Top 5 foods to eat after a workout!

It is tricky to name the “top 5 foods” and if anyone did, it would not be right for everyone. The food you should eat after a workout depends on the length and intensity of the training session.

All forms of exercise burn a combination of glucose (carbohydrate), fatty acids (fat) and amino acids (protein). You never JUST burn carbohydrates or JUST burn fat.

High intensity, short periods of workout (i.e. an 800m sprint or the kind of energy used in throwing a shot put) are anaerobic (don’t require oxygen) and prefer immediate fuel sources such as readily active carbohydrate (from the last meal eaten) and stored carbohydrate (glycogen). High intensity exercises rapidly deplete glycogen, the stored glucose. Therefore, it is important to replace the lost glycogen with a high carbohydrate meal after workout. Any exercise where you have to substantially “catch your breath” at the end of the exercise requires strong carbohydrate replacement.

The average workout however is likely to include moderate aerobic activities such as jogging / running / cycling / swimming for a time period somewhere between 20 to 60 minutes.  Aerobic exercise is the type in which the person exercising can breathe easily and their heart rate is steady (as opposed to anaerobic exercise such as sprinting). The first 20 minutes of aerobic exercise mainly uses glycogen (stored glucose/carbohydrate) as an energy store. After 20 minutes the body begins to use less and less glycogen and more and more fat. This is because the body gets worried that that glycogen stores will become depleted.  If the person continues to exercise even further and glycogen stores become very low, the body will continue to burn fat as well as start scrambling for amino acids (protein) to convert them to glucose. So, protein (found in muscle tissue) is broken down as a third fuel source. Moderate exercise requires carbohydrate replacement of glycogen stores and protein replacement to repair muscle.

Also, depending on the amount of sweat lost, electrolytes are a vital post-exercise requirement.

Even though you may not feel like eating after exercise, it is actually the best time to eat! The body needs to replace the glucose lost during the workout and also re-stock ‘stored glucose’ known as glycogen. The fear of ‘putting on calories that you just lost’ by eating after a workout is a MYTH. The body will not store this energy intake as fat because it rapidly needs to replace glycogen stores and repair microscopic muscle damage, so the carbohydrate and protein you consume immediately after exercise will be used for these purposes. A high carbohydrate snack eaten within 15 minutes after physical activity accelerates the rate of glycogen storage by 300%. After 2 hours, this rate decreases by almost half. Therefore, the longer you leave it before replacing glucose, the less of the food you eat will be stored as glycogen and the more will be stored as fat. Replacing glycogen stores is vital in maintaining a strong and regular training schedule. The only time to eat a high glycaemic index, high carbohydrate meal is directly after exercise.

For moderate intensity exercise (ie. swimming, running, jogging, cycling, aerobics) for a period of 30-60 minutes, the top 5 foods to consume after exercise are:

  1. Coconut water – Contains naturally occurring electrolytes- sodium, potassium, chloride and magnesium. Rehydrates twice as quickly as water. Preferably straight from an actual coconut. Failing that, from a good quality organic coconut water low in additives and added sugar.

  2. Banana- A nutrient dense carbohydrate AND protein replacement in one. Also contains potassium which is an electrolyte lost in sweat.

  3. Rice cake with a tablespoon of organic nut butter- Carbohydrate AND protein replacement. Almond, Brazil and Cashew paste can be found at health food stores and are high in minerals and beneficial fats.

  4. Pea protein powder- combined into a smoothie with cold water, honey and berries. Easy to digest for those who feel like a liquid meal. Contains antioxidant rich berries. Pea protein is easily digestible.

  5. Medium freshly squeezed carrot, apple, celery, beetroot, orange and spinach juice and a small handful of walnuts. Carbohydrates covered. Electrolytes covered from mineral rich vegetables. Walnuts contain essential fatty acids.