How Carbs Factor Into Post-Workout Recovery

Just as ahealthy dietis essential fuel for a good workout, the food you eat after you hit the gym plays an important role inrecovery. “Your body is extra receptive to the nutrition you give itwithin an hour or two of working out,” says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, author of “The Superfood Swap.” The rightrecovery foodscan help your body’s muscles and energy storage get back to high-performance levels so you can continue to have great workouts,build muscle and burn fat.”

Here, a look at whycarbsare ideal for post-workout recovery, the case forpairing them with proteinand RD-approved options to try:

Several studies have shown carbohydratesreplenish glycogenin the muscles,counter exercise-induced changes to the immune systemandreduce muscle soreness and improve performancein subsequent exercise. If you ignore recovery nutrition, “you may start the week strong, but fatigue will set in and your performance will start to decline as the week goes on,” warns Blatner.

“Carbohydratesare a necessary fuel source for the body,” adds Kelly Jones, a Philadelphia-based sports and fitness dietitian. “Poor recovery from exercise due to lack of carbs willlead to excessive hungerandbinge eating tendencies, lethargy andfeelings of stressas well as increased muscle soreness. Over time, it can lead to muscle weakening, poor immune function and increased injury risk.”

While carbohydrates refill your fuel tank after a workout, be sure to choose foods that are also rich invitamins, mineralsandantioxidants, says Jones.Avoid refined carbsthat arehighly processedand stripped of nutrients.

Carbohydrates like fruits and starches, including apples, sweet potatoes andriceare good options to restore blood glucose levels and muscle glycogen stores.

“If you ingest carbs withoutproteinpost workout, you’ll recover your glycogen stores andblood sugar levels, but will be missing the critical repair nutrient tobegin muscle recoveryand regrowth,” Jones says. “Protein also helps promote satiety and prevents blood sugar levels from spiking and crashing when ingesting carbs.”

Moreover,research发表在《公共科学图书馆·综合》杂志上而执行ance of cyclists who received carbohydrate supplements to those who received carbohydrates and protein within a two-hour post-workout window. The combination of protein and carbohydrates improved performance; on carbohydrates alone, performance declined.

Blatner suggests eating a meal or snack within one hour of a workout, adding, “If your regularly scheduled healthy, balanced meal comes within an hour or less after a workout, eat your meal as the recovery food. But if you won’t be eating a healthy, balanced meal for more than an hour, add in acarb plus protein snack.”

Her go-to options forpost-workout mealsincludeoatmealand scrambled eggs with veggies and avocado;low-sugar granolaandGreek yogurtwithberries; or brown rice, black beans, spinach and a couple tablespoons of guacamole. Apples with almond butter or whole-grain crackers and cheese are also great snack options that have the right mix of carbohydrates and protein.

You can alsotry chocolate milk, which has been hailed as the ideal recovery drink because it contains carbs, protein,healthy fats, water and electrolytes. In one 2019study, researchers found the combination of nutrients made the childhood favorite “superior” to other recovery drinks.