Choosing food after a hard workout
What you eat after a workout makes a big difference: you either recover quickly or drag through the rest of the day running on empty. Here we look at two simple meal choices and at why a post-workout plate needs both protein and carbohydrates.
Why does choosing food after a workout matter?
After a proper gym workout, your body isn’t just “a little hungry”. Your muscles have done their job, your glycogen stores are depleted and recovery needs raw material. If your meal is left to chance, how you feel can be left to chance too.
The simple truth: protein alone isn’t always enough. Protein helps repair and build muscle, while carbohydrates help restore the energy stores used up during training. This is especially true if your workout lasted longer than 60 minutes.
An old example from Muscle&Fitness Hers puts it well. There are two quite decent options on the table, but as post-workout meals they are not equal.
- 6 ounces of steak and 1 cup of green beans.
- 6 ounces of boneless, skinless grilled chicken breast, 1 cup of steamed vegetables such as broccoli, carrots and zucchini, ½ cup of cooked rice pilaf and a roll.
The second is the better choice: chicken with vegetables, rice and a roll. The lunch with steak contains 19 grams of fat, 7 grams of which is unsaturated fat. The lunch with chicken has 8 grams of fat, 2 grams of which is unsaturated fat.
Even if you pick a leaner cut of beef, chicken often remains the better post-workout choice, mainly because of the added carbohydrates. Option B provides 37 grams of carbohydrates. The option with green beans has only 9 grams.
How does choosing the right food actually work?
A post-workout meal doesn’t have to be complicated. Think of your plate in three parts: a protein source, a carbohydrate source and vegetables. If your workout was long or hard, don’t be afraid of carbohydrates. Right after training is exactly when they have a clear job to do.
In fact, research shows that a sensible amount of carbohydrates within 30 minutes after training is the most effective way to replenish glycogen stores. That doesn’t mean you have to start eating in the locker room. But if you put off eating for too long and stubbornly avoid carbohydrates, the rest of your day can turn sluggish.
So what actually happens? Your body wants to restore the fuel you used. If you give it only very lean protein and leave out the carbohydrates, part of your recovery stays incomplete. On some days that’s no big deal. As a habit, it starts to affect the quality of your training.
Protein keeps recovery going
Protein is necessary after a workout because your muscles need building material. Chicken, fish, eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt or plant-based options all work, as long as the portion is genuinely big enough. What matters isn’t just the “healthy” label, but how much protein the plate actually delivers.
Carbohydrates are not the enemy
Cutting back on carbohydrates can make sense in some situations, but after a long, intense workout it isn’t always the best moment. Rice, potatoes, pasta, buckwheat, bread or fruit can do more for your recovery than yet another dry “protein only” meal.
Choosing food in practice: two plates compared
The second example is even more everyday. Both meals contain protein, pasta and vegetables. At first glance, both look fine. The difference shows up when you look at the fat, the protein, the sides and how full you feel afterwards.
- Shrimp, pasta and vegetables with a salad and a grain product.
- Chicken, vegetables and pasta + one cup of minestrone soup.
The plate with chicken wins. It has twice as much protein: 39 grams versus 23 grams. At the same time, it has less than half the fat: 9 grams versus 23 grams. That means you get more protein without a large amount of fat.
Shrimp is a good protein source in itself, and it is low in fat. But you have to eat quite a lot of it to reach the protein amount. One large shrimp, weighing 22 grams, contains only 4.6 grams of protein.
Look at the sides too. A grain-based breadstick may not seem big, but the version mentioned here weighs almost 2 ounces and provides 120 calories. If you choose the second plate, there’s room for, say, an extra handful of almonds, which provide beneficial unsaturated fats and make the meal more satisfying.
Option B also has 2 extra grams of dietary fiber. That brings you closer to 25 grams or more per day, which helps keep appetite and body weight better under control. It’s a small difference, but in everyday eating it’s exactly such small differences that count.
If you’re worried about the sodium in the soup, choose a low-sodium minestrone where possible. Drink enough water and look at the rest of your day’s meals too. One saltier meal won’t ruin your day, but several salty choices in a row can leave you feeling sluggish.
FAQ: choosing food after a workout
Do you have to eat right after a workout?
Not to the second, but there’s no point in waiting too long either. If the workout was long or hard, try to get a proper meal within a reasonable time. This matters most when your next training session is on the same day or the next.
Should you be afraid of carbohydrates after a workout?
No. If you’ve just done a tough workout, carbohydrates help replenish your energy stores. The problem isn’t the rice or pasta itself, but the portion size and the balance of your whole day.
Which is better: beef or chicken?
Both have a place on the menu. After a workout, chicken wins in this example, because it provides less fat and, together with rice and bread, more carbohydrates. If you want to recover well, the whole plate counts, not just the piece of meat.
But it’s more convenient to dine at ARMUDUS
Source: WHO – physical activity.
Come and train! ArtGym
