If you feel particularly hungry after a workout, don’t worry. It’s your body telling you that you need to fuel it back up!
Exercise burns calories and eats up glycogen, your body’s primary energy source. It also causes micro-tears in your muscles, which need to heal to accumulate and form muscle mass.
As a result, you may feel hungrier because your body wants to replenish your glycogen stores and get back the burned calories. Your body also needs extra calories and nutrients to repair and build muscle.
Whether your fitness goal is to gain strength, increase muscle mass or lose fat, post-workout nutrition is crucial to achieving it. In fact, exercise and food go hand in hand.
Experts recommend having a snack or a meal within two hours of exercise. It’s important to ensure it contains:
- Carbohydrates to replenish the body’s stores of glycogen
- Protein to repair and build muscles
- Healthy fat and fiber to help you feel satisfied and fuller for longer
Should I Have Avocado After a Workout?
Is avocado good after a workout? The answer is a resounding yes!
Avocados are great for incorporating into your post-workout meals. A 50-gram serving of avocado after a workout delivers 6 grams of heart-healthy unsaturated fats as well as a wide range of vitamins and minerals your body needs to repair and replenish itself, including:
- Potassium – 250 mg or 6% of the DV
- Vitamin B-6 – 6% of the DV
- Vitamin C – 4% of the DV
- Fiber – 11% of the DV
- Linoleic Acid – 5% of the DV
- *DV = Daily Value
5 Avocado Post-workout Snack ideas
A serving of avocado after a workout is a great snack on its own. However, combining avocado with healthy sources of protein and carbohydrates results in the ideal after-workout snack or meal.
Here are some great recipes to get you started!
1 Superfood Berry Avocado Immunity Bowl
Replenish your energy stores with this delicious recipe, which features a combination of berries, fresh avocado, bananas, chia seeds and nuts. The avocado contributes not just a creamy taste but also heart-healthy unsaturated fats, while the chia seeds promote fullness thanks to its fiber content. One serving provides 8 grams of protein and 44 grams of carbohydrates.
2 Pesto BLT Stuffed Avocados
After a particularly strenuous and tiring workout, you might want to fill up on something more substantial than a smoothie or a shake. If so, this recipe is right up your alley.
Fresh avocados are stuffed with a mixture of turkey bacon, lettuce, tomato and pesto, creating a combination of flavors and textures that will definitely satisfy your post-workout cravings. With one serving, you get 3 grams of protein, 7 grams of carbohydrates and 11 grams of unsaturated fat.
3 The Ultimate Avocado Smoothie
You would never guess that this deliciously creamy and sweet smoothie hides a green and leafy secret: Spinach! It also contains fresh avocado, banana and Greek-style plain yogurt. One serving nets you 11 grams of protein, 39 grams of carbohydrates and 8.5 grams of unsaturated fat. What’s more, it only takes 10 minutes to make–the perfect way to eat avocado post-workout on busy days.
4 Lime Spiced Mini Tostada with Guacamole Topper
These mini tostadas are deliciously crispy and satisfying. The creamy guacamole topper incorporates fresh cherry tomatoes for added flavor and nutrients and is seasoned with chili lime spice for a tangy kick. One serving delivers 4 grams of protein, 27 grams of carbohydrates and 5 grams of unsaturated fat.
This recipe is ready in 35 minutes. You can make the avocado topper ahead so you can have a delicious meal ready to eat immediately after your workout.
5 Deconstructed Avocado Egg Salad
Level up your egg salad by adding fresh avocado and soft herbs. Deconstructed avocado egg salad is great on crackers or even on its own. One serving provides 7 grams of protein, 9 grams of carbohydrates and 8.5 grams of unsaturated fat, making this an ideal way to eat avocado post-workout if you only want a light snack.
How to Choose Avocados for Your Post-Workout Snacks and Meals
A great way to ensure you always have fresh avocados on hand for preparing post-workout meals and snacks is to purchase avocados in varying states of ripeness. You can check whether an avocado is ready to eat by following this guide:
Not Ripe
If the avocado is bright green in color and does not yield to gentle pressure, then it’s not ripe. Unripe fresh avocados will be ready to serve in four to five days. You can speed up the ripening process by placing the avocados in a brown paper bag with a banana or an apple.
Almost Ripe
“Breaking” avocados can vary in color, so the best way to check whether they’re ready to eat is to check their firmness. Almost ripe avocados are less firm than unripe ones but do not yield to gentle pressure. Breaking avocados need one or two days to ripen.
Ripe!
Ripe avocados are ready to be served as they are or incorporated into your post-workout snack or meal. You can check whether an avocado is indeed ripe by pressing on it gently. If it feels soft but not mushy, then it’s ripe.
Overripe
Avocados that are overripe will have deep indentations on their skin. They will also feel mushy and have a distinct rancid smell. Overripe avocados should not be eaten. However, you can still use them in other ways.
Discover More Recipes on Love One Today
Eating avocado after a workout is a great way to get the nutrients your body needs to refuel and recharge. Need more post-workout snack or meal inspirations? Head to our recipe page to find more ways to Love One Today.
