Eat Right After Practice!
Why?
Think of eating after exercise as "reloading your muscles" for the next bout of training or competition so the next day you can perform longer before feeling wiped out. Sports nutritionists call that "recovery." Rapid recovery of muscle glycogen after exercise is the fundamental nutrition goal for athletes.
Muscle Energy
Glycogen is the storage form of glucose for muscle energy. When an athlete's glycogen supply is low, muscles lack the energy to perform their best. Athletes who train daily or compete must maximize glycogen storage. Athletes can double the amount of glycogen their muscles can hold.
Athletes can increase muscle energy storage by:
- Training
- Eating high-carbohydrate, moderate-protein snacks right after each workout and again within two hours of exercise
- Eating a daily diet of fruits, vegetables, skim milk and whole grains where 60% of the calories are carbohydrate calories
- Eating a daily diet of 0.5 to 0.75 grams of protein per pound of body weight
- Eating a daily diet where 25 to 30% of calories are fat calories
Here are examples of food you can eat when done exercising and foods to eat within the next two hours to reload your muscles with glycogen.
Eat right after practice or workout:
- 16 oz bottle of calcium fortified orange juice, 1 carton (8oz) yogurt, 1 apple
- 20 oz bottle of sport drink, a pop-top can of tuna on 2 slices of whole wheat bread
- 16 oz bottle of vending machine grapefruit juice, 1 plum
- 16 oz bottle of calcium fortified orange juice, 1 cup of honey nut dry cereal
- 1/4 cup of raisins, 1/4 cup of peanuts, water, 1 carton (8oz) yogurt
- 16 oz bottle of calcium fortified orange juice, 1 banana
And within 2 hours after practice or workout, eat:
- 1 cup skim milk, 1 cup pasta with 1/2 cup of white beans (pasta fagoli) and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup chocolate skim milk
- Bagel or bun with 4 oz of lean deli roast beef
- 2 cups skim milk, 1 hamburger on a bun
- 1 cup skim milk, 2 bean burritos with salsa
- 4 oz lean ground beef on a bun (like a maid-rite or sloppy joe)
