You have burned a lot of calories during your workout and are wondering which foods are best to fill your energy reserves? We have researched it and the best tips for nutrition after exercise for you.
To begin with, something basic: In order to function at all, our bodies are constantly consuming calories. Even at rest, we need energy.
During physical exertion, especially during sports, the energy requirement increases many times over.
Therefore, regardless of your training workload, it is important to quickly replenish your body with energy after a workout.
Table of contents
- Where we get the power during training
- Why carbohydrates are an important part of the diet after exercise
- Why protein after training is important for muscle building
- Why you should avoid fats after exercise
- Recipes for nutrition after sports
- How to choose the right food
- Why timing matters when it comes to post-exercise nutrition
The regeneration phase can thus begin immediately and the vital processes can continue without restriction. You will feel fit again in no time.
Do you know these 13 delicious pre workout meals?
Where we get the power during training
Let's take a quick look at where our body gets its energy from during exercise. This way we can find out which foods are the best for the post-workout meal.
We get the necessary fuel for our workout mainly from carbohydrates. They are available in the form of Glycogen (sugar) in the Liver and in the Muscles Saved.
When we engage in endurance sports, we get the necessary energy from our glycogen reserves. When these are depleted, our body additionally resorts to proteins (protein) embedded in the muscles.
Since we focus more on muscle building in strength training, the energy here comes directly from the muscles and thus mainly from proteins.
So we note carbohydrates and protein. The two basic nutrients that should not be missing in our diet after exercise.
These two energy sources are easily digestible and therefore optimal after training. Pendulum Carbohydrates and Proteins our meal in a Ratio from 3:1 we speak of an optimal energy supply.
These muscle building snacks are really tasty!
Why carbohydrates are an important part of the diet after exercise
In order to quickly fill our reserves after exhaustion and thus speed up recovery, we should resort to fast carbon end hydrates.
Fast carbohydrates can be promptly absorbed and stored in the form of glycogen.
Foods such as rice, pasta, quinoa, rice cakes, potatoes, sweet potatoes and bananas are optimal for this purpose Energy suppliers.
Why protein after training is important for muscle building
Our muscles need energy, which we can give back to them through protein-rich foods.
Proteins do not only provide them with energy, they also promote their development. If, on the other hand, we do without proteins, it can happen that our muscles start to break down.
To prevent this, our meal should include lean foods such as chicken or turkey, beef, lean curd, cottage cheese, legumes, low-fat fish or eggs.
A heavenly protein dessert: ricotta gnocchi with apricot jelly
Why you should avoid fats after exercise
We are all familiar with fats. We try to avoid them and that's exactly what we should do after sports.
Fats are rather difficult to digest and remain in the stomach for a long time before they can be converted into energy.
Therefore, we should mainly avoid them after training. Fats also stand in the way of carbohydrate and protein utilization and thus slow down their absorption.
Recipes for nutrition after sports
The best Recipes for the balanced Diet after sport do not necessarily have to be complicated or time-consuming. It can also be simple :)
Healthy snacks after the workout:
- Wholemeal bread topped with cottage cheese, turkey ham, cucumber and chives
- Yogurt shake with fresh raspberries and mint
- Low fat yogurt with bananas, strawberries and nuts
- Avocado buttermilk smoothie
Main meals after training
- Vegetable Quinoa with turkey breast
- Omelet with tomatoes, shepherd cheese and fresh herbs
- Smoked trout on leaf salads with carrot and mustard curd cheese
- Sweet potato quiche with spinach leaves, chickpeas and shepherd's cheese
- Baked potato stuffed with chicken breast and vegetables, served with Greek yogurt tzatziki
- Pasta with fresh tomatoes and arugula
- Spelt vegetable loaf on leaf salads
- Vegetable egg and rice couscous salad with zucchini, mango, chili and turkey pieces
- Homemade lentil loaf
How to choose the right food
On the subject of Eating after sports you should always ask yourself the question about your own Destination pose. Do you want to get rid of pesky waist fat? Or do you want to build muscle? Depending on your intentions, you can adjust the right nutrition after the workout.
Eating after sports or before? Which is better?
The right foods after exercise to lose weight
You want to lose a kilo or two? Just do not starve after the workout! If you've worked out, you can eat too! The trick to losing weight is to curb your calorie intake.
That is, you just need to burn more calories than you take in.
And you've already done all the groundwork with your workout.
It's that simple: To lose weight, you should rely on protein-rich food in combination with fiber-rich carbohydrates. The proteins promote your muscle build-up - don't worry, you won't become a muscleman right away.
Dietary fiber, on the other hand, keeps you full for a long time and gives you plenty of energy. Especially cabbage vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, red cabbage) but also potatoes and carrots are the best energy suppliers.
If, on the other hand, you starve yourself after exercising, your body will start to work on the stored reserves in your muscles. Your muscles will gradually break down and what remains is the stored fat. Your training success thus quickly dissolves into thin air.
Eating after sports supportive for muscle building
Is it your goal to promote your muscle growth? Then you can really treat yourself after your workout.
The basic rule here is: You should eat more calories than you consume. Your body logically needs enough material to be able to build the muscles.
As we already know, our main building blocks in muscle building are proteins. Therefore, make sure you eat a balanced and healthy diet rich in protein after exercise.
Wow. This is what you need to eat to prevent sore muscles!
Only a healthy body is able to produce muscle mass effectively. The optimal supporters for achieving your training goal: animal and vegetable proteins from legumes, grains and lean meat combined with healthy carbohydrates from vegetables.
Why timing matters when it comes to post-exercise nutrition
Now that we know WHAT we should eat after exercise, the only question is WHEN we should eat after exercise?
To quickly regain strength directly after exercise, high-energy snacks such as low-fat yogurt with fresh fruit or cottage cheese with raw vegetable sticks (carrots, cucumber, peppers) are recommended.
However, it should be followed by a proper meal within two hours of the session, as our body can process nutrients particularly quickly and effectively during this period.
One tip in conclusion. DRINK ENOUGH. Since we sweat a lot during exercise, we should drink enough before, during, but especially after sports to keep our body's fluid balance in equilibrium.
Our conclusion
What you eat after a workout has a lot to do with your goals. If you want to lose weight, you have to eat differently than someone who wants to build muscle. In both cases, stay away from sugar. Go for a good portion of protein instead.
Christina is studying health management. In her free time, too, everything revolves around fitness, food and fun. She loves to conjure up new creations on the plate, the more colorful the better. Whether in her studies, in sports or in the kitchen, nothing works for her without a healthy dose of fun.
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