What Should You Eat as a Post Workout Snack?

Exercise of any kind can really work up an appetite. But it can be hard to know what to eat to help your workout efforts, rather than hinder them.

If you’re looking for a simple snack to give you a boost, you don’t always have to settle for a basic protein bar. Believe it or not, there’s lots of easy, tasty, effective options you can choose as your post workout snack.

In this blog, we will show you which foods will benefit you the most after a workout, plus provide other tips and tricks so that you can start seeing better results.

When Should You Eat After a Workout?

There are a lot of myths around what and when you should eat after a workout.

After exercising, your body is dehydrated and in much need of replenishment. Therefore it is advised that you eat within 30-45 minutes to help restore energy and repair muscles (1). In fact, delaying your food consumption by as little as two hours can diminish your ability to refuel your muscles by 50% (2)

Post Workout Snacks

When it comes to which snacks to eat, experts state that foods enriched with protein, potassium, healthy fats and carbohydrates are key for recharging your body after a workout (2). Let’s take a look at what role each of these nutrients play, and how you can easily source these as post workout snacks.

Food That is Protein Packed

As you may already know, protein is an essential nutrient when it comes to exercise of any kind. Why? Because when you exercise, this strenuous activity takes a toll on your body, by breaking down muscle to help it regrow stronger than before. In order to aid this, you need protein to repair and rebuild these muscles swiftly and successfully (2).

Not only this, but protein offers many other benefits. These include: reducing appetite, boosting metabolism, burning fat, lowering blood pressure and increasing energy (3).

The ideal amount of protein to consume is 20–40 grams in order to maximise the body’s ability to recover after exercise (2). Therefore, you should always look for a compact snack that boasts a high protein count, so that you can up your protein intake in a more convenient way.

One snack that is incredibly high in protein is Stript Snacks biltong. With 13g of protein, you can easily get your protein fix in one pack, which is perfect if you’re on-the-go. What’s more, biltong makes a great pre-gym snack, to give you much-needed fuel to see your workout session through to the end.

To change up your protein intake, we recommend eating eggs, chicken, turkey and nuts (2). If you want to double-up on your protein, you can mix any of these ingredients with biltong. For example: you could try a biltong omelette, biltong and chicken pasta, or even try our signature Biltong Bowl recipe. This dish makes a great post workout snack, as it combines Stript Snacks Cracked Black Pepper flavoured biltong with dried fruit and nuts, creating the perfect blend of flavours and nutrients.

Food Enriched with Potassium

Potassium is a great mineral to have after a workout because it helps revitalise the body and also flushes out any excess salt and water weight (5).

Other benefits include muscle integrity, which is essential for aiding recovery and growth post workout. Plus, it helps to boost metabolism, improve bone health and stabilise blood pressure – all of which will contribute to better long-term health (5).

Foods that are rich in potassium include bananas, sweet potatoes, yogurt and broccoli (6). While bananas are the most common and convenient snack, there are other creative ways you can incorporate potassium into your post workout diet.

For the ultimate post workout snack, get the perfect balance of protein, carbs and potassium with our biltong topped sweet potato fries recipe. Not only is it bursting full of goodness, it is a versatile dish that you can enjoy as a snack, lunch, side dish or supper.

Food Containing Healthy Fats and Carbs

Although you usually hear about avoiding carbs – believe it or not, eating carbs is good for recovery and replenishing fuel after a workout (2).

Likewise, many people think that eating fat after a workout causes slower digestion and, as a result, impedes the absorption of nutrients. However, while certain fats might take longer for your body to absorb, it will not reduce its benefits (2).

Healthy carbs and fats that you can enjoy include milk, quinoa, fruit, rice, oatmeal, potatoes, pasta, avocado and nuts (2). Again, you can get creative with these, and combine them with other nutrients to get the best of both. For example, you could whip up a quick baked potato topped with biltong, or spice up your rice dish with our Red Chilli biltong and some sweet chilli sauce. All while keeping it healthy and beneficial to your workout.

For more inspiration on how you can incorporate biltong into other light dishes, we have a blog covering how you can freshen up your lunch box ideas. Some of these ideas are so quick and easy to make, they make the perfect post workout snack.

Protein is Key for Post Workout Snacks

When it comes to post workout snacks, the key ingredient we have mentioned in this blog is protein, as it boasts the most benefits and is widely accredited across the health and fitness community. Biltong is a versatile snack that is tasty, convenient, and bursting with protein goodness. Whether you enjoy it on its own, or in a main meal.

With 13g of protein, less than 75 kcals per pack and made with 100% British and Irish beef, you can’t go wrong with Stript Snacks biltong as a post workout snack. To order online, check out our online shop. Or to learn more about our biltong, check out the rest of our blogs for ideas, information and inspiration.

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What Should You Eat as a Post Workout Snack?

When Should You Eat After a Workout?