NO MATTER HOW hard you’re working in the gym, if you’re not recovering properly afterwards, you’re not training effectively. Proper recovery means everything from getting on a healthy sleep schedule to regularly stretching. While your trusty foam roller can help you massage out those stubborn knots, and libido booster your fancy cooling pillow comforts you into some deeper z’s-gadgets won’t always provide a quick fix. When it comes to eating for muscle recovery, the answer means eating simple, whole foods. "Nailing your post-workout nutrition promotes quicker recovery, reduces muscle soreness, builds muscle, improves immune system functioning, and replenishes glycogen-all key building blocks in priming you for future workouts," says sports dietitian and Ironman athlete Marni Sumbal, M.S., R.D. Your chosen fuel may also determine how you’re feeling the next day. Several nutrients, including different amino acids and vitamins play a role in how your muscles recover. Eating foods with the proper nutrients can relieve muscle soreness the days following your workout-meaning you may feel better in your subsequent workouts, too.

What’s important to eat after a workout? The perfect post-exercise meal depends on what you’re doing for your workouts. A marathon runner is going to need different foods to refuel than an Olympic lifter. Generally, longer-endurance-based workouts require more carbohydrates to replenish those lost during exercise. Leslie Bonci, R.D.N., M.P.H., sports dietician for the Kansas City Chiefs recommends a 1:1 or 1:2 protein-to-carb ratio for your post-workout snack or meal after a traditional strength training session. If you’re coming off an endurance workout, libido booster up the ratio to about 1:3 to get more carbs in to replenish glycogen stores. If you’re getting in an entire meal after your workout, Bonci recommends getting at least 20 to 30 grams of protein, and structuring the carbs as such. When should I eat after a workout? You don’t need to run and cook a whole meal directly after getting off the treadmill, libido booster but you do want your food to follow relatively soon after you’re done to fight off the coming hungry.

Bonci recommends getting some kind of nutrition, be it a snack or a meal, at least 30 to 60 minutes after completing your workout. So what exactly should you reach for? The following science-backed options optimize your recovery so you can head back to the gym faster and stronger. Plus, they all taste better than your average chalky protein shake. Tart cherry juice is loaded with antioxidants and various anti-inflammatory compounds and libido booster has been shown to help athletes recover from intense training. Many studies have demonstrated that tart cherry juice can help with recovery after an intense exercise sesh, but it’s not just limited to weight training. They're one of nature's most perfect proteins. One large whole egg has seven grams of protein, plus a whole host of other vital nutrients, including vitamins and minerals.

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Pub: 27 Nov 2025 18:44 UTC

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