Eat here

Three shakes that are actually a meal after a session

You are cold, you are hungry and you have twenty minutes. This is the bit people get wrong.

7 September 2026 · Reviewed by the pharmacist

Three recovery shakes with oats, fruit, yoghurt and greens

What you actually need after cold water

Something warm to hold, dry clothes, and food with protein in it within the hour. Most shop-bought smoothies are fruit and juice — pleasant, but they do nothing for the repair part and leave you hungry by ten.

Aim for roughly a palm of protein and some real carbohydrate. If you are shivering, add the carbohydrate first: your body is burning through it warming you up.

None of this is a supplement pitch. Milk, yoghurt, oats, eggs and peanut butter do the job. Protein powder is convenience, not magic, and if you use one we are happy to look at the label with you.

1. The cold-morning oat one

Half a cup of rolled oats, one cup of milk or a fortified alternative, a small tub of plain yoghurt, one banana, a tablespoon of peanut butter, a pinch of salt.

Blend. Thick, filling, warms you from the inside because the oats slow it down. This is the one for a winter swim.

2. The green one that is not a detox

One cup of milk or kefir, a big handful of spinach, half a frozen banana, half an avocado, a tablespoon of ground flaxseed, a squeeze of lemon.

Spinach adds iron and folate and disappears into it. The avocado makes it sit properly rather than leaving you hungry. No cleanse claims attached — it is a plate of food in a glass.

3. The after-training chocolate one

One cup of milk, a small tub of plain yoghurt or a scoop of a plain protein powder, one tablespoon of cocoa, one date or a teaspoon of honey, a pinch of salt, ice.

Chocolate milk has been the boring, effective recovery drink for years because the carbohydrate-to-protein ratio suits it. The salt matters more than people think after a windy session.

Practical notes

Everything here comes from the SPAR next door. Keep frozen banana in the freezer and it takes four minutes.

Lactose intolerant: kefir or a lactose-free milk works. Dairy-free: use a fortified soya milk, which is the only common alternative with comparable protein.

Children, pregnancy, kidney disease and diabetes all change protein and portion advice. Ask rather than copying a training account.

When to stop self-managing

Ongoing fatigue despite eating and sleeping, unexplained weight loss, dizziness on standing, or a suspected food intolerance — see a doctor and get bloods rather than cutting food groups. Book a consult if you want us to go through supplements you already take.