"Eating a snack within 45 minutes of finishing a workout is crucial regardless of what time you work up your sweat, morning or evening," explains Dr. Petre. She also recommends drinking 12 to 16 ounces of water with your snack.
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Don't eat sugary granola bars
"Don't rely on sugary granola bars as your backup," Dr. Petre warns — all they do is make you hungrier. Instead, she recommends eating snacks with the right ratio of nutrients and calories will keep your body energized and help rebuild muscle.
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Avoid drinking alcohol
"You should avoid drinking alcoholic beverages altogether, as they are dehydrating and supply very little in the way of nutrition," says registered dietitian Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD, CSOWM, FAND, and Senior Director of Worldwide Nutrition Education and Training at Herbalife Nutrition.
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Don't drink soda
You're also going to want to avoid soda. "Aside from all the reasons to avoid it (no nutrition, high calories), the high sugar concentration of soda will not hydrate you, as it will slow the rate at which fluids leave your stomach and ultimately get into your system," explains Bowerman.
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Skip the fried foods
"Very high-fat foods take too long to digest, which means there will be a delay in delivering much-needed nutrients to the body," Bowerman explains.
