8 Perfect Post Workout Snack Ideas
Spending quality time at the gym without paying attention to your postworkout diet is like doing a spectacular interview for your dream job but never following up about the position. It undermines your hard work, especially if your goal is to lose weight or pack on muscle mass.
It may seem counterintuitive, but eating after a great workout is necessary, and including foods containing a mix of protein and carbohydrates are essential in helping the body replenish itself.
How we decide to refuel post-workout can directly impact our body’s balance, recovery, and performance. Apart from simply repairing your body from the workout, it also helps provide nutrition and hydration.
8 Perfect Post Workout Snacks
- Hummus, vegetable sticks, and pretzels. Often after an intense workout, your left with a salt craving to replace sodium and other important electrolytes. This easy snack fits the bill!
- Pistachios and an apple. Pistachios rank among the highest snack nuts for plant-based protein, offering six grams per one-ounce serving. A medium apple provides 25 grams of total carbohydrates, 19 grams of which are glucose and fructose. This makes for easily accessible energy and may help you bounce back after a strenuous workout.
- Chocolate Milk. 1% Chocolate milk is ideal for post-workout restoration, it’s also an easy choice when you’re on the go. A good mix of protein and carbs and significantly replenishes exhausted muscles and speeds up recovery.
- Strawberry banana smoothie. This combination of protein and carbohydrates helps repair muscle tissue and restocks lost energy stores. Simply combine two scoops of protein with banana and strawberry slices and blend with either milk or water.
- Hard boiled egg and side of fruit. A perfect mini meal that’s filling, healthy and portable. The egg contains protein, which facilitates recovery and muscular growth. Consuming fruits like bananas, berries, dates, and grapefruit is a great way to replenish after a hard workout and the natural sugar or fructose present in fruit provides energy.
- Homemade trail mix. Create your own trail mix at home to avoid added sugar and a bunch of other additives that may be found in store-bought brands. Simply combine nuts like almonds, raisins, pistachios, and walnuts with sunflower or pumpkin seeds. Then add dried fruits like prunes and cranberries for added flavor. Keep in mind your portion size as one or two handfuls is usually all you need to power up after a workout.
- Greek yogurt with fresh berries. Fruits like blueberries and strawberries are chock full of vitamins, dietary fiber, and antioxidants, while Greek yogurt is an excellent source of protein and calcium. Add a small amount of natural granola for extra crunch!
- Tuna and whole grain crackers. This quick and easy snack is packed with protein, vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids and iron. While the omega-3 fatty acids also alleviate muscle inflammation caused by an intense workout, the protein boosts metabolism and helps repair tissues.
The Takeaway
Nothing works up an appetite quite like a great gym workout. Not only is a good snack key to your recovery but it also wards off becoming “hangry”.
Having a nutritious snack within 30 to 60 minutes after you finish your workout will help repair muscles and ensure they grow stronger.
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