The Best Foods to Eat Post-Workout
After improving your fitness, strength and mood following a good cross-training or boxing class, you want to continue these post-workout feelings and health benefits by eating nourishing food!
Setting nutritional goals can also help you to plan out what you need to be eating post-workout, our tips on this are outlined here.
Why do I need Protein?
Foods high in protein are essential for muscle building and recovery. This does not mean you need to grab a protein ‘shake’ or ‘bar.’
Post-workout snacks marketed as ‘high protein’ are generally highly processed, have much more protein than your body actually needs and are not balanced with the other important food groups.
Our 5 big reasons to eat protein listed here.
You can get a perfectly adequate amount of protein from whole foods like these:
o Eggs
o Milk
o Yoghurt
o Lean meat
o Seafood
o Nuts and seeds
o Beans, legumes, chickpeas
Carbohydrates
A good workout will burn through your energy stores. To prevent feeling fatigued after a workout, it is important you refuel your energy stores with wholegrain carbohydrates. This will also help prevent cravings later!
Refined carbohydrates like white bread, or those found in muffins and cakes will perk you up for a short period of time. Not long after, you will come crashing back down, which will leave you feeling mentally and physically exhausted.
Fill up on wholegrain carbohydrates like these
o high fibre brown breads and pasta
o oats
o chickpeas and beans
o sweet potato and white potato
Healthy Fats
Healthy fats will keep you feeling full and help prevent brain fog.
Eat healthy fats like these:
o salmon and tuna
o extra virgin olive oil
o avocado
o nut butter
If your looking to improve your strength and endurance, check out our best eating tips here.
Weekly Recipe
Check out this week’s recipe full of protein and healthy carbs to compliment your workouts. Double the recipe so you have enough for your lunchboxes!
Serves: 4 Time: 50mins Cost: $18.50 approx. ($4.63/serve)
Ingredients
o 400g lean pork mince
o 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes
o 1 cup wholemeal bread crumbs
o ¼ cup parmesan cheese
o 2 eggs
o 1 crushed garlic clove
o 1 tsp salt
o 12 tsp pepper
o can of diced Italian tomatoes
o ½ TBSP balsamic vinegar
o 1 garlic clove
o 1 sweet potato
o 2 carrot
o 1 broccoli
o 1 cup green beans
o ½ tsp butter
Method
1. preheat oven to 1800C (fan-forced).
2. boil pot of water, chop sweet potato and carrot into small pieces and boil until soft.
3. chop sundried tomatoes, grate parmesan cheese, beat eggs.
4. mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
5. roll into balls, place on baking tray, bake for 25 mins.
6. chop broccoli and steam with beans for 5-10 mins.
7. mash sweet potato and carrot with, ½ tsp butter salt and pepper.
8. heat canned tomatoes in saucepan with balsamic vinegar and garlic or microwave, add ½ TBSP balsamic vinegar, pinch of salt and pepper.
9. serve meatballs with mash, steamed greens and tomato sauce.
