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When it comes to working out, many of us think more about what we’ll eat before we exercise. But what you eat post-workout plays a critical role in muscle recovery, replenishing your energy, and maximizing the benefits of exercise.
When it comes to the best post-workout meals, you want to focus on a few key nutrients. Protein is key for muscle repair, while carbohydrates are needed to restore glycogen to fuel your body. It is also important to pay attention to timing and refuel your body with protein and essential nutrients within two hours of working out. That way, you make sure your muscles can repair, strengthen, and replenish the energy you spent working out.
This article will review some of the best post-workout meals, tailored to fit your needs after different workout intensities and your specific dietary preferences. That way, you can be sure to make the most of your post-workout refueling strategy while enjoying something delicious, too!
How Soon After a Workout Should You Eat?
To solidify the benefits of working out, refueling your body in the right time frame is important. Ideally, you should eat a meal or snack within 30 minutes to 2 hours after exercising, depending on the intensity and length of your workout. Focus on replenishing protein and glycogen in this snack so your body can work on muscle repair and refueling.
The exact window for when you should eat after your workout will depend on your fitness goals, body composition, and overall dietary habits.
4 Best Post-Workout Meal Choices
Whether you’re looking for something light to replenish your energy post-workout or a full-on meal to stave off hunger until dinner, these post-workout meals will deliver. Each one offers an optimal balance of protein, carbs, and healthy fats to recharge your energy and give your muscles the protein they need to recover from working hard.
Greek Yogurt Parfait With Berries And Granola
Greek yogurt is an excellent source of protein that helps ensure muscles heal and become stronger after a workout. Berries give this snack a boost of antioxidants, while the granola adds fiber to help you feel full. Altogether, this makes an excellent, nutritionally balanced post-workout snack for lighter workouts or when you just need a quick recharge.
Grilled Chicken Breast With Sweet Potato And Broccoli
Grilled chicken is a great, lean source of protein, perfect for a post-workout meal. Sweet potatoes provide complex carbs to help replenish your body’s energy, while broccoli adds a healthy dose of vitamins and nutrients.
Whole Grain Toast With Avocado And Scrambled Eggs
Whole grain toast is a great way to replenish your carbohydrates while also getting a dose of healthy fiber. Adding avocado for healthy fats and protein from scrambled eggs turns toast into a satisfying and well-balanced post-workout meal.
Salmon With Quinoa And Roasted Vegetables
If you need a more hearty, protein-packed meal after a tough workout, salmon with quinoa and roasted vegetables is a flavorful and nutrient-dense option. Salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and a good source of lean protein, while quinoa adds even more protein to truly enrich this meal. Roasted veggies add plenty of vitamins and nutrients to round out this post-workout dinner option.
What Ingredients to Look for in Post-Workout Food?
To truly support your overall fitness goals, you want to combine essential post-workout nutrients in what you eat after exercise. The ingredients below are key components of the best post-workout meals, and ideally, you want a good balance of each to truly refuel, recover, and give your body what it needs to get stronger.
High-Quality Proteins
When you work out, your muscles actually get damaged. They need protein to repair and rebuild, coming back stronger than before. Protein sources like lean meats, fish, eggs, and plant-based options like legumes and tofu are ideal post-workout foods.
Complex Carbohydrates
During exercise, you burn off energy, known as glycogen. It’s important to get complex carbs post-workout so your body can replenish these stores so you have energy for the rest of your day. Opt for nutrient-dense complex carbs like whole grains, sweet potatoes, and quinoa for an ideal post-workout meal.
Antioxidant-Rich Fruits
Working out is good for you but also puts your body through stress. Antioxidants can help combat this stress and help your body recover and get stronger. Berries, citrus fruits, and cherries are all great sources of antioxidants.
Nutrient-Dense Vegetables
Vegetables provide several essential vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber. These nutrients support overall health and will ensure your body stays strong and recovers well from even your toughest workouts. Leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, and bell peppers are all great, healthy veggies to include in your meals after working out.
Electrolyte-Rich Foods
During exercise, we lose electrolytes through our sweat. It’s important to replenish electrolytes to keep hydrated, especially if you’re prone to headaches or migraine. Bananas, coconut water, and leafy greens are all great natural sources of electrolytes. These can be a healthier choice than sports drinks, which are often full of sugar in addition to electrolytes.
Are There Meal Delivery Services That Offer Post Workout Meals?
When you’ve got a fitness routine on top of a busy schedule, it can be challenging to juggle meal prep and grocery shopping on top of everything else. Meal kit companies can help by offering a time-saving solution to enjoy healthy, post-workout meals without the work of grocery shopping and planning out your meals.
The services highlighted below offer great options for post-workout meals crafted by professionals to help you meet your fitness goals.
Factor
Factor provides dietitian-designed, fully prepared meals with balanced macros. Their meals arrive fresh, never frozen, and include a mix of lean proteins, carbs, and veggies with a rotating blend of weekly menu options. Factor also supports specific dietary needs, including Keto and Plant-Based plans.
With Factor, you can choose a Protein Plus plan that is great for refueling post-workout. They also offer plans for other diets like Keto or Vegan & Veggie. Then, pick how many meals you want per week from 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, or 18 entrees.
Post-Workout Meals to Try from Factor
- Creamy Parmesan Chicken with Broccoli & Tomatoes
- Spicy Southwestern-Style Turkey & Mac with Roasted Zucchini, Corn & Poblano Peppers
- Barramundi Veracruzana with Chive-Butter, Green Beans & Roasted Potatoes
- Creamy Pesto Pork Chop with Spinach, Cauliflower “Rice” & Roasted Green Beans
Trifecta
Trifecta is a meal kit specifically tailored to support athletes’ fitness goals. They offer fully prepared meals with balanced macros, with the option to customize these ratios to align with different training regimens. Trifecta also partners with Renaissance Periodization to provide nutrition plans for elite athletes following the RP diet.
Trifecta offers plans to suit specific diets, such as clean eating, Paleo, Whole 30, Keto, and plant-based diets. With each plan, you choose how many entrees you want per week, from 5, 7, 10, or up to 14 entrees. In addition to dinners, you can choose to add healthy breakfasts for the week. All meals are single-serving.
Post-Workout Meals to Try from Trifecta
- High Protein Buffalo Chicken Pasta With Crisp Green Beans
- Turkey Patty With Teriyaki Sauce With Brown Rice And Broccoli
- Impossible Sesame Stir Fry On White Rice And An Asian Sauce
- Tex Mex Chicken With Guacamole And Cauliflower Rice
Are There Any Foods to Avoid After Exercise?
Post-workout nutrition is crucial for recovery and improving performance over time. That said, some foods can have a negative impact on recovery and even hinder your fitness progress if eaten too soon after a workout.
High-fat foods, sugary snacks, and alcoholic beverages should all be avoided too soon after intense exercise. These foods can slow digestion, making it harder to absorb the nutrients your body needs to heal and strengthen. Some of these foods can even impair your muscle’s protein synthesis, making it hard for them to repair themselves after a workout.
Instead, focus on nutrient-dense options that are easy to digest in the post-workout window. You should also monitor how you feel when eating certain foods after working out. Some people may experience nausea or stomach issues with foods like dairy, so avoid these if that is the case for you.
Bottom Line
Overall, when choosing the best post-workout meals, consider timing, meal composition, and individual goals and preferences. Getting the right balance of lean, high-quality protein, complex carbohydrates, and nutrient-dense foods within two hours of working out will support your recovery.
As you maintain your fitness regimen, remember that the ideal approach for post-workout nutrition will depend on your personal fitness goals, workout intensity, and dietary needs or preferences. Try different meals and snacks to see what works best for you to refuel after a good workout.
