What to drink after exercise: water, juice or a shake?

You finish a workout, you are hot and thirsty, and the choices are water, juice, a sports drink or a protein shake. The right one depends on how long and how hard you trained.

Water comes first

Whatever you did, start by drinking to replace the water you lost in sweat. Plain water is the simplest way to do it.

After a long or hot session

Sweat is not only water. When you sweat a lot, in Da Nang's heat or after a long run, you also lose salts such as sodium. Coconut water has some natural sodium and potassium: 105mg and 250mg in 100g, says the US Department of Agriculture.

Protein for your muscles

The International Society of Sports Nutrition suggests 20 to 40g of protein in a serving, spread every 3 to 4 hours across the day. For people building muscle, it suggests 1.4 to 2.0g of protein for each kilo of body weight a day.

Food or a shake?

Food works: eggs, milk, yogurt, tofu, fish and chicken all have protein. The same paper says a shake is a practical way to get enough protein, especially for people who train a lot.

And juice?

Juice gives you water and the natural sugar of the fruit, which can be useful after long training. The same paper notes that endurance athletes should focus on getting enough carbohydrate. For everyday life, the NHS still suggests no more than 150ml of juice a day.

After training at Juicy

At Juicy, Juicy Pops are our hydration drinks, made with coconut water and basil seeds, and Juicy Pops Green adds Himalayan salt. The Maintain protein shake has 30g of protein, inside the range above. The Recover smoothie blends strawberry, banana and red dragon fruit with yogurt, soy milk and protein.

Sources: International Society of Sports Nutrition, Position Stand: protein and exercise (2017); US Department of Agriculture, FoodData Central (coconut water); NHS, 5 A Day: what counts.