Protein Super Salad

I often get asked ‘what’s a good thing to eat post-workout?' and my answer would be something like this protein super salad.

When we lift weights, we cause tiny little micro tears to the muscle fibres. To gain the full benefit of our training effort, it’s important that we give the body what it needs, so that it can repair the damage and we come back fitter and stronger.

To aid the repair and recovery process, the body needs rest, and it needs protein. 

Our daily requirement falls somewhere between 0.9-1.1 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. For active women, and for peri- and postmenopausal women (our protein requirements increase with age), aim for 1.2-2 grams protein per kilogram of bodyweight.[1,2,3]

Now I don’t want you getting too caught up in all the weighing and measuring, so shoot for a serving that’s about the size and thickness of the palm of your hand; that’ll give you about 20-30 grams. Most of us will end up needing the equivalent of 3-6 palm-sized servings of protein throughout the day. 

Consuming at least 20 grams of protein in the period immediately and up to 2 hours post-workout has been shown to increase muscle protein synthesis and suppress muscle protein breakdown.[4] Other studies suggest that the combined intake of protein and carbohydrate post-workout can enhance rates of post-exercise muscle protein metabolism[5] and minimise symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).[6,7]

Protein quality is also an important consideration. Protein is made up of amino acids, some of which our bodies can synthesise (non-essential), but others we need to obtain from our diet (essential). Complete protein sources, which contain all of the essential amino acids, include meat, fish, eggs, dairy, soy, quinoa and buckwheat. Incomplete protein sources, which contain a good source of protein but not all of the essential amino acids, include nuts, seeds, beans and some grains.

With more than 50 grams of protein and a decent amount of carbohydrate per serve, this salad is great option post-workout. Loaded with veggies and fibre, you’re also getting plenty of vitamins and minerals and half your RDA of fibre.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 150g cooked quinoa

• 60g tinned green lentils

• 150g tenderstem broccoli

• 150g frozen edamame beans

• 100g cucumber (or about a 10cm piece), halved lengthways, then halved again - to remove the seeds - then chopped into 0.5cm cubes

• 1 chicken breast (alternatively you could just use a pack of pre-cooked chicken breast, approx. 150g)

• 2 spring onions, sliced

• 30g pumpkin seeds

• 2 tsp dried mint (feel free to replace with a mix of chopped fresh herbs, depending on what you have available)

• 1/2 clove of garlic

• a teaspoon of olive oil, to cook the chicken

• salt and pepper

  For the dressing:

• 2 heaped tsp tahini

• 1/2 clove garlic

• the juice of 1 lemon

• 60g plain natural or Greek yoghurt

• salt

Method

• Add the edamame beans to a pan of boiling water to cook from frozen, approx. 6 minutes. Throw the tenderstem broccoli in a minute from the end, to blanch quickly, before removing from the heat, draining into a colander and running under cold water to halt the cooking process and keep your veggies looking a nice bright green.

• Meanwhile, heat a fry pan to medium/high. Bash the thicker end of chicken breast with the heel of your hand to flatten it out a little, so that it cooks evenly. Halve the garlic clove and crush with the side of a knife, then rub the chicken breast with a little olive oil and the smooshed garlic, season with salt and pepper, and add to your hot pan. Leave to cook for 2-3 minutes, at which point it should come away cleanly, so that you can flip it over. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, then keep turning every minute or so, until cooked through. Depending on the thickness of your chicken, it'll take around 8-10 minutes.

• Remove the chicken from the pan and leave to rest. While the pan is still hot, drizzle in a little oil and add the tenderstem broccoli, to blacken slightly and and char at the edges (if you're in a rush feel free to skip this step and just cook for a few minutes longer, until tender, in the pan of boiling water).

• To make the dressing, finely chop or grate the other half of your garlic clove. Add to a small bowl with the lemon juice and tahini, and stir to mix everything together; you should end up with a thick, smooth paste. Add the yoghurt, then season to taste with salt.

• Add the cooked quinoa, green lentils, chopped cucumber and edamame to a large bowl. Slice the chicken breast and halve the tenderstem broccoli and add to the bowl, along with the spring onions, pumpkin seeds and the dried mint. Mix everything together so it's well combined, then gently stir in the dressing.

• If you're serving for 2, plate up and dig in. If it's all for you, put the other half into a container and store in the fridge; it'll be best eaten before the end of tomorrow.

Nutrition

	Per 100g	Per serve (593g)
Calories	125.4 kcal	617.8 kcal
Carbohydrate	7.4 g	36.6 g
of which sugars	1.3 g	6.6 g
Fat	5.3 g	25.9 g
of which saturates	1.0 g	5.1 g
Protein	10.4 g	51.4 g
Fibre	3.2 g	15.8 g

References

[1] Richter, M., Baerlocher, K., Bauer, J. M., Elmadfa, I., Heseker, H., Leschik-Bonnet, E., ... & German Nutrition Society (DGE). (2019). Revised reference values for the intake of protein. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 74(3), 242-250.

[2] Baum, J. I., Kim, I. Y., & Wolfe, R. R. (2016). Protein consumption and the elderly: what is the optimal level of intake?. Nutrients, 8(6), 359.

[3] Nilsson, A., Montiel Rojas, D., & Kadi, F. (2018). Impact of meeting different guidelines for protein intake on muscle mass and physical function in physically active older women. Nutrients, 10(9), 1156.

[4] Phillips, S. M., Tang, J. E., & Moore, D. R. (2009). The role of milk- and soy-based protein in support of muscle protein synthesis and muscle protein accretion in young and elderly persons. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 28, 343– 354.

[5] Miller, S.L., Tipton, K.D., Chinkes, D.L., Wolf, S.E. and Wolfe, R.R. (2003). Independent and combined effects of amino acids and glucose after resistance exercise. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 35, 449–455.

[6] Jackman, S. R., Witard, O. C., Jeukendrup, A. E., & Tipton, K. D. (2009). Branched-chain amino acid ingestion can ameliorate soreness from eccentric exercise. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, (42), 962-70.

[7] Matsumoto, K., Koba, T., Hamada, K., Sakurai, M., Higuchi, T., & Miyata, H. (2009). Branched-chain amino acid supplementation attenuates muscle soreness, muscle damage and inflammation during an intensive training program. The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness, (49), 424-31.