Eating After Exercise - What to Eat After a Workout
MommaSherryB
Posts: 79 Member
Most athletes know of the importance of eating before exercise, however, what and when you eat after exercise can be just as important. While the pre-exercise meal can ensure that adequate glycogen stores are available for optimal performance (glycogen is the the source of energy most often used for exercise), the post-exercise meal is critical to recovery and improves your ability to train consistently.
The first nutritional priority after exercise is to replace any fluid lost during exercise. In general the best way to determine how much to drink (either water of a sports drink) is to:
•Weigh yourself before and after exercise and replace fluid losses.
•Drink 20-24 fl oz water for every 1 lb lost.
Eating After Exercise
It is also important to consume carbohydrate, such as fruit or juice) within 15 minutes post-exercise to help restore glycogen.
Research has shown that eating 0.3-0.6 grams of carbohydrate for each pound of body weight within two hours of endurance exercise is essential to building adequate glycogen stores for continued training. Waiting longer than two hours to eat results in 50 percent less glycogen stored in the muscle. The reason for this is that carbohydrate consumption stimulates insulin production, which aids the production of muscle glycogen. However, the effect of carbohydrate on glycogen storage reaches a plateau.
Carbohydrate Plus Protein Speeds Recovery
Research also shows that combining protein with carbohydrate within thirty minutes of exercise nearly doubles the insulin response, which results in more stored glycogen. The optimal carbohydrate to protein ratio for this effect is 4:1 (four grams of carbohydrate for every one gram of protein). Eating more protein than that, however, has a negative impact because it slows rehydration and glycogen replenishment.
One study found that athletes who refueled with carbohydrate and protein had 100 percent greater muscle glycogen stores than those who only ate carbohydrate. Insulin was also highest in those who consumed a carbohydrate and protein drink.
***I usually cut up an apple and eat it with peanut butter within 30 minutes of exercising. Sometimes I use PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter (you mix it yourself). It has 85% less calories. It is great in shake too. Description from site: " It's what's not in PB2 that makes it so good for you. For starters, our special process removes 85% of the fat calories without the chemicals typically used in producing reduced fat foods. Something else you won't find in PB2 is preservatives. What you will find is natural roasted peanut flavor that's also available in a rich chocolate variety." http://bellplantation.com/
The first nutritional priority after exercise is to replace any fluid lost during exercise. In general the best way to determine how much to drink (either water of a sports drink) is to:
•Weigh yourself before and after exercise and replace fluid losses.
•Drink 20-24 fl oz water for every 1 lb lost.
Eating After Exercise
It is also important to consume carbohydrate, such as fruit or juice) within 15 minutes post-exercise to help restore glycogen.
Research has shown that eating 0.3-0.6 grams of carbohydrate for each pound of body weight within two hours of endurance exercise is essential to building adequate glycogen stores for continued training. Waiting longer than two hours to eat results in 50 percent less glycogen stored in the muscle. The reason for this is that carbohydrate consumption stimulates insulin production, which aids the production of muscle glycogen. However, the effect of carbohydrate on glycogen storage reaches a plateau.
Carbohydrate Plus Protein Speeds Recovery
Research also shows that combining protein with carbohydrate within thirty minutes of exercise nearly doubles the insulin response, which results in more stored glycogen. The optimal carbohydrate to protein ratio for this effect is 4:1 (four grams of carbohydrate for every one gram of protein). Eating more protein than that, however, has a negative impact because it slows rehydration and glycogen replenishment.
One study found that athletes who refueled with carbohydrate and protein had 100 percent greater muscle glycogen stores than those who only ate carbohydrate. Insulin was also highest in those who consumed a carbohydrate and protein drink.
***I usually cut up an apple and eat it with peanut butter within 30 minutes of exercising. Sometimes I use PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter (you mix it yourself). It has 85% less calories. It is great in shake too. Description from site: " It's what's not in PB2 that makes it so good for you. For starters, our special process removes 85% of the fat calories without the chemicals typically used in producing reduced fat foods. Something else you won't find in PB2 is preservatives. What you will find is natural roasted peanut flavor that's also available in a rich chocolate variety." http://bellplantation.com/
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After a workout, my trainer has me drinking a protein shake. I use about 120 calories of protein powder, 8 oz of orange juices, lots of frozen fruit (lately it's been strawberries or blueberries) and ice so that it's more like a shake. This is plenty to make me feel full especially since I never want to eat after a work out. It also helps to curb any sweet tooth I may have! I work out in the evenings so this ends up being my dinner on workout nights.0
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