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Pre and Post Workout Nutrition

Healthy post-exercise eats -

Curbing unhealthy exercise-induced inflammation mostly comes down to knowing your limits and allowing time for appropriate rest, but your diet can help, too. The length, intensity, and type of workout will dictate whether you should quickly refuel and how much.

This is particularly true for people wanting to add muscle mass and for busy, active individuals who tend to have a harder time meeting their overall calorie needs for the day, she adds. So what, exactly, should you eat after a workout?

Aim to eat a balanced meal or snack containing a combo of complex carbs, protein, and healthy fats. Many studies have tested various carb-to-protein ratios after workouts, but instead of stressing over proportions, simply aim for a mix of these macros, then tune into how your body feels and performs during future workouts.

Below, learn a bit more about the importance of carbs, proteins, and fats for post-workout recovery—and keep reading for specific meal and snack ideas. Generally, your best bet is going to be minimally processed, complex carbohydrates , which are digested slower; less likely to spike blood sugar; and contain more vitamins, minerals, and fiber than refined carbohydrates and added sugars.

Good post-workout carbohydrate sources include:. Various types of fruit such as bananas, mango, or apples. Whole wheat or whole grain varieties of bread, sandwich wraps, English muffins, pastas, and pretzels.

Protein-rich foods supply the body with amino acids, which enhance muscle repair and growth, particularly when you eat them after exercising. While the amount of protein you need depends on your individual needs, the National Library of Medicine recommends that healthy adults intake protein for percent of their total daily calories.

That means a person on a 2, calorie diet would eat about grams of protein per day. Good post-workout protein sources include:.

High-quality protein powder look for ones with few ingredients and no added sugars, fillers, artificial sweeteners, or preservatives, per the Cleveland Clinic. Nuts and nut butter. Fat may not be as important in the post-workout period as carbs and protein, but this macronutrient can help you feel full, support stable energy levels , enhance absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, and maintain cell membrane integrity—all of which are important for recovery, McDaniel notes.

Omega-3 fats can also help curb inflammation, especially when consumed regularly. Some preliminary research even suggests that omega-3 intake may help improve post-workout recovery. Just keep in mind that you may not need to add a separate source of fat to your post-workout meal or snack, since some protein-rich foods contain fat already.

Good post-workout fat sources include:. Nuts and nut butters. Extra virgin olive oil. For an added bonus after particularly strenuous workouts, you can also consider incorporating specific anti-inflammatory foods, such as tart cherries , wild blueberries , and turmeric , suggests registered dietitian Jessica Cording, MS, RD, CDN.

For example, muscle cells have increased sensitivity to insulin for a period of time after you work out. This allows your muscles to more rapidly absorb glucose when you consume carbohydrates, supporting more rapid glycogen resynthesis.

Muscles can also take up amino acids more efficiently during this post-exercise window, and consuming protein shortly after a workout has been shown to enhance muscle protein synthesis aka strengthen and build your muscles. Having a balanced meal or snack within a few hours, or whenever you get hungry, is perfectly fine.

Ready to fuel up, but not sure what to eat after a workout? The following snacks contain a combination of carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats to support workout recovery and overall health. Banana with nut butter. Sliced apple with an ounce of cheese.

Piece of fruit with one or two hard boiled eggs. Dried fruit and a small handful of nuts. Carrot slices, whole wheat pita, and hummus. DIY trail mix with dried edamame, nuts, raisins, and dark chocolate. Smoothie made with 1 cup milk or plant-based milk, 1 cup fruit, and a scoop of protein powder optional: add a handful of mild greens, like baby spinach.

Oatmeal with ground flaxseed, milk, fruit, and chopped nuts or nut butter. Plain Greek yogurt or cottage cheese with berries, granola, and almond slivers.

A veggie omelet cooked with olive oil and a slice of whole-wheat toast. Small whole-wheat wrap with eggs, cheese, and arugula. Brown rice or quinoa with roasted veggies and a serving of meat, fish, or egg, plus avocado or tahini for a source of healthy fat.

Tuna or chicken salad with mayo or olive oil , whole grain crackers, and veggie slices. English muffin pizza made with a whole-wheat English muffin, marinara or barbeque sauce, grilled chicken slices, and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese.

Whole-wheat pasta salad with cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, grilled chicken, and a vinaigrette dressing. Smoothie made with 1 cup milk or plant-based milk, ½ banana, ½ cup berries, 1 cup greens, 1 tablespoon nut butter, and 1 scoop protein powder.

Try to stick to a balanced, healthy eating pattern after workouts. Avoid loading up on low-quality sources of carbs and protein think: things made with loads of added sugars or refined carbs, like baked goods, or sketchy protein shakes with a laundry list of funky additives.

Ingredients like frozen yogurt, plant-based milk, and mix-ins like granola can come with added sugars that leave you at risk for energy crashes, mood swings, and poor appetite control later in the day, Cording says.

A good rule of thumb is aiming to cap the fruit content of your smoothies at around one cup. For strenuous workouts, consider weighing yourself before and after to assess fluid loss via sweat, McDaniel suggests, and for every pound lost, aim to drink ounces of fluids.

Post-workout nutrition is particularly important after long-lasting or strenuous sweat sessions. Refueling with a snack or meal that contains a balance of carbs and protein, plus healthy fats, during the first minutes after a workout can help replenish muscle glycogen stores and repair muscle tissue, which supports muscle gains and positively impacts performance during future workouts.

Antioxidant-rich foods like berries might also help curb some of that post-workout soreness that can sap your motivation. This content is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute individualized advice.

It is not intended to replace professional medical evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician for questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition.

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According to the University Health Services at the University of California Berkeley, you should drink 16 to 24 ounces of fluid for every pound of body weight lost after exercise. In 1 hour of exercise, your body can lose more than a quart of water.

It is not plausible to recommend a standardized fluid replacement because everyone has different variables in their bodies and workouts, says the American College of Sports Medicine. The most natural hydration fluid you can drink is water.

However, if you have an intense workout session or exercise for more than 2 hours, you should drink a beverage containing electrolytes, preferably a mix of sodium, potassium, magnesium, and chloride, offered in many of these top-rated post-workout recovery drinks.

This helps replace the minerals lost when you sweat. Here are some additional hydration tips. When to eat your post-exercise meal depends on your workout and your goals. Most likely, you will need to go through some trial and error to find what works best for your body.

That said, researchers do provide some general guidelines. For instance, if you perform intense weight resistance workouts to increase muscle size, you may want to consume 20 to 30 grams of lean protein and 30 to 40 grams of nutritious carbohydrates as close to your post-workout as possible.

For lighter cardio workouts, they suggest eating a well-balanced meal with the same ratio up to 1 hour after exercising. Keep in mind that some research suggests that the anabolic window diminishes without adequate carbohydrate and protein intake.

The most critical factor, though, in your post-workout meal is not necessarily nutrient timing but just ensuring you are eating the right foods for your fitness goals. Here are some additional guidelines to consider when planning your post-workout meals including how much of each macronutrient to consume.

At a minimum, you should replenish your glycogen stores with carbohydrates within 2 hours of exercise.

The same journal also recommends consuming a protein mixed with your carbohydrate, in the form a supplement or whole foods within the 2-hour period. In the study, researchers discovered that a minute cycling session resulted in a much greater glycogen re-synthesis when carbohydrates were paired with protein consumption than when compared with ingesting a calorie-equated, carbohydrate-only solution within the 2-hour window.

Waiting 3 hours post-exercise did not increase glycogen synthesis. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, you should drink 23 ounces of fluid for every pound of weight lost when you exercised between the time you first workout and 1 to 2 hours before you start your next workout.

Options include a sports drink, coconut water, or an electrolyte supplement available in a pill, powder, or capsule form. Discovering which nutritious foods work best for your body post-workout is often done through experimenting.

You can try different whole foods , packaged liquids, and whey proteins and see how your body responds. But you should strive to have a nutritional strategy in place for each exercise session so that your body can properly recover.

For any questions on nutrition techniques and timing, it may help to speak with a registered dietitian or another healthcare provider. After a workout, you should limit your intake of processed foods and opt for whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Remember, you are refueling your body and it will be best served focusing on whole foods.

Not eating after a workout can lead to decreased future workout performances, fatigue, low mood, and brain fog. While skipping a post workout meal after one workout, will not cause long-term damage, developing a pattern of skipping eating could impact your mood and energy levels as well as potentially keep you from reaching your fitness goals.

Just like foam rolling or wearing recovery shoes , eating after a workout is key to a sustainable fitness routine. Consuming the right foods helps your body recover faster, improves your performance in future workouts, replenishes glycogen storage, benefits muscle repair, and provides overall hydration of lost electrolytes.

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Harvard Health. The importance of hydration. The National Academy of Sports Medicine. The second scoop on protein: When, what and how much? van Vliet S, Beals JW, Martinez IG, Skinner SK, Burd NA. Achieving optimal post-exercise muscle protein remodeling in physically active adults through whole food consumption.

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Exercise and fluid replacement. Kalman DS, Feldman S, Krieger DR, Bloomer RJ. Comparison of coconut water and a carbohydrate-electrolyte sport drink on measures of hydration and physical performance in exercise-trained men.

Craven J, Desbrow B, Sabapathy S, Bellinger P, McCartney D, Irwin C. The effect of consuming carbohydrate with and without protein on the rate of muscle glycogen re-synthesis during short-term post-exercise recovery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

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American College of Sports Medicine. Preventing the "low-fuel light" in endurance exercise. American College of Sports Medicine Joint Position Statement. Nutrition and Athletic Performance. By Jennifer Purdie, M. Ed, CPT Jennifer Purdie, M. Ed, is a certified personal trainer, freelance writer, and author of "Growth Mindset for Athletes, Coaches and Trainers.

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When your workout is finished, you might post--exercise that the important work post-exercisw behind you. But Healthy post-exercise eats you eat after post-exercsie exercise can Gut health education a real impact on your fitness. Martinez Healthy post-exercise eats, Weight gain counseling, a sports medicine physician who has worked with the USA Triathlon team. Martinez recommends that people — especially those training at a high level — eat a meal rich in protein and carbohydrates within an hour of finishing their workout. Ideally, these carbs and protein should be from whole foods like fruits, vegetables, and lean meat, but protein supplements or shakes can work in a pinch. All post-exxercise featured on Vogue are independently selected by Gut health education editors. However, when you buy something through Healtby Citrus fruit energy booster links, we Strength training program Healthy post-exercise eats an post-eexercise commission. Health about what to eat after a workout may not seem like that big of a deal, but what you put in your body is actually essential to your post-workout recovery. It takes a balanced meal full of the right foods to make any exercise worth it—healthy eating is key. Below, the experts break down exactly which types of foods you should eat after a workout and which ones to steer clear of.