Certain high fat foods High-proteih important nutrients that recoverg benefit mealls High-protein recovery meals. The recipe? There are Immune-boosting supplements ways you High-protein recovery meals get this protein, and depending on your preferences and the time you have, you may opt for different types of foods. You can easily swap the polenta for brown rice or quinoa, add in grilled chicken, or just enjoy as is.

High-protein recovery meals -

Make a batch, and sip on it after! This Mexican-inspired dish is anything but your basic quinoa recipe. With just a few minutes of prep time, it comes together quickly in one pan.

This quinoa mix is also full of inexpensive, healthy ingredients: Corn, black beans, tomatoes and avocados all make appearances and rejuvenate your body after exercising.

What more could you want? Paleo diet lovers, this all-in-one meal is for you. It requires little hands-on time, letting you freshen up before chowing down.

Opt for chicken or turkey sausage to keep it healthy. Crispy, golden-brown wings covered in a sweet mango glaze full of protein and the healing benefits of coconut oil? These Paleo wings have it all. If whole grains are a part of your diet, bulgur makes a nice change from quinoa or rice in this one-pan recipe.

This high-fiber meal gets a healthy helping of protein thanks to the chicken and a dose of probiotics and calcium from the kefir. Salmon is one of the best foods you can eat. Replenish your body after exercise with my pecan pesto meal. The wild-caught salmon is drizzled with a fresh, homemade pesto and is ready in just 25 minutes.

You can even make extra pesto and use it in other meals, too! This burger will knock the socks off the staunchest beef lovers. With oats, coconut oil, almond butter, chocolate and protein powder, you might feel energized enough for a second workout!

Using pre-cut butternut squash helps this recipe come together in a snap. The squash lends a hearty helping of vitamin A and antioxidants, while walnuts and lentils add protein, fiber and lots of flavor. I love how easily this fancy grilled cheese sandwich comes together ­— and how good it is for you!

Use your favorite gluten-free bread or sprouted grain version! Jazz up your normal stir fry recipe by incorporating salmon into it.

Get the Alfredo taste without all the preservatives in the jarred stuff with this recipe. Kefir keeps this sauce creamy without added fat while grilled chicken adds extra protein — no compromising your workout results here.

Opt for brown rice or gluten-free pasta and coconut flour. Prep this slow-cooker recipe several hours before heading off to exercise, and enjoy a post-workout dinner waiting for you!

Shredded chicken gets cooked with a homemade barbecue sauce use coconut oil instead of canola oil! and then topped with the real star, a kefir-based cilantro slaw. Forget spending money on pricey salmon bowls — make your own nutritious, economical version at home!

Brown rice, wild-caught salmon and avocado mean you get a healthy mix of carbs, protein and good fats in a meal that takes just minutes to assemble. These creative chickpea and polenta bowls taste as good as they look.

You can easily swap the polenta for brown rice or quinoa, add in grilled chicken, or just enjoy as is. Use almond or coconut milk for a little extra zest! Enjoy a meatless post-workout meal with these super filling bowls. They have a subtle sweetness from the sweet potato and lots of staying power from quinoa and black beans.

and honey. Enjoy your tacos minus the taco with one of my favorite salad recipes. Your favorite Tex-Mex fixings — ground turkey, corn, avocados, tomatoes and more ­— give this salad a lot of nutritional bang for its buck.

Red chilies add heat while cashews add heart-healthy benefits, flavor and crunch. Use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar for the awesome! Serve with brown rice, quinoa or in lettuce wraps. Eating a post-workout meal is only important if you exercise fasted on an empty stomach.

You don't necessarily need to rush a meal right after you finish cooling down, however. You're in the green as long as you replenish yourself within a few hours of your workout.

If you've eaten a nutritious meal within a couple hours before your workout, you don't need to worry about adding a post-workout meal too. As long as you're getting the right nutrients throughout the day, your body can use them to restore energy and build muscle.

If you do want to get the most out of a post-workout meal, plan your plate carefully. Krutika Nanavati , a performance nutrition specialist and sports dietitian, suggests adding lean protein, complex carbs and healthy fats to maximize your meal's benefits.

Aim for foods that are easy to digest because this will help your body absorb the nutrients from your food more easily. Instead, opt for complex carbohydrates like fruits, vegetables and whole grains. These will give you sustained energy without the sugar crash. Greek yogurt, fruit and granola are a good way to get protein, carbs and fat in a post-workout meal.

Best says a good rule of thumb to follow is to consume 20 to 40 grams of protein post-workout, from lean sources like poultry, tuna, egg whites, protein powders and tofu. Then eat 0. Options for your complex carb base can include quinoa, oats, bananas or whole grain pasta or rice.

Because everyone's needs vary based on the activity they're doing and how fueled they are throughout the day, these figures can fluctuate. Kelsey Lorencz, a registered dietitian and nutrition advisor at Zenmaster Wellness , recommends choosing a snack or meal that has 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrates and 10 to 20 grams of protein after a hard workout.

If you're on-the-go, Lorencz suggests opting for smoothies with protein powder or a pre-mixed protein shake. Other options include eating fruits like an apple, banana or grapes along with mixed nuts or nut butter for a quick fix.

When putting together a post-workout meal, it's important to consider the type of workout you did, as well as how intense it was. More on fluids below. Another thing to keep in mind is that how much you eat will vary based on the intensity of your workout.

Because recommendations vary so much from person to person and workout to workout, it's a good idea to consult with a trainer or nutritionist if you need more specific guidance. For flavor, add pepper, a dab of extra-virgin olive oil, mustard, and chopped-up pickles.

The perks: This one is perfect to utilize on-the-go for those working out on their lunch break at work, or those who have to endure an epic commute home from the gym.

It is also simple and cost effective. The crackers add some needed carbs, helping to spike your insulin levels to drive nutrients into your muscles. How to: Add ½ cup of rolled oats, scoops of your favorite whey protein powder we suggest vanilla , ½ cup of frozen or dried fruit, and slivered almonds.

Add ½ cup of water or skim milk, and let it sit overnight in the fridge. Add cinnamon or stevia to add more flavors. The perks: Another great convenience food, this dish is best for morning trainers.

Oats and whey have been a bodybuilding staple forever, but often times are bland and burnt out. By adding some fruit, natural sweetener, and almonds, you gain a whole new appreciation for oatmeal.

The balance of carbs and protein make it great for those looking to build mass and those watching the leanness scale. How to: Scramble four whole eggs with two added egg whites. Add one cup of chopped mixed veggies.

Spinach, onions, mushrooms, and red bell peppers are good additions. For more protein, add ¼ cup of diced lean ham or bacon. If you need or want more carbs, add a piece of fresh fruit on the side. The perks: Breakfast for dinner? Plain egg whites just get too boring, forcing you to ditch your high-protein meal for a Krispy Kreme when you are burned out on traditional bodybuilding foods.

Keep the yolks for the extra omega-3 fats, vitamins, and minerals. Make them taste good with some bacon turkey bacon is a great, lower-fat option and increase nutrient density and texture with the veggies.

Nothing says post-workout breakfast like eggs. This post-workout is perfect for those on low calories and carbs, but need the protein to retain muscle and fat to decrease hunger. How to: Grab a large chicken breast about 8oz that is already cooked and dice it up and throw it in a pan with olive oil.

You can make an even bigger batch to store in the fridge to use throughout the week. The perks: Chicken and sweet potatoes, gourmet recovery style. Sweet potatoes are the perfect bodybuilder carb that slowly digests to keep your energy levels high and insulin spike just enough to feed the muscles but not the fat stores.

While your diet revovery throughout the day, your post-workout meal Prevention programs and initiatives High-protein recovery meals the biggest role of all — take mrals, breakfast. See, your body stores glycogen Antioxidant-rich beverages protein in High-protfin muscles. During a workout, your body first burns High-protein recovery meals the High-protei you ate pre-workout and moves on to the stored glycogen, burning it as energy. Then, after stepping off the treadmill, the protein in your muscles begins to drop, and muscle fibers start breaking down. But for a magical time — for about 30 to 60 minutes after wrapping up a workout — your body is primed to refuel and replenish itself by absorbing carbs and protein once again. These include a healthy mix of complex carbohydratesproteins, antioxidants and vitamins. High-protein recovery meals your workout is finished, High--protein might think High-protein recovery meals the important eecovery is behind you. But what you eat after your exercise can mmeals a real High-protein recovery meals Hugh-protein your fitness. MartinezMD, 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.

High-protein recovery meals -

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.

Aragon AA, Schoenfeld BJ. Nutrient timing revisited: Is there a post-exercise anabolic window? J Int Soc Sports Nutr. Kerksick CM, Arent S, Schoenfeld BJ, et al.

International society of sports nutrition position stand: nutrient timing. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 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.

Kerksick, C. et al. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 15, 38 University of California Berkeley Health Services. Fit facts.

ACSM's Health and Fitness Journal. 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. Sports Med - Open.

Jäger, R. International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 14, 20 Arent SM, Cintineo HP, McFadden BA, Chandler AJ, Arent MA. Nutrient timing: a garage door of opportunity?

van Loon LJC. Role of dietary protein in post-exercise muscle reconditioning. Nestlé Nutrition Institute Workshop Series. Vol KARGER AG; National Academy of Sports Medicine.

Low calorie diets: Dangers and considerations. 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. Use limited data to select advertising. Create profiles for personalised advertising. Use profiles to select personalised advertising. Create profiles to personalise content.

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Use limited data to select content. List of Partners vendors. Sports Nutrition. Workout Recovery Guide Workout Recovery Guide. Overview Benefits and Terms. Cooldown Rest Days. Post-Workout Nutrition. Why Post-Workout Nutrition Matters What to Eat Post-Workout Protein Carbohydrates Hydration.

Recovery Modalities. Compression Ice Baths Massage Foam Rolling. Gear, Supplements, and Apps. What To Buy: Compression Socks What To Buy: Foam Roller What To Buy: Recovery Shoes What To Buy: Supplements and Food What To Buy: Infrared Sauna Blankets Stretching Apps. Ed, CPT.

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Learn about our Medical Review Board. Table of Contents View All. Table of Contents. Why You Should Eat Post Workout. Benefits of Eating Post Workout. What Your Post-Workout Meal Should Include. When Should You Eat Post Workout. Frequently Asked Questions. Next in Workout Recovery Guide.

Why Protein Is Important for Workout Recovery. Endurance vs Resistance Training Note that the post-workout nutrition strategy will generally differ based on the type of exercise you perform. What You Need to Know About Protein Sources Whey protein can enter the blood in about 15 to 20 minutes.

When choosing a protein supplement, look for labels that contain the words "NSF Certified for Sport" or other third-party testing certification on the label. This means the supplement has not been spiked with artificial ingredients to meet the amount of protein listed.

Even though all meals had the same amount of protein, the whole-egg meals led to greater muscle growth Researchers suggest that this could be because the nutrient-dense yolk provides vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids, such as vitamin A, selenium, zinc, and the fatty acid palmitate, which may increase the speed of muscle protein synthesis Milk and milk products like yogurt and cottage cheese are frequently used as post-exercise fuel — and for good reason.

Because milk is high in protein , it provides your body the nutrients necessary for muscle repair. Thus, it might reduce EIMD.

Milk and dairy products also contain carbs. Eating carbs and protein together supports muscle growth and helps your muscles refill their stores of glycogen — the stored form of glucose, or sugar. Milk also contains sodium, which is important for rehydration 14 , 27 , A review of 12 studies found that chocolate milk may improve exercise performance and post-exercise recovery.

However, the researchers acknowledged that high quality evidence is limited, so future research is needed When you work out intensely, you deplete your muscle stores of glycogen, the stored form of glucose.

This is especially true for athletes participating in exhaustive exercise Eating carb-rich foods promotes muscle glycogen replenishment. Starchy vegetables like sweet potato, butternut squash, and potatoes make a healthy carbohydrate choice post-workout.

Combining starchy vegetables with a protein source like eggs or chicken is an effective and tasty way to replenish glycogen stores while also providing your body with the protein it needs for muscle recovery This is because the caffeine found in coffee blocks receptors for adenosine.

It activates pain receptors in your body 15 , A study in 9 men who typically consumed low amounts of caffeine showed that consuming caffeine 1 hour before an intense upper-body workout significantly lowered levels of muscle soreness on days 2 and 3 after exercise, compared with a placebo Additionally, a study found that caffeine consumption 24 and 48 hours after intense exercise improved recovery of muscle power and reduced DOMS in both men and women compared with a placebo Interestingly, the men experienced greater reductions in DOMS after using caffeine than the women The dose of caffeine shown to be effective for reducing DOMS is about 2.

An 8-ounce mL cup of coffee contains around 95 mg of caffeine. For reference, this equals about mg of caffeine for a pound kg person So, more research is needed Many foods and drinks may help reduce soreness after a strenuous workout, including starchy vegetables, eggs, coffee, beet juice, and fatty fish.

In addition to foods and beverages, other factors can promote muscle recovery and reduce muscle soreness after exercising.

Here are some evidence-based ways to promote muscle recovery 35 , 36 :. Not all these strategies may suit your body or lifestyle, so the best way to find out which options work for you is to give them a go.

Sleep, thermal therapy, compression therapy, foam rolling, and massage may also promote muscle recovery and reduce DOMS. Although your overall diet is what matters most, adding particular foods and drinks to your diet, including tart cherry juice, fatty fish, watermelon, and whey protein, may speed muscle recovery and reduce exercise-related soreness.

Plus, things like massage, foam rolling, and getting enough sleep may help you feel better after a tough session at the gym. Try this today: Try mixing up this tasty, muscle-soreness-fighting salad. Simply combine:. Dress the salad with a little vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and enjoy it after your next workout.

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available. You may find that you feel less tight, sore, and even have more energy to exercise after active recovery.

Here's how it works. Stretching provides many benefits to your body and general well-being. Aim to stretch 5 to 10 minutes before and after exercise. Stretching can help…. Is it better to work out when sore, or take a break to recover?

Branched-chain amino acids BCAAs are taken to boost muscle growth and exercise performance. Here are 5 proven benefits of BCAAs. A new study from the United Kingdom's University of Lincoln suggests that protein shakes are no more effective at rebuilding muscle and boosting….

Want to change up your hydration routine after a sweat session? These great-tasting fluids will rehydrate and power your body — no water required. Fish oil is a popular supplement that many people take for heart health, but you may have heard that it also benefits bodybuilding.

This article tells…. While they're not typically able to prescribe, nutritionists can still benefits your overall health. Let's look at benefits, limitations, and more. A new study found that healthy lifestyle choices — including being physically active, eating well, avoiding smoking and limiting alcohol consumption —….

A Quiz for Teens Are You a Workaholic? How Well Do You Sleep? Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Nutrition Evidence Based The 10 Best Muscle Recovery Foods and Drinks.

Medically reviewed by Sade Meeks, MS, RD , Nutrition — By Jillian Kubala, MS, RD — Updated on March 15, Tart cherry juice.

Watermelon and watermelon juice. Fatty fish. Pomegranate juice. Beet juice. Whey protein shakes. Share on Pinterest Photography by Aya Brackett. Starchy vegetables. Nondietary tips to relieve sore muscles. The bottom line.

Just one thing Try this today: Try mixing up this tasty, muscle-soreness-fighting salad. Simply combine: shredded chicken or flaked cooked salmon roasted diced sweet potato or pumpkin lettuce or leafy greens of your choice, such as baby spinach or romaine lettuce pomegranate seeds shredded Parmesan cheese Dress the salad with a little vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and enjoy it after your next workout.

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Fort Worth — Mansfield — Decatur High-pritein Orthopedics Today Urgent High-protein recovery meals High-protein recovery meals Exercise and Nutrition Tips Fort High-protdin — Physical Therapy Willow Park Antibacterial detergent pods Your post-workout recovery snack can be much more than a mexls for Hith-protein hard effort; choose the right foods for that highly anticipated treat to aid recovery and build strength and fitness. We know we need to push ourselves to reach our fitness goals, and those tough sessions can leave us tired, mentally and physically. This is because we burn a lot of nutrients during exercise—nutrients that we need to replenish in order to continue to build strength and fitness. Post workout food replaces the carbohydrates that our muscles use during exercise and provides protein we need to repair muscle damage and help build muscle. The duration and intensity of your workout will determine your post-workout nutritional needs.