In celebration and support of the 2015 WWC, Almond will be featuring some pre and post workout nutrition inspired by the U.S. Women’s National Team.

The elimination stages of the WWC are upon us. Every minute of each game counts. Players’ bodies are sore and fatigued from the three game group-phase, and fueling post-game recovery can be make or break.

During the “off-days”, the players have to travel across Canada to new game locations while trying to rest, recover and regenerate for the next match.

Help You, Help Yourself

During exercise, your muscle tissues are broken down and carbohydrates are the ideal source for restoration. Post work-out is when the body is most efficient in carbohydrate breakdown, leading to immediate utilization. The sooner you replenish, the sooner your body can restore and reduce muscle recovery time. Incorporating a protein source in your post-workout snack is also noteworthy for rebuilding muscle, and should provide around a 4:1 ratio with snack carbohydrate level.

Throwback to London 2012: three minutes after U.S. scored a 4–3 victory over Canada, advancing to the Olympic gold medal match against Japan.

Easy on-the-go post-workout snacks are key to the players of WWC who may need the fuel as soon as they step off the field. See what the pro’s use and try out the homemade variations to reap the same benefits to rest & recover for what tomorrow has in store.

On-the-Go with the Pro’s

Protein Shakes: Pre-made protein shakes are popular amongst the women of the World Cup as they are easy to pack and accessible after training and games. Each athlete has her favorite, but Gatorade Whey Protein shakes are staples for the U.S. Women’s National Team. These shakes supply a good balance of protein and carbohydrates, and come in a variety of flavors!

Nutrition/ Recovery Bars: Once again, bars offer easy-access, convenience for walk-off the field nutrition-recovery. The variety of bars available today is immense, with options catering towards diet-restricted populations such as plant based and gluten free. With that being said, be sure to study labels and nutrition information for the product that best suits your needs! Popular bars amongst professional women’s soccer players include: Power Bars and PowerGels, GoMacro Bars, Kind Bars,and Larabars. These examples offer well-balanced, immediate nutrition.

Smoothies: Another trend amongst these elite soccer women includes creating their own recovery smoothies. The players’ creations combine a base protein powder such as EAS 100% Whey Protein or VEGA Powder, with fruits such as bananas and berries (frozen fruit work great,too), milk or milk variation (almond, hemp, rice), nut-butter (almond, peanut), seeds (flax, chia).

Home-Made, Ready-Made

Inspired by the classic, nutrition recovery resources of the WWC, below are additional ideas that you can get creative with at home and make more personalized to your needs:

Low-fat Chocolate Milk: Chocolate Milk is not just for kids, it is a proper balanced carbohydrate, protein post-workout drink that has grown in popularity among athletes after recent research proving its benefits. Feel free to create your own chocolate milk or flavored milk such as banana.

Cheese and Crackers: A small stack of your favorite crackers and with a bit of cheese can be a fun on the go or at home snack that you can dress up or down.

Granola or Homemade Trail Mix: A few handfuls of granola combining oats, nuts and dried fruit provide you with carbohydrates and protein. Leave a small stash in your gym bag for convenience and even get creative experimenting with homemade combinations.

Try these snacks and recover with the pros as Team USA takes on Team Germany tonight for a place in the gold medal match.

Looking for post-work out nutrition tailored to your work outs? Talk to your own personal dietitian on Almond via 1-on-1 video consultations. Anywhere, anytime.