Its all about SPEED
Getting nutrients into your body quickly is critical when you’re working out. The faster the better. If you can nourish your body within 30 minutes you’ll be doing yourself a lot of good and this will help you with your weight training results.
These foods are called “recovery foods” and for good reason. You need to be giving your body the right kind of fuel and nutrients to recover from your high intensity workout. Lots of water is an assumption that we’ll make as well.
What to eat
Proteins such as found in meats and eggs are great but they take too long to digest and get used by your body after your workout. This is why a quality whey protein shake is a solid choice for your post workout proteins. It’s the fastest digesting protein that you will find.
Carbs do a couple of things for your body after a workout. They restore muscle glycogen and cause an insulin spike which helps your body get nutrition faster. Normally we like to eat lots of “good carbs” such as whole wheats, brown rice, etc but in this case we need a shot of fast action carbs to replenish our muscle tissue. Dextrose is the carb of choice in this case. ( TIP: This is also a good time to have some kind of candy if you have a sweet tooth and want a small cheat, BUT not too much )
Common practice is to have a shake with a combination of whey protein and dextrose immediately post workout. This will nourish and cause your body to heal and replenish your muscle tissue in the quickest time.
Protein bars or granola cereal can also be valuable. There’s even some recovery specific cereals available to buy. Another option is a fruit smoothie, preferably homemade, including ingredients such as banana, strawberry, mango, fat-free yogurt, etc.
What not to eat
Stay away from fats, both the good and the bad fats during your post workout meal. Fats slow down the digestion of the important stuff, your carbs and proteins. This is the opposite of what you want to take place after your workout.
It’s important to count your carbs, proteins and fats in your recovery foods. If you’re not careful you may end up with too many sugars or fat which will turn into to unwanted pounds.
