Although you may have mastered the workout and burned hundreds and hundreds of calories, the wrong post-workout can compromise your efforts. There are a lot of things you can eat, but it's important to know what you should avoid at all costs!
With the effort to satisfy some hunger signals, the urgency to eat something at the end of training can often lead you to choose the wrong food. Wanting to eat what is most at hand or what may seem most appealing can make you opt for something that doesn't have the right nutrients, or foods that have too much sugar and fat. Here are some foods that may seem good at the time but could compromise all the effort you put into your training:
Sugary Recovery Shakes
It's important to replenish your muscles after a hard and painful workout. But often, those delicious protein recovery shakes are loaded with sugar and other additives. If you want a shake at the end of your workout (which, in addition to being delicious and practical, is truly nutritious) we advise you to make one yourself, at home. The ingredients will always be more natural and the nutrients will be what you really need, as you can adapt the recipe to your needs!
Ultra-processed Energy Bars
Marketing, labels and those health buzzwords often used on bar packaging serve, for the most part, to deceive you. Most of the bars have more sugar than a donut and an ingredients list that reads like a chemistry book. It's time to swap these ultra-processed bars for better choices. You don't have to give up the convenience of a bar, but swap the overly processed ones for a more natural post-workout snack. Preferably with a 4:1 Carbohydrate:Protein ratio.
Low-Carb Meals
Consistency is key to training, so your goal at the end of a workout should be to refuel for the next one. A low-carb meal doesn't give your body what it needs to recover. Compromising your next workout. After training, quality carbohydrates are a priority: bread, oats, sweet potatoes and some fruits will give your body what it needs to recover optimally.
Raw Vegetables
What? Yes. Although you won't hear us say this in any other context, post-workout is the only time you should “pass” the vegetables. Your body needs more than a few raw vegetables to replenish itself. Vegetables have lots of nutrients, few calories and lots of fiber. However, they do not have the fat, carbohydrates and protein necessary to become a complete post-workout meal.
