Walking is one of the best forms of exercise, promoting a healthy heart, helping us tone muscles and keep a healthy mind, not forgetting it allows us to soak up that all-important vitamin D.
Almost anyone can incorporate walking into their lifestyle and bringing more of it into your day no longer needs to be a challenge after the NHS recently revealed that just a ten-minute brisk walk a day could help us live longer. However much time you have to dedicate to it, power walking is an excellen full-body, low-impact exercise that’s good for your physical wellbeing.
A healthy dose of exercise should be combined with eating the right foods to help you fully reap the benefits of your workout, but what exactly should we be eating after a walk? Countryliving.com/uk spoke to top nutritionist and author of Natural Alternatives to Sugar, Dr Marilyn Glenville, and doctor, personal trainer and author of The Food Medic, Hazel Wallace, to find out the best foods to boost your health after walking.
What should you eat after going for a walk?
“If you’re going for a power walk, you’re burning lots of energy so you’re going to want to replace that energy with some good quality carbohydrates and protein,” Hazel says. Carbohydrates like sweet or white potato, brown rice, chickpeas or lentils (which are also high in protein) are recommended, while a bowl of porridge oats or a slice of rye toast will do the trick in the morning.
Depending on the time of day, she recommends greek yoghurt, eggs or smoked salmon after a morning walk, and foods like chicken, salmon, tofu, wholegrains, lentils and chickpeas throughout the day.
“It’s about making smart choices,” adds Hazel.
Marilyn emphasises the benefits of protein and reveals the one food she recommends: “Eggs are one of the best quality proteins as they contain all the essential amino acids in one food (this is why they are termed a ‘first class protein or complete protein’).
“If you are vegan, make sure you are getting a good amount of protein from nuts, seeds, beans and quinoa.”
Why is protein so important?
Post-workout protein is essential for giving your muscles the fuel to rebuild, explains Marilyn: “Protein is a vital part of your diet because it is the basic building block for all the cells, muscles and bones as well as your hair, skin and nails.
“Your muscles are made of protein so you have to make sure you are getting enough protein to maintain your muscle mass. And don’t forget muscles help shift weight because they increase your metabolism which burns fat.”
For those who use walking to lose weight, protein helps in the control of insulin because it slows the rate of digestion, says Marilyn.
“It also encourages the production of glucagon (the opposite hormone to insulin), the fat burning hormone.
How long after a walk should you wait before eating?
“We used to think that there was this window after you exercise when you should get in all of your nutrients to make the most of the exercise, but actually that window’s quite big and it lasts all day so there’s no real hard and fast rule.
“It doesn’t make a difference if you eat 15 minutes afterwards of up to three hours following your walk,” Hazel says. “It’s just within that time that is recommended after you exercise.”
Is eating before a walk recommended?
“There’s no real difference. It’s about consuming protein and carbohydrates because they’re the two nutrients in particular that help you maintain muscle and provide you with energy, so if you wanted a snack before your walk, you could have something like banana on oatcakes or a pot of greek yoghurt and some fruit.
Hazel says that you you don’t necessarily have to eat: “It’s probably best to avoid eating too much so that you don’t feel like you’re trying to digest your food while going for the walk – although walking is a good way to digest your food!”
