What to Eat After Pilates: Complete 2024 Guide

Eating nutritious food before and after Pilates is crucial for recovery. Consuming unhealthy food or not eating enough can lead to immediate or delayed physical and physiological issues after Pilates or any other workout. So, you should nourish your body well to support your fitness efforts and recover post-practice. 

What and when you eat varies based on your daily routine and exercise schedule. Nonetheless, there are specific foods to avoid and optimal times to eat before and after a Pilates session. Your type of diet plays a part in what to eat after Pilates, too. So, continue reading to learn the nitty-gritty of it all, including insights from our licensed in-house nutritionist. 

Foods to Eat After Pilates🥚

After exercise, focus on consuming carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats. Remember to hydrate properly after practice. Also, avoid foods high in sugar. As for timing, you should eat a small meal or snack 30 to 60 minutes post-workout to refuel, but it will depend on the intensity of your training and its duration.

The following table contains a summary of foods you should consume after Pilates:

You should also pay attention to hydrating yourself after a Pilates class. While exercising, you lose fluids, which need replenishment. Some good options are water, coconut water, herbal teas, and drinks with electrolytes and little sugar.

Why Do You Need Carbs? 🍠

Physically active people need carbohydrates to replenish their energy. During exercise, your body uses up glycogen stores, which leads to fatigue¹. So, replenishing glycogen after Pilates is essential for effective recovery and maintaining energy levels.

Eating carbohydrate-rich meals can accelerate glycogen storage replenishment, especially if you eat high-GI foods, which are quick to digest. Although our body can convert protein and fat into glucose when carbohydrates are scarce, this conversion occurs primarily to meet immediate energy needs, leaving little for glycogen storage. So, this process isn't very efficient. 

As research shows, ingesting 1.2 g of carbs per 1 kg of body mass per hour increases glycogen synthetic response by 150% compared to consuming 0.8 g of carbs per 1 kg of body mass¹. 

Why Do You Need Protein? 🍗

After training, you need protein to repair and build muscle. This macronutrient can also help optimize glycogen replenishment to some extent​². Protein promotes muscle protein synthesis, prevents protein breakdown, and stimulates net muscle protein accretion³. 

Your target should be 20 g or more of protein post-exercise to max out the protein synthesis rate. But don’t neglect your protein and other nutrient needs throughout the day based on your weight, activity level, athletic goals, and other characteristics.

Note that more recent research found that the post-workout window for protein intake may be longer than what's generally accepted to maximize the muscular response⁴. According to the same study, the window can be up to several hours or even longer. However, how long it can be depends on when you ate your pre-workout meal. Also, your body can absorb way more than 20 to 40 g of protein at a time, as previously thought⁵. 

Meals to Consume After the Pilates Class 🐟

There are many meals you can enjoy after Pilates, that fit into different diets. Some I recommend including in your post-exercise meal planning are: 

• Omelet with spinach, onion, and asparagus on a slice of wholegrain bread

• Oatmeal with berries, yogurt, and nuts

• Chicken, salmon (or other fish), with sweet potatoes and some veggies as a side

• Turkey, tomatoes, and lettuce wrapped in tortilla

• Chicken and rice one-pot meal

• Salad with boiled eggs (diced), fresh veggies, and mixed nuts and seeds

• Bean soup with veggies and a slice of whole-grain bread

If you just want a snack rather than a full meal after your training, try these options:

• Greek yogurt with nuts and fruits

• Fruit and nut bar

• Yogurt with berries and rolled oats

• A protein shake

• Green smoothie (for example, yogurt, berries, spinach, and nut butter)

• Mint chocolate chip smoothie (banana, cacao nibs, almond butter, milk, and fresh mint)

To sum up, you can mix and match almost any ingredients to create your post-workout snacks and meals. Just be sure to include the recommended amount of carbs, protein, and fat. The proportions are flexible, so as long as you stay within the following range, you'll do great:

If you live with a partner and you have different dietary goals, read our Meal Planning for Two article to learn how to choose meals that suit you both. 

Foods to Consume Before Pilates 🍚

What and when you eat before Pilates depends on personal factors and your workout intensity. As a general rule, avoid hard-to-digest foods as your class approaches to ensure you’re comfortable throughout.

Typically, most people allow at least 30 minutes to an hour between a full meal and their workout session. Many also avoid eating up to 2 hours before exercise to ensure complete digestion. However, if you face an intense training session, a quick snack 30 or so minutes before Pilates can provide you with a much-needed energy boost.

If you're eating nuts as a snack before exercise, note that research confirms that they're slower to digest in the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract⁶. So, avoid consuming them as a snack within 2 hours before training. Some good snack options within an hour before pilates are a banana or orange or a half or a full cup of a sports drink.

Accordingly, focus on easily digestible foods for your last meal or snack before the Pilates session. If your training is 2 or more hours away, you can have a meal with slower-digestible ingredients. 

Foods to Avoid Before Pilates 🥦

Before Pilates, steer clear of high-fat foods and ingredients that are more likely to cause bloating. Some of the latter are cabbage, cauliflower, lentils, beans, broccoli, and garlic. Keep these foods for your post-workout meal. 

While researching foods to steer clear of before class, I found recommendations to avoid high-fiber dishes. The explanation was that fiber-rich foods are slow to digest. However, our expert nutritionist emphasized that it's perfectly fine to eat high-fiber foods if you consume them 2 or more hours before class. That way, your stomach will have enough time to digest, providing you with energy on time.

The reason you want to avoid high-fiber foods right before exercise is that they slow down nutrient absorption. So they're not a good choice for a quick energy release. That's why eating white bread instead of wholegrain bread right before a workout is a much better option.

Recommended Foods Between Workouts🍈

The foods you eat between Pilates sessions should match your fitness goals and body type. But your diet should consist of well-balanced meals, to prepare you for your next workout and support muscle building. Focus on nutrient-dense and whole foods to optimize your results.

But if the time between sessions is short, you're better off consuming high-GI index foods. They’re easily digestible and will provide you with needed energy quickly. 

Some great foods to eat between training sessions, depending on available time, are: 

Diets That Work Best with Pilates 🌱

While there's no Pilates-dedicated diet, some diets work better than others with this exercise. Having a balanced diet and avoiding heavy foods that’ll make your stomach gassy or nauseous is the key. So, focus on consuming complex carbohydrates, lean meats, and healthy fats. 

The following diets are examples of what you could try if you’re looking for something more specific:

Whole Foods Diet 🥕

Consuming whole foods in their most natural form offers numerous benefits for Pilates enthusiasts and other fitness devotees⁷. Foods such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, and whole grains pack more nutrients than their processed counterparts, supplying essential vitamins and minerals. This boosts energy and aids in quicker recovery.

Mediterranean Diet 🍤

The Mediterranean diet is like an exaggerated version of the whole-food diet. It teems with fruits, veggies, legumes, whole grains, and nuts in their original form or minimally processed. People following the Mediterranean diet also consume lots of fish and seafood. If you’re short on time or prefer to have meals crafted by professionals, check out our review of the best meal delivery services for Mediterranean diets.

With plant-based nutrients and fish and olive oil, this particular diet provides active people with everything they need for healthy nutrition and quick post-workout recovery. Also, it protects against inflammation and oxidative stress⁸. 

Vegetarian Diet 🍆

A vegetarian diet shares some similarities with a whole-food diet and permits processing. But it's crucial to focus on whole ingredients to maximize your nutrient intake. This approach is vital for Pilates practitioners and other fitness enthusiasts because it ensures they consume foods rich in fiber, minerals, and vitamins for optimal health and performance.

If you're new to vegetarianism, you can consume veggies, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds as part of this diet. Unless you consider going vegan, you can also include animal-derived products, such as eggs and dairy, for extra protein. If you’re vegan, some protein-rich foods are tempeh, lentils, tofu, beans, and seitan. 

Why Is Adequate Hydration Important?🥤 

Sweating during exercise causes fluid loss, making timely and adequate hydration essential. It's a good idea to drink a glass of water before starting your workout and keep a bottle handy during your Pilates class. After exercise, aim to drink at least 2 cups of water and include water-rich produce, such as fruits and veggies, to replenish your body effectively.

Hydration provides various health benefits, including⁹:

• Prevents cardiovascular system stress

• Lowers musculoskeletal injury risk

• Helps prevent muscle strength fall

• Supports energy levels

FAQ

Should you eat after a Pilates workout?

Yes, it's important to eat after a Pilates workout. Ideally, consume a light meal or at least a small snack within 30 or 60 minutes after exercising. Focus on including carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats in your post-workout nutrition to help your body recover and rebuild effectively.

What is the best thing to do after Pilates?

You should eat a snack or light meal after your workout to replenish your energy stores and help your muscles recover. While you should be mindful of your carbohydrate, protein, and fat intake, many meals are appropriate. Learn more in our detailed article on what to eat after Pilates.

What diet is best with Pilates?

Various diets are compatible with Pilates, albeit none is specifically designed for this exercise. But Mediterranean, whole foods, and vegetarian diets are better for Pilates practitioners than most other less nutritious diets.  

References

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5852829/

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6019055/

3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23765352/

4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5214805/

5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38118410/

6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10096892/

7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35706588/

8. https://academic.oup.com/biomedgerontology/article/73/3/318/4736301

9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8336541/