THE PERFECT POST-WORKOUT MEAL

Ever since the advent of fitness industry in the Indian Market, people now can have access to repertoire of health clubs and fitness centers near their homes.

This boom is the fitness industry brought along with it a boom in the food industry as well, where people now made conscious decisions when it came to their nutrition.

As they say that too many chefs in the kitchen can wreak havoc on the flagship dish, tarnishing the reputation of the restaurant, the meal planning and options may soon follow suit and cause confusion among the masses as to what should one eat after he/she has just finished their workout.

Let’s solve this dilemma, shall we?

The nutrients are classified into 2 categories as we know:

1) Macro nutrients – required in larger quantities like fats, carbs, protein and water.

2) Micro nutrients – required in smaller quantities like vitamins and minerals.

But what amount or rather what combination of the two, would bear us the fruit of fitness?

To narrow it down to brass tacks, let’s see what these macros do for our body.

Carbohydrates are responsible for fueling the brain as well as restoring the lost energy from our muscles (blood glucose and glycogen), whereas Proteins help to repair the muscles that we trained in the workout, as for fats, they provide insulation to the body and aid in hormone production.

So, by this logic, the most nourishing meals of the day should be the pre-workout and post-workout meals.

So, once we are done with the workout, it is important to focus on recovery nutrition right away.

Giving your body some fast-digesting protein to start the muscle recovery and rebuilding process straightaway is what is the trend. That’s where whey protein has been making the buzz. Whey protein in water is the best fast-digesting protein you can give your body post-workout. Make sure not to take whey protein in milk, as it will slow down the digestion process.

As for the people who are not athletes, who don’t have any performance goals, should not depend on whey protein supplements. All whey protein adds to their lifestyle is the convenience of carrying it around in a puny shaker bottle, the age-old solid food builds a solid body is the key to success for us normal folks who work out for fitness.

As for the fats and carbohydrates, they are also important but as we know ingestion of fats inhibit absorption or rather slow down the absorption of other macros, so we should avoid fats directly after our workout.

Carbohydrates are something that one must also make sure that they are eating, not drinking to combat the infamous INSULIN spike.

One hour after the immediate nutrition ingestion, comes the most important meal of the day, post-workout meal.

Make sure this meal is a big one, containing all the 3 macro nutrients. The portion sizes will obviously vary, depending upon the goal, gender and training intensity.

So, it all boils down to this, (pun intended) to supply the body with proteins and carbs after the workout, for optimal growth and development. (Fats are also to be consumed, but only after an hour or so as another meal with protein and carbs)

Some of the examples of our perfect post-workout meal can be:

1) Rice and Chicken. (One can swap Chicken with Soya Chunks)

2) Whey in water and a fruit.

3) Egg whites and Oats. (One can swap Egg whites with Tofu)

Add in seasoning and spices to make the dish more palatable.

Whatever the combinations may be, make sure to add all 3 macro nutrients and adjust portion sizes based on your fitness goals.

Happy Gains.