Listen to a Dietician: How To Pack On Protein Post-workout
What you eat before a workout is equally important as what you eat after!
Whether you’re running a 10K, doing yoga, playing tennis, or swimming laps, proper nutrition is critical for your success. We've talked about what to eat before working out, but equally important is what to eat after you’ve exercised.
We talked to Upbeat’s Stacey Raza, a licensed Dietitian-Nutritionist registered both in the US and Singapore and a certified personal trainer, to find out more.
Little Farms: What happens to your body during a workout?
Stacey Raza: Simplistically, when we exercise, the body mainly burns through the storage form of glucose, called glycogen, for the energy required to contract muscles and spur movement. In addition, during exercise tiny tears form in the muscles, which when healed help them grow bigger and stronger. As such, it’s important to eat right to replace the glycogen depleted during exercise, and to help repair and rebuild muscle.
LF: So how do you replenish energy and rebuild muscles?
SR: Ideally you should time your post-workout snack within 60 minutes of completing your session. To help rebuild and repair you need to combine carbohydrates and protein — generally aiming for 20 grams of protein.
LF: Can we eat the same post-workout snack every time?
SR: I’m a big advocate of listening to your body and of thinking in terms of overall nutrition, not counting calories. What you need to eat depends on the type, duration, and intensity of your exercise session. You may need more nutrition after a two-hour tennis match than you do after a 30-minute walk.
Post workout nutrition is especially important if you complete two or more training sessions during the day — like running in the morning and pilates in the afternoon — or two sessions in close succession — like one in the evening and another one the next morning.
If you start the workout fasting or with only a small pre-workout meal, recovery nutrition is also critical. For example, if you work out in the morning, your body may not be ready for a big breakfast. And, if you’re following a calorie-restricted diet for weight loss, you will need to ration some of these calories for before and after your workout.
Even if you work out once a day or a couple of times per week, recovery nutrition is still important, but you can most likely meet your nutrition goals from your usual intake without having to add additional meals or snacks.
LF: Give us some ideas for what makes up the protein/carb combo we need for recovery.
SR: I suggest trying some of these post-workout snacks/meals. Your body will thank you for it later.
- Evia high-protein yogurt with a serving of fruit — one apple, banana, peach, or plum or one cup of berries or other cut fruit.
- Whole wheat toast with sliced banana and one tablespoon of nut butter. Noya’s almond butter packs 9.3g of protein per serving. If you’re limiting carbs, try it with Whole Kitchen’s gluten free Nut & Seed Bread.
- One cup of chocolate milk or Inside Out makes a dark chocolate banana smoothie with almond milk that’s great for grab and go.
- Turkey or sliced chicken and lots of veggies — peppers, tomatoes, spinach, sliced mushrooms on a wholegrain tortilla wrap. If you’re going gluten-free, try Old Time Bakery’s Buckwheat and Sorghum wraps as an alternative. And don’t forget to add a dash of mustard for some zing; healthy doesn’t have to be boring!
- For a protein-rich green smoothie simply add the following to a blender:
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Listen to a Dietician: Upgrade Your Workout with Protein & Carbs
Top image: Jan Sedivy / Unsplash
