Most of us fail to observe the correct diet after working out for the simple fact that we feel so tired and exhausted that we just want to lie down and rest straightaway.
While this may do us good in the short term, it may not be on the longer run. You see, after workout, our body has used up most of the energy that it needs to support other vital processes in the body.
What’s more, some of the proteins that are supposed to be used for tissue building and maintenance get depleted as well. It is, therefore, imperative that we replenish these lost reserves by eating the right kind of food after a very tiring workout. Here are 3 foods you can have post-workout.
Protein-rich Foods
When we exercise our muscles are hard at work. And since one of their principal components is proteins, these macronutrients are broken down at a much faster rate. It is critical that we replenish these lost proteins to help in the rebuilding process.
Muscle tissues as well as other tissues of the body require proteins to help in the building, maintenance, and repair of such tissues.
Ideally, you would want to take around 0.3 to 0.5 grams of protein for every kilogramme of your body weight. For instance, if you weigh around 100 kilograms, then you will need around 30 to 50 grams of proteins within the first 45 minutes after working out.
This is to make sure that your body will not continue to break down the other proteins in your body to channel it for the reparative and regenerative processes. This helps speed up your recovery process.
Carbs
Everyone knows that carbs are what gives us the energy we need, especially when we workout. Most of the time, however, our body will have to use glucose that has been stored in our muscles as glycogen.
Unfortunately, by the time we’re done with our workout routine, our glycogen stores will already be depleted that we feel so weak. The rate of glycogen depletion is greater among folks who engage in endurance exercises than those in resistance or strength training.
Within the first 30 minutes after workout, we should load up on our carbs. It is recommended that we take about 1.1 to 1.5 grams of carbs for every kilogramme of our body weight to replenish our body’s glycogen stores. This is essential if we want to make the most out of our workouts.
Fats
There is this this notion that fat will have a negative impact in the absorption of nutrients post-workout. While fat can slow down the rate of absorption of your post-exercise meal, there are studies that show that high-fat meals don’t have any effect on the synthesis of glycogen in the muscles.
That being said, you can always include healthier fats in your post-workout meal. Of course, you can always skip this macronutrient if it scares you.
We purposely did not identify specific foods for each of these macronutrients since there are a wide range of options. Just keep in mind that the best post-workout food should comprise of 3 parts carbs and 1 part protein.
