Here’s a great share by Sean Fagan off of his Muay Thai Guy page which is great not just for Thai boxers but all martial artists.
The Ultimate Muay Thai Meal: A Look Into Post Workout Nutrition
Posted by Sean On May 07, 2014
An Easy, Healthy Post-Workout Meal For Muay Thai
The following is a guest post by James Bee who works with professional fighters as nutritional coach.
One of the many food combinations that are ideal for your post-training meal.
Nutrient timing has recently been myth busted by leading fitness and nutrition experts. The top researchers are now saying that for the average gym goer nutrient timing doesn’t matter.
However the meaning of nutrient timing is much different for athletes like Muay Thai fighters than if you’re an average gym or Muay Thai practitioner just training for health and fitness.
If you just love to train Muay Thai then don’t stress about nutrient timing. Rushing home to smash a protein shake within 30 mins won’t help your performance or recovery. Your performance will be better improved by working on more important lifestyle related issues that you may overlook like consistently missing out on sleep or not eating your vegetables.
For elite athletes like Muay Thai fighters, having a nutrient packed post-workout meal may be useful especially for those training more than once per day or for up to 2 hours in one stretch. This type of training schedule is where the added carbohydrates, electrolytes, and a little protein can help. In both of these cases you’ll want to time your intake in the 1-2 hours post training.
This is to take advantage of both the post-activity “refill” window as well as the non-active periods when you can “rest and digest” most comfortably before the next training session.
Here are the rules for preparing your perfect post workout meal:
Authors note: This meal formula is based on the Precision Nutrition System by Dr. John Berardi.
The Perfect Post Workout Muay Thai Meal:
2 palms of protein (beef, chicken, fish, tuna, eggs, beans, dairy: cottage cheese, Greek yoghurt, cheese, etc.)
2 fists of veggies (spinach, carrots, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, beans)
2 thumb sizes of healthy fats (fish oil, coconut oil, nuts, almonds, cashews, peanut butter, etc.)
2 cupped handfuls of fruit, starch, or wholegrain (bread [wholegrain], pasta, rice, potatoes, oats, , apples, oranges, banana, avocado, mix berries)
Water: A big class of ice water to wash it all down.
Use the Ultimate Muay Thai Meal formula to create your own post workout meals for added performance and recovery. Below is an example recipe using this exact formula.
A Bangin’ Post-Workout Muay Thai Salad
Chicken & Quinoa Salad With Red Pepper, Red Onion, Walnuts, Avocado. Side Dish Of Baby Carrots And Fruit.
Calories: 600 Protein: 60g Carbs: 60g Fats: 14g
Ingredients:
2 palm size of Chicken tender lions
3tbls Tuscan seasoning
50ml olive oil
2 cupped handfuls of organic white quinoa (cooked)
Handful of baby spinach
½ chopped red pepper
2 thumb size portions of walnuts
Cupped handful of baby carrots
Juice from 1 lemon
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Salt and pepper to taste.
Method:
Marinate the chicken with the Tuscan seasoning and 50ml olive oil set aside over night or at least 30mins.
Place the quinoa into a pot with 1 cup of water and a pinch of salt bring to the boil until the water is absorbed; take off the heat set aside to cool.
Place a large bowl with your spinach, peppers, walnuts, and set aside.
Char grill or pan fry your chicken until cooked. Once cooked slice the chicken and add to the salad.
Add your quinoa, squeeze the fresh lemon over the top toss all the ingredients and season to taste.
Serve warm and with avocado on top and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Chop the fruit (apple goes great) and place in a bowl with the baby carrots as side dish.
No one knows how you like your food better than you do. That’s why the great thing about this Ultimate Muay Thai Meal formula is its flexibility. You can switch proteins, carbs, or fat sources to suit you in practically any recipe. If you don’t like chicken, use beef. Not down with walnuts? Throw some cashews in there to mix things up. As long as you include each component of the Ultimate Muay Thai Meal you’re good to go.
What combination of foods would you use for your post workout meal? Share your best recipe idea below!
Train hard, eat well.
– JB
jb bio picJames Bee is an author, a martial artist, a fitness and nutrition coach.
You can find out more about James and the Lean Performance Diet at his website, jbfitnesssystems.com
