Recipes, Meals and Snack Ideas 

10 of the best post-workout meal and snack ideas Protein powders and specially formulated sports products can help maximize your workout – and lighten your wallet – so are they really necessary? Here we highlight the best foods to munch on after a training session that you could easily find in the pantry, café or local convenience store.

It's important to replenish your carbohydrate stores so you have energy after exercising and you’ll also need some protein to provide the amino acids needed for muscle growth and repair.  Antioxidant-rich foods will also help minimise cell and muscle damage that can result from a hard workout.

If you exercise at night, high GI carbohydrate-rich foods like rice, a bagel or potato are ideal as they are quickly digested and can also help promote sleep. For good post-exercise dinners, try:

• Rice (try quick cooking rice pouches – pre-cooked rice that needs just 90 seconds in the microwave to heat) with simple stir-fried chicken breast and some vegies, or
• Microwave a potato in it’s jacket and add some tuna, corn and chopped red capsicum, or
• A bowl of rice bubbles with milk and a few berries will even do the trick!

If you work out during the day, for example in your lunch break, the same carb/protein principles apply, but at this time of day, try low GI, higher fibre carbohydrate-rich foods to give you longer lasting energy throughout the afternoon, like:

• Wholegrain sandwich or wrap with tuna, chicken or egg plus salad (dark green leaves like rocket or cos lettuce with beetroot and grated carrot) plus fruit – good choices include oranges, mango, apples, berries
• Sushi rolls plus a side salad
• Low GI rice or pasta salad (avoid creamy sauces) containing chicken, legumes, fish and roasted vegetables

If it’s between meal times and you just need a replenishing snack, try:

• Dried fruits with nuts (carbs plus protein plus healthy fats for filling power) or a dried fruit and nut bar
• A breakfast bar or muesli bar with a piece of fruit and a handful of nuts
• Flavoured low fat milk or a fruit smoothie - these provide extra fluid as well as carbohydrate and protein
• A tub of yoghurt with chopped fruit or some berries

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