This was the question of the day as I've had two people ask JUST today...and several others ask me similar questions in the past.
"Should I eat fruit post workout?" / "Why shouldn't I eat fruit post workout?"
There is where understanding how the body functions at its best comes in handy :)
Quick lesson: Your body stores energy as glycogen (storage form of carbs) in your liver and muscles and extra reserves as triglycerides (or fat).
When you complete a hard, high intensity workout, you body will need help to recover faster and effectively. You need that post-workout fuel to feed your muscles and connective tissue with protein and your glycogen stores may also need to be replenished.
Which glycogen stores need refueled? Your MUSCLES because they are the ones that did all of the work (and they are selfish - they don't like to share with the rest of the body! They keep their storage for themselves!)
Fruit is rich with fructose, which is the reason why we may want to stay away from it post-workout. Fructose travels straight to the liver to be metabolized and stored, therefore contributing to liver reserves...but we want to help our muscle reserves after working them hard!
SO here's a Tuesday Tip: The best post-workout fuel for a high-intensity or longer-duration activity is going to be an easily digested protein + a starchy carbohydrate. Some examples: chicken breast + sweet potato, egg whites (by the way, this is the only time I'm ever going to recommend just the whites!!) + squash, salmon + mashed potatoes. Catching the idea?
A smoothie/shake is also a good option because most of the shakes will be portioned with the proper ratio if protein to carbs.
Just to be completely clear, I want to mention that fruit is AWESOME! You should be eating fruit during your day...this is just an explaination of why it may not be the best choice post workout. :)
Live Life Well,