Recovery wrap

Whenever I've done any hard exercise or training, that'd be maybe more than a 10 mile run at a decent pace or a 20k+ cycle ride where I've really hammered it, I need to eat something as soon as I get back to help my recovery start quickly. I'm 50 years old and have to try and look after myself if I want to stay injury-free and get the benefit from the miles I put in. I've read that you need to eat within about 30 minutes of stopping exercise to get the most from the food, so it has to be something easy to put together (and in my case, takes no pre-thought or advance preparation). I'm also a vegetarian and the recovery food has to have a few key elements that most aid the recovery – protein to aid muscle soreness and help my body adapt to training; carbohydrate to replenish glycogen stores - as well as other generally healthy characteristics, such as high in fibre, and no added sugars or salt. And I'm only going to buy fresh food and nothing expensive like specialist recovery potions! I have a particular order in which I put this together (but actually just chucking it in is okay too!) and then have tried different ways to fold the wrap so it doesn't collapse! Rehydrating is also important. I probably have a coffee immediately – there's some evidence that a coffee before or after exercise can help recovery (and I'll take whatever benefits are going). But I also have a green tea – lots of benefits to that particular drink.

Ingredients (put together in this order)

Wholemeal wrap

Vegan sunflower spread

Houmous

Quorn slice (ripped up by hand and thrown in)

Vegan cheese (thin slices)

Avocado (half)

Nuts

Raisins

Fresh baby spinach (loads, sprinkled liberally)

Do try it, but also let me know if you have your own vegan recovery food and I'll try that!

1 November 2015