For athletes, even recreational exercisers, starting practices, running programs or a training regimen can disrupt the body’s natural ability to quickly heal and recover. Depleting glycogen (muscle carbohydrate) stores can do that to a person.
However, paying attention to the foods that you choose post-exercise may positively impact your body’s ability to recover, and help you to better enjoy the activities in which you participate.
When choosing recovery foods, including post-exercise snacks and meals, remember the following:
- Carbohydrates are your friends. During exercise, the body uses mostly carbohydrate as energy. Carbohydrate-rich foods provide energy for the body before exercise, a source to burn, but are also necessary to consume afterwards to rebuild the stores. Enjoying these foods in combination with other foods (Sorry, carbo-loading is out.) rebuilds energy levels which are needed to continue activity. Other foods contribute calories, protein and fat to your body so that the carbohydrate-rich foods you consume can be used as energy.
- Eat protein. Protein-rich foods provide amino acids, the building blocks for muscle, which are broken down during exercise. While this is a natural result of strenuous activity, future athletic performance in practices and games is largely impacted by how well our muscles rebuild and resynthesize new muscle fibers after a workout. Protein aids in this recovery effort. Protein-rich foods are also linked to a reduction in muscle soreness. 10-20 grams of protein is recommended post-exercise.
| Recovery Food | Approximate Protein (grams)* |
| 8 ounces Greek yogurt | 12 |
| 8 ounces plain yogurt | 8 |
| 1 cup (white or chocolate) milk | 8 |
| 2 tablespoon peanut butter | 7 |
| ½ ounce beef jerky | 7 |
| ¼ cup cottage cheese | 7 |
| 1 ounce canned tuna fish | 7 |
| 1 scrambled egg | 7 |
| ½ cup edamame | 7 |
| 1/3 cup hummus | 7 |
| ½ cup beans | 7 |
*Check Nutrition Facts Labels on specific foods for exact amount, some products can vary significantly.
- Choose color. Colorful fruits and vegetables are natural sources of many vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. While extra or supplemented amounts of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants are not necessary as part of a recovery diet, consuming adequate amounts of these foods is still important for an overall healthy diet. Think about color when choosing and preparing recovery snacks and meals to improve diet quality.
Never hungry immediately post-exercise?
If the thought of eating post-exercise rarely seems tolerable, you’re not alone. Thankfully, most sports nutrition recommendations allow 45 minutes post-exercise for a refuel snack and encourage even as little as 100 calories when doing so. Any amount of carbohydrate and protein can help the body to refuel and repair and is still encouraged. Including recovery foods in meals throughout the day is also encouraged.
Looking for ideas?
| Recovery food | Carbohydrate | Protein | Color |
| Fruit Smoothie | X | X | X |
| String Cheese and Piece of Fruit | X | X | X |
| Cup of (White or Chocolate) Milk | X | X | |
| Greek Yogurt and Berries | X | X | X |
| Cottage Cheese and Crackers | X | X | |
| Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich | X | X | X |
| Veggie Quesadilla | X | X | X |
| Loaded Baked Potato (with cheese, beans and veggies) | X | X | X |
| Hummus, Vegetables and Crackers | X | X | X |
| Chef Salad | X | X |
Athletes can train harder and perform better with proper nutrition. Visit WesternDairyAssociation.org to read more about milk as an exercise recovery beverage and learn how to eat for peak athletic performance.