Post Workout Meal Nutrition – What to eat after a workout

You finished your workout and feel hungry. Your gut feeling tells you that you should not eat right away so that your body can burn more fat, but the truth is the first meal you eat after a workout is probably the most important meal of the day – especially if you are into nutrition and fitness and a healthy lifestyle. But if this meal is so important, what exactly do you need to know about it?!

It is very important that you know at least the basics of what nutrients your body needs and doesn’t need after an intensive workout. You will need to know what the best sources are to get that specific nutrition from. Let’s start simple – What you should and should NOT eat after a workout is the first thing we will look at. The first thing you should always use is water to prevent dehydration after a workout. I personally are not good with drinking water during my workout, so I have “refill” after the workout. The other two really important things you need after a workout are carbs and protein. It is highly recommended not to eat anything that contains fat. Eating fat after a workout your digestion would slow down. In this case, it would be slowing down the digestion of protein and carbs. This, as you’re about to find out, is exactly the opposite of what you want to happen.

Let’s move on to take a look at the protein. Normal foods – even though they contain protein are digested slow(er). These are not the sorts of protein you want to ingest after a workout. By the time this kind of protein is digested and finally ready to be used by your body, way too time would have passed to get the most out of it. This is why the ideal source of protein to eat after your workout is a whey protein powder mixed shake. A shake made with whey protein will be digested by your body much quicker than protein coming from normal food because it will be liquid for one. Also, whey protein is the fastest digesting protein your body can handle – giving you the best benefits right there. This is what makes whey protein pretty much the best choice for most people who want to see great results from their workout. A good value of how much whey protein to ingest after a workout is somewhere between 20-30 grams. As for the whey protein powder itself, I personally use Whey Protein Light Powder, as it also helps to reduce the body fat I carry at the same time.

The Post Workout Carbs

Aren’t carbs considered bad? That is what some diets try to tell you. Carbs are part of our normal food groups we eat. Just cutting carbs takes away an important piece of your diet. However, what carbs consumption really comes down to is how much and when. After your workout they are actually an extremely important part of your post workout nutrition. Carbs will be used by your body to restore muscle glycogen (some call it muscle fuel for a reason). If your post workout meal doesn’t contain any carbs, your body may actually instead break down muscle tissue to meet its needs. I’d say that would be a bad thing since you are trying to build up muscle for several reasons. Last but not least Carbs also create an insulin spike which helps to move important nutrients into your muscle tissue quicker and more efficiently. We used the term quick/quicker a few times already and we have to use it again. Normal carbs like to be found in whole wheat bread or brown rice also contain fiber, and fiber slows down the digestion process. But what we want is fast digestion after a workout. Dextrose is what you want to look at. Dextrose is not a supplement, it is some type of sugar. If you eat the right amount of Dextrose (=Carbs) after your workout you will give your body exactly what it needs. I use about 40 grams of NOW Dextrose.

Conclusion: A post workout meal that helps you to lose weight and gain muscle should be planned properly. The preferred time to have this meal is within one hour after the workout. A post workout meal should contain carbs and protein.

What I use:

Whey Protein Light – Vanilla

NOW Dextrose

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