A healthy diet is crucial for building lean muscle, most of us know that. But it is still not always easy to know what types of foods one should eat after the gym.
Our body builds muscle and recovers 24 hours a day, not just during and after a gym session. Nevertheless, the post-workout meal is still probably the most important meal of the day for anyone who wants to build muscle, lose fat or improve their body.
Eating the right food can give your body the fuel it needs to gain muscle, burn fat, and recover. To help you make the most out of your exercises, we collected the best foods to eat after a workout. Check it out!
Don’t eat a too big post-workout meal
It’s important to not overestimate how many extra calories you burned through exercising, especially if you want to lose weight. Remember, it’s easy to eat a lot of calories, but it’s hard to burn them. Try to eat healthy, nutritious and wholesome snacks after a workout instead of large quantities of food.
Eat a mix of different muscle recovery foods
Eating high-quality post-workout food is crucial. To recover from a workout, consuming protein and a small number of carbs immediately after exercise works best.
Muscle recovery food #1: Protein
The period after a strength training is called the anabolic window. This is when your body will need moderate or high protein food in order to build and recover muscle tissues.
Muscle recovery food #2: Good Carbs
After a workout, your body will be depleted in muscle glycogen. You will need to refuel it with good carbs in order to start the growth process.
Muscle recovery food #3: Fluids
Forget about all the sugary sports drinks, they are not included in our listing of good post-workout meals. There’s nothing your body needs more than the right amount of water. The more you exercise, the more important it is to drink before, during, and after your workouts. Dehydration can make it hard to get the most out of your workout and can even be harmful to your health.
The best foods to eat after workout
Still not sure what exactly to eat after a workout? Here are the foods we recommend eating after training sessions to help speed up recovery and build lean muscle mass.
- Quinoa and Blueberries
- Kefir and Banana
- Salmon and Veggies
- Almonds and Apple
- Chicken and Sweet Potatoes
- Protein Shake mixed with Almond Milk
- Salad with boiled Eggs/Roasted Chickpeas
- Tofu, Avocado und Cooked Broccoli
- Green juice and Hemp Seed Protein
- Greek Yogurt and Raspberries
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Note: Whatever you choose as your post-workout meal, more isn’t better. Even someone doing strength training needs as little as 10 to 20 grams of protein afterward.
