Within 60 minutes of finishing: one carb, one protein, one veg, one fat. Even a rough version beats a perfect meal three hours later.
The NHS Eatwell Guide recommends including a source of protein at each meal and building meals on starchy carbs — exactly what recovery calls for.
The 60 minutes after a session is when your body is best at rebuilding. This is the window where a decent meal saves you from the next-day slump.
You don't need a plan. You need one carb, one protein, one veg, and some fat. Build it from whatever's in the fridge.
- ·Carb base: rice, pasta, potatoes or a wrap
- ·Protein: 2 eggs / tin of tuna / leftover chicken / a tin of beans
- ·Veg: anything green (spinach, broccoli, peas, salad)
- ·Fat + flavour: olive oil, avocado, cheese, or a spoon of hummus
- ·Salt, pepper, lemon
- 1Heat your carb base while you chop / open tins.
- 2Add the protein. Warm through if needed.
- 3Pile the greens on top — raw or wilted, doesn't matter.
- 4Finish with your fat: olive oil, avocado slices, a spoon of hummus.
- 5Salt, pepper, squeeze of lemon. Eat.
TIMING MATTERS MORE THAN PERFECTION
Aim to eat within an hour of finishing your session. This is where recovery is won.
Even a decent sandwich beats a perfect meal you eat three hours later.
THE LAZY VERSION
Baked potato + tin of tuna + tin of sweetcorn + pepper. 12 minutes. Done.
COMMON MISTAKES
- ×Waiting three hours because you're 'not hungry yet' — eat anyway.
- ×Protein bar and a can of pop is not a meal.
- ×Skipping the veg because you're tired. Frozen peas take 90 seconds.
LEVEL UP
- ↑Add a piece of oily fish twice a week — NHS recommends it.
- ↑Keep tinned beans, tinned tuna and frozen veg on hand. Recovery goes from decision to reflex.
- ↑Track how you feel the next day. A proper bowl = a better morning.
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STACK THE WINS.
Before your next session, decide what your recovery bowl will be. Then it exists as a plan, not a decision to make when you're knackered.