What’s your go-to after-workout snack? Do you choose your meal or snack based only on taste or because it’s what your body needs? Good nutrition is essential for leaning down and getting muscles to grow, and not everyone gets the nutritional component right! How many of these eating mistakes do you make after a workout?
You Wait Too Long
Your body needs carbohydrates for energy and protein for muscle repair and recovery after training. The worst thing you can do after a hard workout session is to go back to work and eat nothing. You may have heard that there’s a window period of 30 minutes to an hour after a workout when you should eat a snack to maximize its benefits and reduce the risk of muscle breakdown. However, more recent studies suggest this window is larger than an hour. As long as you get protein and carbohydrates within a few hours of a workout, you’re okay. However, getting a carbohydrate and protein snack on board as soon as possible will help replenish your energy, so you can get on with the rest of the day’s activities and feel your best.
Eating something soon after a workout is even more important if you have an active day planned or work out twice per day. Also, research shows it is more important to eat a nutrient-dense diet that contains protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats each day to properly fuel your body. Exercise increases your body’s energy requirements and you need protein for muscle repair.
You Overeat after a Workout
Studies show that people overestimate how many calories they burn during a workout and overeat as a result. We have a natural bias toward thinking we worked out harder than we did and adjust our food intake based on a faulty perception. In one randomized, controlled trial, researchers asked sixteen people to exercise on a treadmill and then estimate how many calories they burned. Based on their estimates, the researchers told the subjects to consume an appropriate amount of food based on how many calories they thought they burned.
How did they fare? They overestimated how many calories they burned by 3 to 4-fold. Therefore, they took in far more calories than they burned. Although calories aren’t the end-all regarding weight control, they still matter. To avoid a similar problem, plan your workout snack ahead of time and don’t just wing it and grab the first thing you see in the fridge.
You Go for the Decadent Stuff
After a workout, is there a tiny voice in your head that tells you that you deserve that sugar cookie after working your body so hard? Don’t listen! Your body needs real nourishment after a sweat session. Sports nutritionists recommend eating a small meal or snack with a ratio of 3-4 to 1 carbohydrates to protein after working out. You do your body no favors when you eat junk food and your body craves high-quality carbohydrates and protein. However, if you splurge with a cookie on occasion, the best time to enjoy it is after a workout since your insulin sensitivity will be higher after an exercise session. An occasional sugary treat is okay, but don’t make it your go-to after workout snack.
You Drink Too Many Protein Shakes
There are tons of protein powder and protein shakes on the market for a reason. Some people like the taste and others drink them because they’re a convenient way to get protein, but don’t make them your default for after-workout snack. As Mayo Clinic physicians point out, manufacturers fortify protein shakes with vitamins and minerals, but they lack the phytonutrients and fiber that whole foods do. Your best bet is to stick with whole food snacks as much as possible and save the shakes and protein powders for times when you’re in a hurry. Even if you’re strapped for time, there are quick, whole food snacks you can grab to refuel. Some excellent choices are:
- Cottage cheese and fruit
- Greek yogurt with fruit and nuts
- Apple with almond butter
- Hummus and whole wheat pita
- Green smoothie with added protein
You Don’t Fully Rehydrate
Hydration is even more important than getting solid food, and many people don’t fully replace the fluids they lost during a workout. One way to tell if you’ve hydrated enough is to check the color of your urine. If it’s darker than pale yellow, you’re not hydrating enough. If you don’t consume enough fluid to replace what you’ve lost, you could experience some effects of mild hydration—decreased ability to focus, mild headache, fatigue, or lack of motivation.
Water is suitable for rehydration if you worked out for less than 90 minutes. If you exercised longer or did an intense workout in a warm environment, it’s safest to sip something that will replace lost electrolytes, like sodium, potassium, and chloride. You don’t need a sports drink. Coconut water with a pinch of salt is a suitable option, and it lacks the artificial colors, flavorings, and sweeteners that most sports drinks have. Whatever you do, drink up!
The Bottom Line
Choose wisely, but don’t forget to refuel after a workout. You need macronutrients to replenish the energy you burned, but the window period for getting your carbs and protein is longer than an hour. Yet, getting them as soon as you can help you avoid fatigue and lack of energy. Look for a snack that contains carbohydrates and protein in a 3 to 1 ratio, but don’t get into a habit of drinking only protein shakes. They have protein but they lack some beneficial components, like phytonutrients, you get from whole foods. Also, don’t forget about the importance of rehydrating. Make it a top priority every time!
References:
- com. “Are You Overestimating Calorie Burn?”
- J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2010 Dec;50(4):377-84.
- com. “The Disadvantages of Protein Shakes”
- J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2013; 10: 5.Published online 2013 Jan 29. doi: 10.1186/1550-2783-10-5.
- J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2008 Oct 3;5:17. doi: 10.1186/1550-2783-5-17.
Related Articles By Cathe:
Tips for Timing Your Pre and Post-Workout Meals
4 Things You Need for a Successful Exercise Recovery
Refueling After a Workout: Your Muscles Are Screaming for Glycogen
How Much Glycogen Can Your Body Store?
The Role Nutrition Plays in Workout Recovery
I always say don’t drink your calories. As you point out after a very long workout or when you are particularly dehydrated you do need to have some sugar and sodium added in order to absorb water so that is a good idea in that setting. But in general it is probably best to avoid smoothies and protein drinks. You cannot be sure of the safety of the protein source if powder is used. And drinking fruits and vegetables eliminates your body’s need to mechanically break down the food and this process itself burns calories. In addition because you are taking in liquids instead of solids it will empty from your stomach much more rapidly. This creates 2 big problems: 1) you will feel hungry sooner and be tempted to eat again sooner; 2) you will get a much more rapid rise in you blood sugar than if the sugars trickled into your small intestine and this creates problems particularly for diabetics but can impact insulin sensitivity over the long term with habitual intake.