Monday, June 24, 2013

Vegan Recovery Drink

I used to think recovery drinks were just a way for sport nutrition companies to make more money.  But after trying a vegan on my hubby bought I was surprised how less sore I was after a tough workout and that I could actually function afterwards instead of wanting to crawl to the couch and flop.  So, I decided to come up with my own version that is vegan, quick, easy and yummy. 

Vegan Recovery Drink
  • 1/2 scoop Complete Green protein (4g carbs/9g protein/ 2.5 g fibre)
  • 1 cup Silk almond milk (0 g carbs/ 1 g protein)
  • 1 full banana (24 g carbs)
  • .5 cup organic frozen mixed berries (8g carbs)
Throw everything in the Vitmix or blender and blend until creamy and drink within 30 minutes of your workout.  If you miss the 30 minute window, 60 minutes max.  This mixture has 36g carbs and 10 g protein which has a ratio of  3.6:1 which is pretty darn close to the optimal ratio of  4:1 carbs to protein for a recovery drink.   Plus it is just darn yummy and sometimes that is all you need to get through the last few sets!

Eating or drinking foods in this ratio after a workout allows your body to focus on rebuilding rather than digestion. This means you'll bounce back faster from tough workouts, which is a critical factor in building muscle and strength retention. If you are not fueling your body properly after a workout, either by not eating at all or eating the wrong foods,  your body will remain in a stressed state. This stress creates higher levels of cortisol in your body which causes you to retain fat and use muscle for fuel, which is totally the opposite of what you want from your workouts!


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