What to Eat After a Workout

Many of you have already heard me tell you (repeatedly!) how important the post-workout meal is for your body. But as much as I stress proper nutrition after a great workout, I also sense confusion out there! Maybe it's because of the many ready-made shakes and packaged recovery bars available. Maybe it's the trouble with fitting it in with the rest of your diet. Or maybe it’s the doubt over whether you should even eat anything after you've worked out. Whatever it is, something about it confuses people.

The truth is, once you understand the basics of what nutrients your body needs and doesn't need after your workout, and what the best sources are to get this nutrition from, the post workout meal will probably become the most simple and quickest meal of your day. And, luckily for you, I just so happen to be explaining all of this information right NOW!

What you should and should NOT eat after a workout.

Simply put, aside from water (which you should already know you need) your post workout meal needs to contain two things, and it needs to not contain one. You should be eating protein and carbs. You should NOT be eating fat. More on the protein and carbs you need a little later. First, let's start with a quick explanation of why you shouldn't eat fat after a workout.
So first of all, I often write and talk about why fat is NOT a bad thing (when it's the "good" fat) and why it is an important part of everyone's diet. However, there just happens to be a certain time when fat (good or bad) isn’t a good idea to eat. This, my friends, is in the post workout meal. Simply put, fat slows down digestion. In this case, it would be slowing down the digestion of protein and carbs. This, as you're about to find out, is the exact opposite of what you want to happen.

At this point you probably have three basic questions about your post workout meal:

1 - How soon should I eat it?
2 - How much protein and how many carbs should I eat?
3 - What foods should the protein and carbs come from?

So allow me to play Genie for you...

How long after my workout should I eat?

Soon... really soon. As soon as you can. I don't mean put-down-the-dumbbells-and-start-eating. It doesn't need to be quite that soon. However, there is this window of time that exists after your workout during which it is the most beneficial for your body to receive the right nutrition for recovery. Typically you'd want to try to get this meal into your body within 1 hour. If possible, within 30 minutes would be even better. I personally have my post workout meal about 5-10 minutes after my workout. Hey, this girl likes to eat!

Post Workout Protein

Now that you know time is of the essence when it comes to your post workout meal, this part is going to make a whole lot of sense. See, eating this meal soon after a workout is important, but just because you are putting the food into your body quickly doesn't actually mean the food is being digested and used by your body equally as quick. While egg whites, chicken and tuna fish are fine sources of protein that I personally eat daily, they aren't the ideal type of protein for the meal after your workout. Here’s why:

These foods are whole foods, and the protein in whole foods digest pretty slowly. You may have eaten a high protein food in your post workout meal, but by the time the protein is digested and finally ready to be used by your body, a whole lot of time would have passed. This is why the ideal source of protein to eat after your workout is a whey protein powder mixed with some type of liquid (water, low-fat milk, orange juice) to create a whey protein shake.

A whey protein shake will be digested by your body much quicker than a whole food because it will be a liquid. And, not to mention, whey protein is the fastest digesting protein there is. As for how much, try to consume between 0.15-0.25 grams of protein per pound of your body weight (so a 175 lb person would shoot for between 26-43 grams at this time). As a side note, if you are in a pinch and find yourself without protein powder after a workout, then do hurry and ingest some of the whole foods mentioned above... it’s better than nothing! But get some whey protein, will ya?!

As for the whey protein powder itself, I personally use Designer Whey Protein Powder (I’m a vanilla girl, but there’s also chocolate and strawberry out there for you adventurous types). I get mine at Fred Meyer, but you can find it at GNC and The Vitamin Shoppe, and probably other grocery stores in the area.

Post Workout Carbs
Settle down with the carb-hating, first of all. They really aren't so bad. Secondly, after your workout they are actually an extremely important part of your nutrition. Carbs will be used by your body to restore muscle glycogen. If your post workout meal doesn't contain carbs, your body may actually instead break down muscle tissue for this same purpose. That would be a bad thing! Carbs also create an insulin spike which helps to move nutrients into your muscle tissue quicker.

So, now that you know you need them after a workout, what kind do you need? Well, you know all about good carbs and bad carbs by now, right? Funny enough, this is actually the only time when "good carbs” and "bad carbs" switch roles. This doesn't mean start eating cookies, this just means that typical good carbs (whole wheat bread, brown rice, etc) contain fiber, and fiber slows down their digestion. This is actually what makes them "good" any other time of the day. But by now you know the post workout meal is all about speed. And when it comes to speed, simple carbs beat complex carbs.

A food like a baked potato is an okay choice for a carb source after a workout. However, just like protein, whole foods in general aren't really the most ideal choice at this time. This is where a little something called dextrose comes in. Dextrose is not a supplement... it's actually just a type of sugar. I know, I'm basically saying you should eat sugar. While that would be insane any other time of the day, your post workout meal is the one exception.

Along with whey protein, dextrose has also become almost an official choice for a post workout carb. Most people should look to consume somewhere between 0.25-0.4 grams of carbs per pound of their body weight from dextrose (a 175 lb person would shoot for between 40-70 grams). I personally recommend most people should stick more towards the lower/middle end of their range rather than higher end. As far as dextrose goes, NOW Foods Dextrose is a great choice.

And please note: You will NOT get fat from dextrose because in the case of completing a great workout, it will go directly to your muscles. Also please note: This is nutrition advice for those of you who workout consistently (3-6 times a week). Now you know what I know, go make yourself proud!

Meet the Trainer

Crystal is a certified personal trainer through the National Sports and Conditioning Association (NSCA). She has a passion for
helping others live a healthy lifestyle and coaching them to
push their limits beyond what they think they are capable of.