Nothing beats the feeling of euphoria after finishing a challenging workout. Your endorphins are high, and you feel a sense of accomplishment and healthy exhaustion. But as time goes on, your muscles may feel sore, and you may experience a post-workout crash.
Next time you finish a workout, grab a post-workout smoothie like the BC Builder from Locavores. Packed with the best foods for post workout nutrition including protein, healthy carbs, vitamins, and minerals, the BC Builder and other post-workout smoothies will feel more like a treat than a way to recover. There’s so much packed into one tasty cup -– let’s look at the ingredients and see what they can do.
Protein
Protein is a macronutrient essential to building muscle mass and is a necessary factor in recovery post-workout. High protein intake is highly recommended and crucial to re-composition of your muscles – losing fat while gaining or maintaining muscle mass. It helps the recovery of every tissue in your body down to the cellular level. Protein is one of the best foods for post workout nutrition because it allows for more frequent training and increased muscle growth.
Carbohydrates
Carbs have a bad reputation. While complex carbohydrates are OK to eat in moderation, healthy carbs, like oatmeal, banana found in the BC Builder, help rebuild muscle and increase immunity. They also act as the shuttle for protein to cells. Carbs are the primary energy source for cells. Taking in a healthy amount of high-quality carbs replenishes glycogen stores, which gives your muscles the energy needed to perform during the next training session. You can see why carbohydrates top the list of best foods for post-workout nutrition.
For best post-workout results, pick a mix of slow, moderate, and fast-digesting carbs for your shake with a 2:1 or 3:1 carb-to-protein ratio.
Creatine
Creatine is found naturally in muscle cells and gives your body a boost of energy during lifting or high-intensity exercise. Naturally, it produces Creatine Phosphate, one of the primary energy sources of the phosphagen system, helping you through high-intensity workouts of 10 seconds or less, like lifting or printing. Creatine also:
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Increases the formation of proteins to create new muscle fibers
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Aids in blood sugar control
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Provides brain with additional energy, increased memory, and increased intellect when compared to placebo groups
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Decreases fatigue and tiredness
Creatine is considered one of the safest and the most highly studied supplements in the fitness world. Some studies show increases in IGF-1, leading to increase mass muscle gain. Newer studies showing promising data that it may help with neurological conditions, including Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, ischemic strokes, and brain and spinal cord injury recovery.
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Best Foods for Post Workout Nutrition: Vitamins and Minerals
Many nutritional shakes for post-workout recovery include added vitamins and minerals – a fantastic choice for high fiber additions with no added sugar. Some types include the following:
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Vitamins: A, C, E B1, B5, B6, B9
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Minerals: potassium, calcium, iron, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, zinc
These vitamin and mineral additions can turn a tasty shake into a nutritional powerhouse. They support cell function and tissue growth, create hemoglobin, increase oxygen to tissues, decrease blood pressure, support a healthy digestive tract, and improve blood sugar and insulin response. They are foods that fuel your body.
Post-workout foods are more than a thirst quencher or treat after a strenuous workout; they help build muscle, give you the energy to spare, and may actively improve your health.
Brady Connor, MBA CSLS, CPT, is a personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach. He holds a BS in HPPE, Exercise Science, with a minor in coaching. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (NSCA-CSCS) and Certified Personal Trainer (NSCA-CPT) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Brady not only owns his own training center, Brady Connor Fitness Empire, LLC but is the general manager and head of personal training at Anytime Fitness and assistant strength and conditioning coach at Adams State University. He created the legendary BC Builder smoothie at Locavores for a super-packed nutritional post-work treat.