 43 grams.
Carbs are important after a workout. It will be used by the body to restore muscle glycogen. If your post workout meal does not contain carbs, the body may break down muscle tissue. But there are good and bad carbs. Whole wheat bread, brown rice, etc has fiber. This is what makes good at any time of the day but not after a workout because fiber slows down digestion and the post workout meal is all about speed. Thus a baked potato may be a good choice of carb. But it may be the ideal food this time because of the presence of dextrose. It is not a supplement. It is a type of sugar. While you should not be eating sugar at any time of the day, post workout is the exception. Along with whey protein, dextrose should be ideal. Bring a shaker bottle to the gym. Blend whey protein powder, dextrose, glutamine and creatine in it.
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