What do I have for dinner after doing sports?

The last hour of the afternoon is used by many people to practice sport, since it is often the only available space left by the working day. This raises many questions about what is an appropriate dinner in such cases.

Before going to see practical advice, it is important to note that these are only generalities, the amounts and specific personalized advice will always depend on the type of trainingits duration and intensity, as well as our objectives, our requirements and our physical condition, and should be prescribed by a dietitian-nutritionist specialized in sports nutrition.

Post-workout intake

In general, it is important to a small meal within 2 hours of training to help muscle regeneration and muscle glycogen recharge. It is that snack that we know as “post workout intake”.

But in the cases in which, after practicing sports, one of the main meals of the day is going to be made, in this case dinner, it is not necessary to have that snack, since a well organized dinner It will also serve as a post-workout intake.

What should a dinner contain for after sports?

Don’t miss out on protein

On the one hand, it is important that you have a protein partTherefore, eating only fruit for dinner, or a salad, or a vegetable cream, is not a good idea, although it is often advised, especially for people trying to reduce or control their weight.

Not eating properly after training it will worsen our recovery and will negatively affect our performance. Nor will it help us to improve our body composition if that is what we are looking for.

It is very easy to add a protein part to dinner: tofu, legumes, textured soybeans, tempeh, hemp seeds or nuts are the best options. Or, in case we don’t have anything planned that day, even a protein shake makes us the fix. Soy or pea are the best options.

rich in carbohydrates

Secondly, it must also contain a portion, adequate to our needs, of foods rich in carbohydrates. This part is very easy to cover with cereal or derivatives, the same legumes, tubers or fruit.

And of course, in addition to being a post-workout intake, it should be a healthy dinner, so vegetables should not be missingnor healthy fat, such as extra virgin olive oil, avocado, seeds or nuts.

11 dinner ideas for athletes

These are just a few examples, which we must adapt to our tastes and needs, remembering the premises that we have pointed out at the beginning.

Cream of vegetables and toast with hummus (at least 4-6 tablespoons)Fruit smoothie with two soy yogurts and a tablespoon of peanut butterWok of tofu (a piece at least the size of the palm of your hand) with vegetables and rice noodles.Steamed broccoli with cooked chickpeas (at least one glass), dressed with olive oil and paprika.A salad and a protein shake with two bananasSpaghetti with textured soy bolognese (at least 30g soy)A plate of lentils with vegetables and rice.Grilled tempeh (at least a piece the size of the palm of your hand) with mushrooms and polenta.Sautéed vegetables with nuts (at least two handfuls), a glass of soy drink and one or two servings of fruit Baked potato with falafels (at least 4 medium pieces) and coleslaw Chili bean fajitas (at least one glass), tomato, lettuce and avocado

A mistake we must not make It is to think that since we have played sports, that makes up for eating unhealthy food or eating a good portion of sweets, because we have already “paid” for it with exercise.

Unhealthy food (precooked food even if vegan, pastries, ice cream, desserts, fast food…) has a negative effect on our health which is not limited, far from it, to an extra contribution of calories that we can “burn”.