What is the best food after a workout?

I've always been told protein and carbs are good for a recovery after a workout. Something like peanuts and m&ms. I usually just drink chocolate milk after a workout for a cheap recovery drink. It seems to work pretty well.

If you did cardio over an hr and need to start replenishing carbs so tomorrows workout is good, carb : protein ratio 4:1 - lowfat chocolate milk.

If lifting or cardio under an hr - doesn't matter.

As long as your normal deficit diet is enough for your level of activity, you'll likely top off carb stores, and eat enough protein for use in repair.

As long as you top of carbs burned before your next workout, you won't be taking out muscle anyway.

The carb theory right before a workout depends on what you are doing.
If your diet supports your level of activity - and it should or why are you working out in the first place - you'll likely be topped off each time anyway.
Unless, you do super intense cardio day after day, eat plenty of calories, but too low carb. That's a bad combo.

For the results of studies as to when carbs are useful pre-workout, and when it might not be.

http://www.alanaragon.com/myths-under-the-microscope-part-2-false-hopes-for-fasted-cardio.html

• At low intensities (25-50% VO2 max), carbs during exercise reduce fat oxidation compared to fasted trainees.
• At moderate intensities (63-68% VO2 max) carbs during exercise may reduce fat oxidation in untrained subjects, but do not reduce fat oxidation in trained subjects for at least the first 80-120 minutes of exercise.
• Carbohydrate during exercise spares liver glycogen, which is among the most critical factors for anticatabolism during hypocaloric & other conditions of metabolic stress. This protective hepatic effect is absent in fasted cardio.
• At the established intensity level of peak fat oxidation (~63% VO2 max), carbohydrate increases performance without any suppression of fat oxidation in trained subjects.

What is your likely HR at those different VO2max %'s?
http://www.brianmac.co.uk/maxhr.htm

I favor white milk and a banana.

I like bananas better because of the potassium levels they have. Or anything that involves some proteins or slight carbohydrates to make sure I don't pass out from lack of calories. Hope this helps out.

I was told many years ago to eat cottage cheese, Thats what I just had after mine, 100gm of that and some pineapple.

Sorry, I am going to piggyback on your post. I usually work out in the evenings, and I don't feel like eating afterwards. Would a glass of full body milk (raw) be a good idea? I'm not trying to lose weight, but body fat. I do cardio twice a week, and a weights class 3 times a week. Each workout is about 50-60 mins. Cheers!

Need more carbs, low-fat chocolate milk really is great recovery for the cardio like that.

Thanks for your advice!

I have also a question here. Tomorrow I will restart evening krav lessons (8-9.30) and having dinner before us out of the question or I will just feel sick. The classes are pretty intensive. But I need done energy before and dinner when I return home around 10 o'clock). Usually it was one medium banana before and then dinner. Any suggestion is welcome.

That's my situation as well. My family eats at 6pm, while my gym classes are usually around 5.30-7.30pm. Today I felt a bit tired before the class, so I had 250ml of Horleys pro-fit choc protein shake and then went hard out. I'm struggling to eat all the calories, so I just basically force fed myself dinner when I got home (200g marinated lamb shoulder chops, 1/2 cup of boiled pre-frozen veges and a boiled, buttered potato). My weight's been going up since I joined a week ago, and I know I'll be heavier tomorrow morning as well... don't know what to do...

Thanks, Heybales!
It's a glass of raw full body milk for me before my weights class tonight then, and dinner (or at least half of it) afterwards. I usually stay up till 1am studying, so I guess my brain needs the dinner calories.