4 Salmon Alternatives for a Post-Workout Meal

Any gym bro will tell you the most important thing to do after a gym session is to refuel. For the uninitiated, refueling refers to a combination of rehydrating and consuming protein and carbohydrates. With a newfound emphasis on ‘clean meals’ (to over simplify, eating non-processed foods) fish has skyrocketed in popularity as a healthy post-workout protein choice. And the king of post-workout fish is salmon.

Many manifestos have been written about how healthy salmon is for you and what an excellent protein source it is. And it’s true: salmon is a great source of protein for your recovery efforts. Salmon has the additional benefit of being a ‘clean meal’ that tastes good, unlike other ‘clean meals’ (I’m looking at you reheated boiled chicken). But even the greatest of tastes can fall before the altar of repetitiveness. With that in mind, here are four seafood alternatives to salmon to spice up your post-workout meal.

Cod

In 2015, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (in)famously admitted to eating 821 pounds of cod per year. Look at The Rock and tell me with a straight face you still don’t believe in cod.

UPDATE: My editor informs me that “look at The Rock” isn’t a good enough reason to eat cod as a post-workout meal. With that in mind, a 3 ounce portion of cod offers you 15 grams of protein with very little saturated fat. The mild flavor and versatility in the kitchen means you can spice it up how you like, keeping each post-workout meal a fresh taste experience.

Tilapia

Quality tilapia, such as Regal Springs Tilapia, is an excellent post-workout meal. Tilapia is a very lean fish that offers you 23 grams of protein in a 3 ounce filet. Quality tilapia has a mild, neutral taste allowing you to season it to your liking. A good piece of Tilapia is also very filling, which will help keep you away from the junk food.

Octopus

I’ll give you a second. Done shuddering? Good. Octopus is one of the healthiest things you can eat. Consider this: a 3-ounce portion of octopus has 25 grams of protein and is full of several key nutrients, including trace minerals and vitamin B-12. Admittedly, octopus is tough to master in the kitchen, but once you get your technique down you’ll have one of the best post-workout meals you’ve ever eaten.

Salmon

No, I’m not cheating by listing salmon here. And yes, as my editor ever-so-gently reminded me, this article is called 4 Alternatives to Salmon for Your Post-Workout Meal. But stay with me for a second. There are a lot of different types of salmon out there. You have Atlantic Salmon, King Salmon, Coho Salmon, and Sockeye Salmon just to name a few. Plus, you have farm vs wild. And you know what? Each one has a distinct flavor. Tired of eating farmed raised Atlantic? Try wild Coho. Been eating a lot of Wild Sockeye? Give farm raised a try. Branching into the many different species of salmon is a great way to add variety to your post-workout meal