Did you just work out? Are you thinking about what you should eat? Post-workout foods are important, as they help your body and muscles recover. It’s important to replenish your energy levels, or you’ll be exhausted for the rest of the day. In today’s article, we’ve listed the top 7 foods to eat after your workout.
Post-Workout Foods: Top 7 Foods to Eat After Working Out
Protein is not the only thing you should focus on while working out. You need to refuel your body as well. That’s why for any physical activity, carbs are essential. Why do you need to pay attention to your post-workout foods? When you’re exercising, your body breaks down the energy reserves in your muscles to help you power through it.
7 Best Post-Workout Recovery Foods
You need to replenish this energy after you complete your workout session If you don’t, you will be too exhausted, and your muscles won’t recover properly. This means less energy for the rest of the day. Let’s check out our muscle recovery foods down below!
1. Eggs
Eggs are a popular protein source and an important food amongst these top 7 post-workout foods to eat right after you complete your workout sesh. Each egg can provide the body about 70 calories. But, it makes up for this by giving you nine essential amino acids.
These amino acids help the body repair muscle damage. The egg yolk is also packed with protein while also having vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids. Research suggests that raw eggs are more beneficial than cooked eggs.
2. Sweet Potatoes
Are you surprised to see this vegetable on the top 7 post-workout foods? Sweet potatoes are packed with carbs. 100 grams of sweet potatoes means 20 grams of carbs.
Along with this, you will be getting 3 days worth of vitamin A, and fiber. Sweet potatoes have antioxidant properties that can significantly reduce oxidative stress after hitting the gym.
3. Matcha Tea
Matcha tea is basically powdered green tea, but it’s much higher in antioxidants than regular brewed green tea because it can provide the body with more antioxidants due to ingesting the whole leaf and not throwing away important nutrients and minerals as you would normally do with tea bags.
This tea stands amongst the best post-workout foods because it helps boost weight loss, burn fat and fight against free radicals due to its powerful antioxidant content. By removing the free radicals, your muscles won’t feel weak after exercising.
4. Blueberries
Blueberries are packed with complex carbs and water. The best thing about these wonderful berries is they digest slowly in your body. This means, you will have a steady source of energy for a longer period of time, and not to mention water.
These purple berries stand at #4 best post-workout foods because their anthocyanins can reduce muscle inflammation and help them recover after you complete the workout. They are also a good source of fiber, vitamins, and manganese.
5. Whey Protein
After finishing an intense workout, your proteins decrease really quickly. This makes it difficult for your muscles to recover. This is where whey protein comes to the rescue. One scoop of whey has as much protein as a full chicken breast. It can help build your muscles faster.
Research shows that people who take whey protein are able to burn fat twice as fast as those who don’t take it. Apart from that, it creates a spike in your glucose levels and stokes up energy.
6. Nuts
Nuts are loaded with protein and nutrients like magnesium. You can munch on cashews, almonds, pecan nuts, pine nuts, and Brazilian nuts. Their mineral content helps your muscles recover.
They are good for heart health and weight management. One hand of soaked nuts daily can be beneficial for your brain, muscles, and other functions.
7. Legumes
Legumes are post-workout foods thanks to their healing properties. It contains zinc that supports protein synthesis and helps the body replenish fuel. You can eat lentils, chickpeas, beans, seeds, tofu, etc.