Refuel Like A Professional Athlete

Professional athletes endure many stressors, including intense training schedules, long competitions, and extensive travel away from home. These daily demands require them to have a consistent fueling plan to best support energy levels for training and competition, plus adequate nutrient intake for optimal performance, strength, recovery, and overall health.

For athletes of all levels, drinking a nutritionally balanced refuel shake makes it easy to recover from intense training or competition and takes just minutes and simple ingredients to make.

How To Make A Nutritionally Balanced Refuel Shake

A nutritionally balanced shake blends a combination of ingredients that provide carbohydrates, protein, fat, and a variety of vitamins and minerals. As an added bonus, it should also include fiber and probiotics to support gut health. While that might sound like a challenge, you can get all of those nutrients with just a few ingredients you may already have in your refrigerator and pantry.

Cow’s Milk

When choosing the liquid base for your shake, there’s no match for wholesome, refreshing and nutritious cow’s milk. Just one cup of milk provides carbohydrates and 13 essential nutrients, like high-quality protein, calcium, potassium, and vitamin D just to name a few.

Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt delivers the high-quality protein needed to support muscle repair, along with probiotics for gut health. It also makes the shake smooth and creamy.

Fruit

Adding fresh or frozen fruit into your refuel shake provides carbohydrates to replenish depleted energy stores, plus fiber and a bounty of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Fruit’s natural sweetness also contributes to the flavor of the shake without any added sugar.

Nut Butter

Like carbohydrates, dietary fats act as an important energy source during the post-competition recovery process. They also help your body absorb fat-soluble vitamins, like vitamin D. Nut butters, such as peanut or almond butter supply healthy fats and protein, while adding flavor and creaminess in every sip.

Chia/Flax Seeds

While added in smaller amounts than the other ingredients in your shake, chia and flaxseeds are not to be skipped. Both varieties are a source of ALA omega-3s that may help manage inflammation after intense training. They also supply fiber and act as a natural thickener for your shake.