Let’s be honest with ourselves — deep down, one of the main reasons we work out is to eat after. But what food is even close to fulfilling your appetite after a hard workout that doesn’t completely cancel out what you just did in the gym? It’s tough to find postworkout food that isn’t just random fruit bowls or nuts. Don’t worry though — you don’t have to feel guilty consuming delicious morsels after burning calories and sweating like a lunatic! Here are some foods you know you’d love to have any excuse to eat:
1. Chocolate milk
Take yourself back to your childhood after every cardio session with a nice, cold glass of chocolate milk. This liquid ecstasy is one of the best things you can consume after a long run in the fire trails or a tough elliptical training. The things that your body needs most to replenish after cardio are sugar, to get your energy back up, and protein, to start rebuilding the muscles you just worked as soon as possible. Chocolate milk has all of these things, though you should definitely also supplement your postworkout routine with more water. Just be sure to get the nonfat or lowfat kind and remember that too much of anything is never good — even if it is chocolate milk.
2. Jamba Juice’s chunky strawberry bowl
Who doesn’t love Jamba Juice? It is refreshing, sugary, delicious and a couple blocks away from the RSF, and it takes Cal1 debit money. The chunky strawberry bowl is perfect for replenishing your body after working out. It has granola and bananas and uses greek yogurt and peanut butter for an extra protein boost, and the small has 2 full servings of fruit. It’s great for postworkout nomming for all the same reasons as chocolate milk but is better if you want to eat something with a little more sustenance.
3. Beer
Yes, you read that correctly. It’s definitely not advisable to get plastered after every workout, but Spanish scientists have found that drinking a pint of beer might replenish you better than water or Gatorade. The large quantity of calories and carbohydrates apparently are great for replacing what you might have lost while working out, and the carbonation helps hydrate faster. According to NPR, a Canadian company has even created a beer made specifically for consuming after working out called “Lean Machine Recovery Ale.”
4. Bongo Burger’s turkey burger
Who would’ve ever thought a burger could be healthy? This turkey burger is delicious and nutritious and only costs $4.50. Turkey is great to eat after working out because it has lots of protein and very little fat, but Bongo Burger also serves up some other great healthy options that have tons of protein too. These include its falafel sandwich, hummus sandwich and black bean burger, all of which you can get for less than $6. Bongo Burger offers an easy way for you to stay fit while on a budget — just make sure to skip out on the fries and soda.
5. Salmon
Now that it’s summer, grilling up a nice piece of salmon seems pretty appealing. Salmon is incredibly nutritious, easy to cook — you can even just stick it in the microwave — and is great with other postworkout super foods such as pineapple and veggies. You can even make a salmon burger, or if you don’t have time for that kind of cooking, Trader Joe’s has some great frozen salmon burgers that you can buy.
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