Post-Workout Meals, Snacks and Smoothie Recipes

What to Eat After a Workout

A healthy diet is important at all stages of working out. This includes several fundamental rules cited by Mayo Clinic: Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, consume lean proteins, eat healthy fats, get your whole-grain carbohydrates, and drink plenty of fluids, especially water.

When thinking about what to eat post workout, it’s important to choose foods that help your body recover and refuel. For proper workout recovery, you need to replenish the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients your body used – especially after strenuous exercise. Nutritious foods like blueberries can give you a boost in post-workout snacks and smoothies.

Why Blueberries for Workout Recovery?

Blueberries offer all kinds of healthy benefits to complement an active lifestyle. At just 80 calories per cup, they’re a good source of fiber, and they’re low in sodium, with virtually no fat. However, blueberries are especially considered some of the best food after workout sessions thanks to three key nutrients that are critical to recovery.

• Manganese: can help support energy production; can protect cells from oxidative stress (causes inflammation and metabolic damage, which can slow down recovery from muscle strain and injury).
• Vitamin C: has antioxidant properties that help support immunity and promote healthy skin and connective tissue.
• Anthocyanins: give blueberries their beautiful blue color.

Because of these benefits, blueberries are often recommended as one of the best fruits after a workout, whether eaten on their own or added to meals and smoothies.

Research published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition explores the effect that blueberries may have on enhancing exercise performance and workout recovery.

Honestly, you can feel good about enjoying blueberries every day, whether you’re refueling at the gym or just relaxing on the couch. But, if you’re striving for a healthy diet to support endurance and proper workout recovery, we can help you get started with snacks to eat after workout sessions.

Post-Workout Meals

When you’re considering what to eat after a workout, these recipes offer a hearty option for a meal or component of a meal, depending on your individual needs.

If you exercise in the morning, adding blueberries to your routine can be the best breakfast after workout, giving you the energy and recovery support you need to start your day strong.

Blueberry Balsamic Chicken Wrap

Calories per serving: 300

Macro nutrients per serving:

Blueberry Pistachio Parfait

Calories per serving: 320

Macro Nutrients per serving:

Post-Workout Snacks

Blueberries make nutritious – and delicious – post-workout snacks. Just rinse a handful and enjoy! No peeling or slicing required. For more inspiration, the following recipes offer equally packable, snackable options.

5 Ingredient Blueberry Protein Muffins

Calories per serving: 140

Macro Nutrients per serving:

Easy No-Bake Glazed Blueberry Oat Bars

Calories per serving: 90

Macro Nutrients per serving:

Post-Workout Smoothies

For a quick, easy boost, you can’t beat post-workout smoothies! These recipes are simple to make and take on the go, helping you get the nutrition you need after exercise even on the busiest of days.

Blueberry Turmeric Smoothie

Calories per serving: 190

Macro Nutrients per serving:

Blueberry Milk

Calories per serving: 170

Macro Nutrients per serving:

More Blueberry Recipes

Looking for more ideas on what to eat after a workout? We have many more options in our blueberry recipe library. Even better, if you’re looking for a little help figuring out the best blueberry recipe to make with the ingredients you have on hand, you can try our Blueberry Recipe Matchmaker!