Don’t Forget Your Potassium
After intense exercise or even your daily workout, it is crucial to rehydrate your body. Water, of course, is the best hydrator. But, as most athletes and fitness buffs know, it’s also important to replenish sodium lost through sweating. That’s why sodium-enriched sports drinks and salty foods such as pretzels, nuts, and crackers are popular choices. Sodium helps the body retain fluids to achieve rehydration from water.
It’s also very important to replenish potassium lost through sweating. Potassium works synergistically with sodium to maintain the body’s electrolyte balance. Diets high in sodium but low in potassium can lead to elevated blood pressure and other health problems. They can also interfere with proper hydration.
Fruit juices are high in potassium, so drinking fruit juice diluted with water is a good way to rehydrate and add some potassium to your system. Make sure you drink pure juice and not “juice cocktails” or sodas, which are loaded with sweeteners that can increase your blood sugar levels too rapidly, inducing an insulin “crash.”
Potassium from natural food sources are generally a better choice than using supplements. Consult your doctor if you are considering potassium supplements, as they can carry some risks for certain people.
Another good potassium source is yoghurt. Every 8-ounce serving of Mountain High Yoghurt contains at least 13% of the recommended Daily Value for potassium. Because fruits and fruit juices also contain natural potassium, they make a great addition to Mountain High Yoghurt. Why not make a yoghurt-juice smoothie? Click here for recipes, or simply add fresh 100% fruit juice and/or fresh fruit pieces to one cup of Mountain High Yoghurt and blend in a blender. Add crushed ice to help further rehydration.
Back to Top
“Carb Up” for Next Time
Your body stores energy in your muscles in the form of glycogen. After an intense workout, glycogen stores are depleted. To replenish them, experts advise consuming snacks with a moderate to high “glycemic index.” A food’s glycemic index (GI) is a measure of how fast that food causes your glucose level or “blood sugar” to rise. In other words, foods with a high GI will raise your blood sugar quickly, whereas foods with a low GI will raise it slowly. Experts suggest you choose moderate- to high-GI foods from natural sources, such as whole grains (brown rice, graham crackers, whole wheat bread or crackers, wheat “nuts” or “berries”), fruit, and whole-grain cereal bars.
Some sports nutritionists advise consuming carbohydrates as soon as 15 minutes after exercise (if you can tolerate food that soon) because blood flow to muscles is still high, making the body more receptive to glycogen replenishment.
Some quick and healthy carbohydrate-rich snack ideas:
1. Stir whole-grain granola into a cup of Vanilla or fruit-flavored Mountain High Yoghurt.
2. Crumble graham cracker squares and stir into a cup of Vanilla or fruit-flavored Mountain High Yoghurt, or
use graham cracker “sticks” for dipping.
3. Stir fresh fruit pieces into a cup of Vanilla or fruit-flavored Mountain High.
Back to Top
Consume Protein to Rebuild Muscles
It’s also important to eat some protein after exercise, to provide the body with the raw materials to build or repair muscle tissue. Every 8-ounce serving of Original Style, Lowfat, or Fat Free Mountain High Yoghurt contains at least 10 grams of protein, making those products good choices for protein replenishment.
But did you know that protein consumed with carbohydrates is best for muscle repair? Some studies suggest that a 3:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein consumed after exercise can help repair muscle tissue and replenish muscle glycogen more quickly. Mountain High Yoghurt varieties that provide carbohydrates and proteins in this ratio are:
• Original Style Vanilla
• Original Style Strawberry
• Lowfat Vanilla
• Lowfat Strawberry
• Lowfat Lemon
• Lowfat Raspberry
• Fat Free Vanilla
Additionally, these Mountain High varieties also provide at least 500 mg of potassium, or at least 14% of the recommended Daily Value for adults, in each serving.
Back to Top
You Can Have It All!
Many experts agree that the best way to optimize your post-exercise nutrition is to make it easy to do the right thing. Choose foods you like and that are easy to eat even though your body may be tired. Drinking fruit smoothies made with Mountain High Yoghurt or stirring fruits, nuts, and other ingredients into a cup of Mountain High Yoghurt are perfect ways to ease your way back to optimum performance. Choose your favorite ingredients and blend away:
Smoothies
Blend your favorite Mountain High Yoghurt with:
• 100% fruit juice
• bananas
• grapes
• blueberries
• strawberries
• cherries
• peaches
• graham cracker crumbs
• ground flax seed
Mix-Ins
Stir these ingredients into Mountain High Yoghurt:
• fresh fruit chunks
• chopped nuts
• chocolate chips
• granola
• whole grain cereal
• dried fruits
• melon chunks
• fruit preserves or jams
Click here for more Smoothie recipes! Get more Mix-In ideas here!
Print this page
|
