To keep yourself fit and healthy, you need to hit the gym regularly. If you are a boxer or a trainer you need to do vigorous exercises to boost your stamina and maintain a desirable weight. After cardio and weight training, you need to have a balanced, nutritious, and healthy diet. According to nutritionists, certain foods are rich in vitamins and nutrients so they are beneficial to be taken pre-workout. Similarly, some foods are to be avoided post work out due to their certain properties that make them difficult to digest and may make you feel lethargic.
After extensive research, we at RDX have complied a list of foods that are to be avoided after work out and have also suggested what you can have instead to gain the maximum out of your workout session.
1. Oily Foods
High-fat foods either healthy fat sources like fried eggs or fast-food like French fries are to be avoided after workout. According to Courtney Bentley, certified personal trainer, sports nutrition expert “Eating fats post-workout slows down the rapid digestion your body experiences. It takes nine grams of energy for your body to digest one gram of fat, so by slowing that down, you aren’t doing yourself any favors when it comes to speeding up your metabolism and toning.”
Deep-fried fast foods contain harmful trans-fats. They can slow the digestion process and make you feel sluggish rather than happy post-workout. As exercise is a stressor, so we should aim to eat a post-workout meal that includes micro-nutrients and nourishing ingredients that fuel and take care of our body.
Instead of eating fried foods, opt for a baked or steamed fish or chicken, along with boiled rice, baked sweet potato or grilled vegetables. This kind of meal will provide you with proteins and carbs that will refuel your body and offer you with long-lasting energy and strength.
2. Coffee
Coffee and other caffeinated drinks can be a beneficial energy boost before a workout and may even enhance performance. But according to the Nutrition Health Coach Amy Wright, “caffeine also raises body’s stress hormone cortisol. Exercise is essential to health, but it is also a stressor on the body causing cortisol release. While vital for healthy bodily function, too much cortisol can increase inflammation, cardiovascular issues, immunity, and hormonal imbalances.”
Since caffeine can dehydrate the body and you are already dehydrated due to exercise hence, it’s better to consume only water after a workout.
3. Sugary Shakes and Smoothies
Some smoothies are great for you after a workout like a protein-packed, fiber-rich can boost your energy and help replenish some of the vitamins you need. But most of the people opt for artificially flavored sugary smoothies that will make you gain all the calories that you may have burned in the gym and slow down your metabolism.
Instead go for healthy smoothies like blending bananas, any kind of berries, oats, and almond or soy milk to gain energy.
It’s good, right? We know. But it should be avoided right before a workout. They are rich with indigestible carbs which cause gas and bloating.
4. Salty Foods
Salty foods have the same effect on your body as fast foods. Having potato chips or slat crackers will make you lose more salts in the body, as a result, it will make you lethargic and uneasy. You need to have healthy meals that can replenish your potassium level quickly and naturally.
Instead of reaching for the crisps opt for a snack such as a banana as it is rich in potassium and carbs serve as a great option for replenishing potassium levels.
5. Red Meat
Red meat is rich in proteins which is good for health especially before work out but having red meat, bacon or sausage after a workout is not a good idea. This is because red meat is hard to digest and it contains saturated animal fats that slow down metabolic function, clogs your arteries, and affects brain function.
If you want a protein fix after a workout, go for boiled eggs instead as they are an excellent source of protein.
6. Milk Chocolate
People crave chocolate or something else sweet after exercising. This happens because they have lost sugars during their workout and their body is telling them that they need more.
We all know dark chocolate is extremely good for health as it contains antioxidants that help fight free radicals and also reduces inflammation in the body. However, milk chocolate isn’t good at all as it is full of bad fats and glucose which are harmful to your health.
If you are craving something sweet, have some fresh fruit or almond milk. Or you can have a piece of dark chocolate preferably 70{317a7769e272dec17b69bda26c6a5a4c5e6799efcd8a85f72cb552b76862c2b9} cocoa or higher.
One of the advice you will get from training coach and dietitian is to refuel after a workout. You deplete your body of energy with exercise and your muscles are damaged, so it’s necessary to repair and replenish with the right food within the hour.
One of the key pieces of advice you’ll get from personal trainers and nutritionists alike is to refuel after a workout. You deplete your body of energy with exercise and your muscles take a hit, so it’s important to repair and replenish with food within the hour.
