What to eat after training? The best foods to help you reach your goal

What to eat after training is a common question among those who practice sport or physical activity. And it’s not just any question. Knowing what to eat after training depends on the purpose of your workout and the type of activity you have done.

Good nutrition is essential for staying healthy and recovering after physical exertion.

If you want to know the answer to this question and which foods are most suitable in each case, read on.

The importance of post-training nutrition

To eat or not to eat, that is not the question. Whatever your training goal, nutrition is fundamental to achieving it.

It is the body itself that marks the so-called metabolic window or muscle window, the period that refers to the first hour or hour and a half after sports practice when your muscles are more receptive to absorb the nutrients that will allow you to regenerate your muscles and recover.

During training, muscles use a mixture of fats and carbohydrates. Fat stores are larger but carbohydrate stores are quickly depleted after an exercise session.

When carbohydrates, stored in the form of muscle glycogen, are lacking, the body begins to destroy muscle tissue to obtain useful energy for the cells.

The best way to reverse this process is to supply the body with the necessary nutrients, especially carbohydrates and protein to aid muscle regeneration.

Define the objective of the training

Knowing what to eat after training depends on what you want to achieve from your sport.

 Weight loss training

If your goal is to lose weight, prioritise the recovery of water and mineral salts with options such as natural juices, milk or gazpacho. This will deplete your glycogen stores and start burning fat. Later you can eat slow-absorbing carbohydrates and high quality protein in controlled quantities.

Toning training

If you want to build muscle without bulking up, eat high-quality carbohydrates and protein to replenish your glycogen stores and nourish your muscles. A suitable meal would be a beef steak and a salad.

Training to gain muscle mass

Most experts recommend eating as soon as possible to take advantage of the metabolic window period and stop muscle catabolism by prioritising easily absorbed carbohydrates and proteins to take advantage of the vasodilation that occurs after exercise.

At the end of your workout you can eat yoghurt with a banana and some almonds.

Training without a defined objective

If you want to feel good and energetic, the post-workout meal is important. Compensate your energy expenditure so as not to weaken your muscles and prevent overload and injury. Opt for healthy foods with a balanced intake of proteins, carbohydrates and fats.

The type of training we carry out

Depending on the exercise performed, you should prioritise certain foods or others to provide the body with the necessary nutrients.

What to eat after cardio training

After a cardiovascular exercise session, especially if it has been intense or of long duration, consume slow-absorbing carbohydrates to replenish glycogen stores and restore energy. Include protein for muscle repair and some healthy fats.

For example, you can eat a sandwich on wholemeal bread with avocado slices and slices of turkey breast.

What to eat after strength training

The maxim is to stop catabolism and prevent muscle breakdown. To promote muscle protein synthesis, the process by which muscle increases in size, it takes in protein and a small portion of carbohydrate to help assimilate it.

Depending on the time of day, you can have unsweetened yoghurt with banana and strawberries or grilled chicken with brown rice.

What to eat after HIIT training (high intensity)

This type of training combines cardio and strength exercises at near peak performance.

Take fast-absorbing protein and high-glycaemic carbohydrates to recover.

A white bread sandwich with chicken fillet or fish with a baked potato are two examples of this type of protein and carbohydrate.

What to eat after Pilates or yoga training

Glycogen is the energy that allows you to move your body. The ideal is to follow a healthy and nutritious meal pattern that includes all the food groups and to spread your intake over four or five meals, without skipping any and adapting it to your sporting activity.

Don’t neglect hydration

Whatever your routine, water is a must. Stay hydrated before, during and after training.

When you feel thirsty you have already lost a significant amount of water in your body and if you are doing sport you can become dehydrated even before you feel thirsty.

Fluid intake contributes to good body temperature regulation and maintains electrolyte concentration. Electrolytes are present in blood and other body fluids and are responsible for regulating nerve and muscle function, the amount of water in the body, eliminating wastes, transporting nutrients, and balancing acidity and blood pressure.

• Water is the ideal drink for those who follow a balanced diet and moderate exercise.
• If you train for more than sixty minutes at high or very high intensity, isotonic drinks help to replenish the salts and minerals lost through sweating.

Food groups

Now you know what to eat after training. We are going to classify the recommended food groups so that you can choose the ones that suit you best.

Carbohydrates

• Slow absorption: oatmeal – wholemeal pasta – brown rice – vegetables – wholemeal bread
• strawberries – cherries – red berries – pulses.
• Rapidly absorbed: white bread – potato – banana – white rice – refined flour pasta.

Proteins

Milk – unsweetened yoghurt – chicken meat – eggs – almonds – boiled chickpeas – dried peas – black and white beans – fish.

Unsaturated fats

Milk – unsweetened yoghurt – chicken meat – eggs – almonds – boiled chickpeas – dried peas – black and white beans – fish.

Extra help for your muscles and joints

As you can see, choosing the right foods and eating them when you get the most out of their nutrients helps you achieve your goals.

Further optimise the results of your workouts by enriching your nutrition with a natural supplement such as Orgono Articomplex that improves muscle function and protects joints, cartilage and bones.

And to strengthen your joints against wear and tear and joint stress, complete your sports recovery with Orgono Sports Recovery Supplement, a natural food supplement specifically recommended for this purpose.

We hope we’ve helped you answer the question of what to eat after training. Following a healthy eating routine in your day-to-day life and knowing what foods work best for you at specific times is the ideal way to stay fit.