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Is one of your goals to get in shape? If so, you’d better get prepared for post-workout soreness. It’s normal for the muscles to become sore and weak after a vigorous workout. Unfortunately, when you’re sore, it can be difficult to continue working out. Waiting for your muscles to recover can mean you have a lot of down-time between workouts, which isn’t the most effective way to meet your goals.

The good news is that there are ways you can help your body and muscles recover more quickly after a workout. If you make it a habit to eat certain post-workout meals or add certain ingredients to your meals, you’ll consistently perform better and deal with fewer post-workout aches and pains. Here is some of the best food for quick workout recovery.

Grilled Chicken With Roasted Vegetables

Grilled chicken is a good source of protein, and roasted vegetables are a good source of healthy carbs. To help your body rebuild protein and glycogen after exercise, it’s important to eat a meal that has a combination of both carbs and protein. Many experts recommend eating this combination within 45 minutes of your workout for best results.

Vegetables don’t just contain carbs, but they also contain vitamins and minerals that your muscles need to repair themselves. Here’s a quick overview of some of the most common vegetables and the various vitamins and minerals they provide:

• Green beans: folic acid, potassium, iron and vitamin C
• Cabbage: folic acid, calcium, vitamin C, fiber and potassium
• Peas: B vitamins, protein, manganese, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron and lutein
• Carrots: beta-carotene, potassium, vitamin A and vitamin K
• Peppers: vitamin B6, vitamin A, vitamin C, beta-carotene and potassium
• Broccoli: niacin, phosphorous, calcium, zinc, iron, thiamin, potassium and riboflavin

These nutrients can all help provide your body with the energy and materials it needs to heal strain and muscle damage caused by your workouts. For best results, make it a habit to eat at least three servings of nutrient-dense vegetables every day.

Cottage Cheese and Fruits

As with grilled chicken and roasted vegetables, cottage cheese and fruit provide your body with both protein and carbohydrates. Plus, the combination is delicious and refreshing and can cool your body down after an intense cardiovascular or weight-lifting workout

Cottage cheese is jam-packed full of nutrients, including protein, selenium, vitamin B12, phosphorous, folate, riboflavin and calcium. It also contains fair amounts of copper, vitamin B6, zinc and choline. When combined with nutrient-rich fruits, cottage cheese can minimize soreness and help your body recover after a workout.

Turmeric

Though it’s not a food per se, turmeric is an ingredient that you may want to add to your post-workout meals. Turmeric is a powerful antioxidant, which is a substance that helps remove free radicals from the body. It’s also an anti-inflammatory ingredient, which means it can cut back on the swelling your muscles experience after working out.

One study shows that turmeric reduced muscle damage and soreness when taken after intense exercise. It may also help reduce joint soreness and inflammation. For these reasons, athletes and competitive bodybuilders often add turmeric to their meals or take it in supplement form to get optimum benefits. If you decide to take turmeric supplements after working out, look for a supplement that also has black pepper extract (or BioPerine). This ingredient increases turmeric absorption in the body by as much as 2,000%

Recover Faster

Now that you know some of the foods that can aid in muscle recovery after a workout, be sure to add them to your regular post-workout eating routine. If your muscles are very sore despite your best efforts to eat a good post-workout meal, take a little break from exercising. Give your body time to recover so you don’t injure yourself.