Conquer Your Post-Workout Hunger With These 3 Meals

During exercise, your body is burning calories and depleting stored energy. To replenish your energy, and to help your body get the protein and other nutrients it needs, healthy and satisfying post-workout meals are key.

It’s important to keep in mind that food can take a while to digest, so ideally you’re aiming to eat as close to completing your workout as possible. However, for the times when that’s simply not possible, remember to pack a light snack, like an apple or a healthy bar, to help stave off big hunger urges until you get home and can prepare a healthy meal.

3 Healthy Post-Workout Meals

Conquer your post-workout hunger with these three healthy, hearty, and mouth-watering meals:

1. Salmon With Yams and Kale

Yams are a versatile superfood and a tasty way to add fiber and potassium to your diet. Salmon is a delicious protein that adds omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins to your plate. This savory and nutritious dish is an easy option for busy weeknights.

Instructions:

1. Cut the yams into ½-inch slices (you can peel the skin off if you’d like), fill a pan with ½-inch of water and steam until easily pierced with a fork. Mash together.  *You can sprinkle with cinnamon prior to steaming for added flavor.
2. Sprinkle wild salmon with lemon, salt, and pepper. To bake: for each inch of thickness, the salmon will take about 8 minutes in the oven at 425 °C.
3. Sauté the kale in a frying pan with olive or coconut oil, and garlic  for 3–5 minutes.

2. Almond, Banana, Spinach Shake

Oftentimes, you’ll see bodybuilders drinking their post-workout meal. This is because liquid doesn’t take as much time to digest as solid food, and they want to get protein into their systems quickly to get the most benefit out of it.

Try whipping up this tasty smoothie for a quick post-workout meal:

• Unsweetened almond or coconut milk
• Frozen banana
• Almond or peanut butter
• Spinach
• Hemp seeds (optional)
• Chia seeds (optional)

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth. Depending on your taste, you can play around with how much of each ingredient you like.

3. Brown Rice Burrito Bowl

Brown rice is a great source of fiber. Black beans also offer a lot of fiber, protein, and vitamins.

The following are the basics of a good burrito bowl, but you can spice yours up any way you like it. With burrito bowls, anything goes!

• Brown rice or quinoa
• Black beans or white kidney beans
• Refried beans
• Salsa
• Guacamole
• Cheese (cheddar, jack, havarti, etc.)
• Sour cream
• Olives
• Lettuce or spinach
• Cilantro
• Green or red onions

Save