Recovery snacks: ideas to boost your recovery

Recovery snacks are very important and can make the difference between you reaping the benefits of training and not. And so, our Christmas gift you is a special one-page factsheet with lots of  recovery snack suggestions.

Did you know that failing to consume some form of food or snack within 15-20 minutes of finishing training can severely delay recovery, prevent you from adapting and benefiting from the session, and can make you more susceptible to colds and infections?

The recovery snack should contain:

1. Carbohydrates to replace muscle and liver glycogen stores and to suppress cortisol secretion - This is one time when quick release carbohydrates (ie simple sugars) are ok, and often encouraged.

2. Protein to assist with muscle repair (and after a weights session to promote muscle growth).

3. Fluids to rehydrate (and perhaps some sale or electrolytes after prolonged training in the heat).

4. Vitamins, minerals etc to support the immune system (esp Vitamins C & E, Zinc, Glutamine & Probiotics).

Lots more information, and suggestions can be found on the Recovery Foods factsheet.

Milk.... The Perfect Recovery Drink?

Athletes of all abilities are looking for marginal gains, for the added extras that will improve their performance. When exploring marginal gains, diet is one of the first areas to look at. And athletes who are spending lots of time training, travelling and competing need to ensure they have a diet that is meeting their nutritional demands. They often turn to supplements as a quick fix to filling any nutritional gaps. Trying to fill these gaps with a natural source will not only be a cheaper approach, but may also be a healthier one, and some natural foods may also provide nutritional benefits beyond those intended.

Milk is one of these foods and may well be a suitable alternative to many sports drinks on the market. In terms of recovery products, there is none better than milk!

What is milk made up of?

Milk is a nutrient dense food containing lactose, proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins and water. Lactose, the major carbohydrate present, is essentially only found in milk. Milk contains a number of specific proteins, but the most common is casein, which compared to other proteins is very digestible in the intestine. Like eggs, milk also provides all nine essential amino acids. Calcium and phosphorous are the major minerals found in milk, and there are relatively small amounts of most other minerals required by the body, including zinc, magnesium, iron and copper. In addition, compared to other beverages, milk contains relatively large quantities of the electrolytes sodium, chloride and potassium. Milk contains varying quantities of many vitamins, including the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, found primarily in the milk fat.

Milk and performance

Due to issues relating to ease of consumption, the speed of release and the palatability of milk, it is less popular as a sports drink immediately before and during exercise and commercial sports drinks often become the preferred choice. But it's as a recovery drink that milk really comes into its own, and elite athletes often consume bottles of flavoured milk or milkshakes immediately after training or competition.

Post Recovery Nutrition

Many athletes will be familiar with the ‘golden window’, the period 30-60 mins immediately following exercise, during which nutrition can aid recovery. Refuelling correctly during this period is vital to those who may be training or competing more than once a day.

Recovery includes a number of processes, and milk can play a role in all of these:

1. Refuelling the muscle and liver glycogen stores (carbohydrate):

Athletes should aim for around 1g carbohydrate per kg of body weight to help refuel after exercise. Around 600ml of milk will provide 50g of carbohydrate, approximately the same amount as around 500-700ml of a sports drink (depending on the brand).

2. Replacing the fluids and electrolytes lost in sweat:
Athletes should aim to replace around 150% of their sweat lost during the 4-6 hours after training or competition. They should also replace the electrolytes lost in sweat, to ensure that fluids taken on board aren't just excreted in the urine. As well as being 87% water, milk is also a source of sodium, potassium and magnesium, all important electrolytes. Some but not all sports drinks contain electrolytes.

3. Manufacturing new muscle protein, red blood cells and other cellular components as part of the repair and adaptation process:
Early intake after exercise (within the first hour) of essential amino acids from good quality protein foods helps to promote protein rebuilding. Though research into the optimal type (e.g. casein versus whey), timing and amount of protein needed to maximise the desired adaptation from the training stimulus continues, most agree that both resistance and endurance athletes will benefit from consuming 15-25g of high quality protein in the first hour after exercise. Adding a source of carbohydrate to this post exercise snack will further enhance the training adaptation by reducing the degree of muscle protein breakdown. Around 300ml of milk contains 10g of naturally occurring protein and amino acids.

4. Allowing the immune system to handle the damage:
Ensuring adequate carbohydrate stores before exercise and consuming carbohydrate during and/or after a prolonged or high intensity workout has been shown to reduce the disturbance to immune system markers. The carbohydrate reduces the stress hormone to exercise, thus minimising its effect on the immune system, as well as also supplying glucose to fuel the activity of many of the immune system white cells. Milk provides a good source of protein and carbohydrates as well as a number of key vitamins and minerals to enhance the immune system and support overall health.

Milk can play a role in all the key recovery processes, is a naturally occurring product, supplies a number of key nutrients, and is cheaper than many sports drinks and recovery supplements. It could well be the best sports drink available!

Breakfast for athletes

There are many athletes who choose to train in the morning, before work, school or college; there are also sports that require training twice a day, one of these being in the morning. Some athletes will be able to consume a small amount of food in the morning before this session; others struggle to face anything until the training session is complete. Post training breakfast is an important way to ensure that adequate recovery is achieved and even if there is no morning training, a good breakfast is key to fuelling activities throughout the day. 

In terms of recovery there should be three aims:

Refuel - If training has taken place that morning or the night before, breakfast is vital to the recovery process, and helps to replace the muscle glycogen used during training.

Repair - During training, muscles are damaged.  It is important that you help your body repair these damaged muscles as soon as possible to aid recovery and prevent injury.

Adaptation - Training produces stimuli which cause your body to adapt so that it is able to cope with sessions better.  These adaptions, which include enhanced energy production and increased muscle size and strength, need energy to happen, and breakfast will help to fuel these after a morning training session.

What you can choose:

Cereals - Wholegrain cereals are a good choice as they provide quick and easy carbohydrate to help you refuel. Milk is a good source of protein, will help hydration, and is a good source of important vitamins and minerals like calcium. Many wholegrain and fortified cereal will also provide B vitamins and iron, both of which are important for energy breakdown.

Porridge - Porridge has Slow releasing energy, is high in carbohydrate and will keep you feeling full for longer. Milk will also add protein content and wholegrain oats will act as a good source of B vitamins. By adding a fruit compote, syrup or honey, a quick source of energy will be supplied which will help those who have had a hard morning training session.

Toast - Toast is another option for carbohydrates and toast from wholegrain bread will provide more nutritional value. If you wanted to add protein to toast you could choose a high protein spread such as peanut butter or serve with baked beans and or an egg (see below).

Baked Beans - Baked beans can be high in sugar, which can act as a source of fast carbohydrates which can be helpful following a hard training session.  Beans are a good protein source to go alongside toast.

Egg - Eggs are an excellent source of high quality protein, and contain most of the essential vitamins (except vitamin C). It is particularly rich in B vitamins, which are important for energy release, and Vitamin D, which athletes are normally low on. Eggs also contain antioxidants for healing, growth and fighting infection, which can be important during heavy periods of training for athletes.

Fresh Fruit - Breakfast is a good opportunity to get a healthy fruit portion in, so make the most of the selection that is on offer. Combine with your cereal or add to your porridge to boost the energy content, or simply take away for a mid-morning snack.

Yoghurts -  Yoghurts can be a good option on their own or with the addition of fruit or muesli. 

Hydration:

Not only is it important to refuel following morning training, but it is also important to make sure that all your fluid losses during training are replaced. Even if no training has taken place that morning, there has been a sustained period of time while you have been asleep and not taken any fluid on board. Ensure you are hydrated before you start your day.

Smoothies -  Are a great option for those needing extra energy or for those who may struggle with breakfast in the morning. To read a previous blog on Smoothies please click here http://www.athletelifedevelopment.com/resourceblog.htm

Concentrated Fruit Juice - This is a good option to be included with your breakfast meal and can count towards your portions of fruit and vegetables. Fruit juice will provide a good source of vitamin C which will not only help immune function, but also help the absorption of iron from your breakfast. If the athlete has had a hard morning training session, where sweat rates are high, fruit juice may not be the best option for rehydration, but a good option alongside water.

Squash/Water - Fruit juice and water will help rehydration following a session and should be drunk throughout the day. Squash has better rehydrating properties than water alone due to the solutes contained.

Coffee/Tea - The caffeine may help with alertness, but it’s not the best choice for hydration so try to have squash or fruit juice alongside.  Also, if you depend on coffee to wake you up in the morning, you may need to consider getting more sleep.

Hot Chocolate - Milk is now one of the most promoted recovery drinks and a natural source to. Its combination of protein and carbohydrate help promote recovery from training and it also includes many vital vitamins and minerals which many commercial recovery drinks fail to include. By adding coco powder to milk and warming provides a drink option which promotes recovery.