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Post-Run Snacks to Aid in Recovery

Properly fueling your body after a run is the key to prolonged success

January 23, 2025

Consuming protein after a run (or any workout for that matter), is incredibly important. You should aim to consume a minimum of 20-30 grams of protein and 40-60 grams of carbohydrates within 30-45 minutes of finishing a run to replenish lost calories and begin the recovery process. This is a good way to make sure your body gets the most out of your workout while setting yourself up for success prior to the next one (1).

While protein is an important macronutrient to ingest post-run, it’s also important not to neglect to add carbohydrates and healthy fats to your post-run snacks and meals. The exact amount of protein, carbs, and fats you need to consume after a run may vary depending on your current body composition as well as the intensity and duration of your run and your body composition and performance goals.

It can sometimes be challenging to eat after a run either because you are too exhausted to come up with something or may even feel a bit sick and not want to eat depending on the temperature you ran in or the effort the run took. It’s important to make eating soon after your run a habit in order to avoid injury and declining performance. We’ve come up with some great post-run snack ideas to aid your recovery. These snacks are easy to keep on hand and require little effort so you can be sure that your nutritional needs are met when your energy levels or motivation is low after crushing a workout.

Setting the Tone

There are a lot of great protein supplements on the market which are great for when you are in a pinch or when you have a hard time getting enough protein through whole foods but consuming as much whole food protein as possible is ideal. Meat, eggs, and milk are all great sources of protein. That being said, you may be surprised to find out that some carb-heavy foods like bagels even have a decent amount of protein due to the protein content of some flour.

Research actually shows that pairing your post-workout protein with carbohydrates and fats can actually assist in muscle recovery (2). This is an important fact to consider since many people assume that just taking down a couple of chicken breasts post-workout will suffice when truly eating chicken breast with some rice and avocado would be a more productive meal. Replenishing your glycogen stores post-run requires consuming plenty of carbs and is important for keeping your energy high and injury risk low (3).

Filling Your Plate

We came up with six post-run snacks you can eat that offer a great balance of protein, carbs, and fats so you can recover quickly and have plenty of energy to keep working towards your running performance goals.

1 bagel with 2 tablespoons of nut butter + 2 hard-boiled eggs on the side
2 slices of sourdough toast topped w/ 1 avocado + 2 fried eggs + everything bagel seasoning
Peanut butter banana protein smoothie (1 scoop vanilla whey protein, 1 frozen banana, 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 12 oz milk of choice)
1 serving whole grain crackers w/ 2 string cheeses + Greek yogurt
1 cup of cottage cheese + 2 ounces of chicken & ½ an avocado
1 cup of 2% fat Greek yogurt topped with ¼ cup of granola, 1 tablespoon melted almond butter, and 1 sliced banana

P.S. On the go? Our high-protein snack and protein bar shops have you covered.

All of these snacks offer protein, carbs, and healthy fats and are quick and easy to prepare after a run or have ready to go before you head out for your run. Keep in mind that it’s important for runners to properly fuel their bodies and you should always listen to your body. Sometimes this means eating even when you don’t feel hungry or making an additional snack when your body tells you you’re still hungry.