Find out what to eat after a workout to get optimal results.

What you decide to eat after a workout makes a big difference in getting optimal results from your training. It is instrumental in everything from how fast you recover, how much muscle you build and how much excess weight you lose.

When you work out, your muscles use their stored glycogen as fuel. Plus, exercise can break down your muscle proteins. What and when you eat can both help refuel your muscles AND repair them, maximizing your gains!

What should you eat in your snack after a workout? Here’s what the research suggests:

Protein: Aim for 0.14 to 0.23 grams per pound of body weight (or 0.3 to 0.5 grams per kg) of protein to help repair your muscles. For almost everyone, that’s between 20 to 40 grams of protein.

Carbohydrate: Shoot for about 0.5 to 0.7 grams of carbs per pound (1.1 to 1.5 grams per kg).

An excellent shortcut is to eat 3x as many carb grams as protein.

What to Eat After a Workout Post-Workout Snack Ideas

• Vegan Protein shake with banana and berries
• Vegan Greek yogurt with fruit
• My Marinated Thai Tofu Salad here.
• My High Protein Bean Salad here.

However, it is worth remembering that what you eat ALL day will significantly impact your results.

Optimal Time to Eat

Your muscles are especially receptive to refuelling in the 30 to 45 minutes after your workouts. That makes this the optimal time to eat your post-workout snack. If you leave it too long, you miss the muscle-building benefits.

REFERENCES:

http://www.healthline.com/nutrition/eat-afer-workout