What Is The Best Protein Food For Athletic Training?

No matter your sport, whether you're sprinting down the field, crushing it in the gym, or grinding through a marathon, your body needs the right fuel to recover and go again. Need help deciding on the right protein for a quick post-workout recovery or slow-digesting proteins for long-lasting fuel? We've got you covered. Let's dive into the top protein foods that will help you train harder, recover faster, and perform at your peak. Let’s get after it!

Pre Training Protein For Athletes

• Before a training session we want to consume a small amount of protein to reduce muscle protein breakdown during exercise (1,2). 

• Around 15g of protein is enough (1).

Additionally, taking branched chain amino acids (BCAA’s) before training can be beneficial for athletes competing for long durations where central nervous system fatigue is likely to occur.

Talk Nerdy to Me→  BCAA’s can cross the blood brain barrier to assist with central nervous system fatigue and potentially enhance performance (3,4).

If you are recovering from an injury, have a scoop of PILLAR Performance Collagen Repair 1 hour prior to strength training in addition to your pre-workout snack. 

Talk Nerdy to Me→ The combination of vitamin C and collagen peptides has been shown to assist injury prevention, tissue repair, bone healing and force development in lower limbs (5,6,7).

Protein Options

Animal Based 

• 150g of plain greek yoghurt

• 2x eggs + 1 slice of bread

• 1 scoop of Pillar Performance Collagen Repair + ½ - 1 cup of oats

• 1 cup of whole milk OR 80g of cottage cheese + 1 Tbsp of protein peanut butter

Plant Based 

• 1 slice of bread + 2 Tbsp of protein peanut butter 

• 60g of tofu + 50g of quinoa

• 3 Tbsp of hemp seeds + a handful of nuts

• Probar Protein Bar

• 1 x serving of ATP Science BCAA 2:1:1 in addition to the above meals

What's the Difference Between Standard and Grass-Fed Protein?

Post Training

Post training we want to consume around 30-40g of protein as close to finishing exercise as possible to increase protein synthesis, reduce cortisol levels and regulate hormone synthesis which prevents long term catabolic state and menstrual disturbances (8,9,10). 

For recovery overnight, have a snack or meal containing some casein protein before bed.

Talk Nerdy to Me→ Casein is a slow releasing protein that helps increase overnight muscle protein synthesis (11,12). Casein protein is found in dairy products such as milk, yoghurt and cheese.

Protein Options

Animal Based 

• 100g light cottage cheese
+ 2 Tbsp of 100% nut butter
+ 2 slices of sourdough toast 


• 250g of plain greek yoghurt + 1 cup of oats + handful of nuts

• 150g of salmon
+ 1 cup of rice 


• 3 eggs + 100g of cottage cheese + 2 slices of bread

• 1 serving of Switch Nutrition - WPI Switch

• 1x Blue Dinosaur Protein Bar + a glass or milk or a coffee

• 1 scoop of Pillar Performance Whey Protein Isolate (grass-fed) + 2 cups of your chosen milk

• Switch Nutrition - Protein Switch - Choc Sea Salt with milk
  

Plant Based 

• 1 cup quinoa + 1/2 cup chickpeas + 100g tofu

• 1 cup serving of cooked edamame spaghetti with pesto + 1 cup of green peas

• 226ERS - Vegan Protein Shake - Red Fruits + non dairy milk + 1x Em's Power Cookies- Protein Cookie Choc Brownie

• Switch Nutrition - Protein Switch - Vanilla Bean + oats

• Probar Protein Bar + 1 cup of soy milk

Ash Miller
Dietitian and Nutritionist (Masters)
Bachelor of Physical and Health Education
Instagram: @ashthomo_nutrition

References

1. Sports Dietitians Australia, Pre-exercise fuelling, available from;https://www.sportsdietitians.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Pre-exercise-Fuelling.pdf, accessed on 17th Feb 2025.

2. Larsen M.S., Holm L., Svart M.V., Hjelholt A.J., Bengtsen M.B., Dollerup O.L., Dalgaard L.B., Vendelbo M.H., van Hall G., Moller N., et al. Effects of protein intake prior to carbohydrate-restricted endurance exercise: A randomized crossover trial. J. Int. Soc. Sports Nutr. 2020;17:7. doi: 10.1186/s12970-020-0338-z.

3. Cheng IS, Wang YW, Chen IF, Hsu GS, Hsueh CF, Chang CK. The Supplementation of Branched-Chain Amino Acids, Arginine, and Citrulline Improves Endurance Exercise Performance in Two Consecutive Days. J Sports Sci Med. 2016 Aug 5;15(3):509-515. PMID: 27803630; PMCID: PMC4974864.

4. Blomstrand E. A role for branched-chain amino acids in reducing central fatigue. J Nutr. 2006 Feb;136(2):544S-547S. doi: 10.1093/jn/136.2.544S. PMID: 16424144.

5. Shaw G, Lee-Barthel A, Ross ML, Wang B, Baar K. Vitamin C-enriched gelatin supplementation before intermittent activity augments collagen synthesis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2017 Jan;105(1):136-143. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.116.138594. Epub 2016 Nov 16. PMID: 27852613; PMCID: PMC5183725.

6. DePhillipo NN, Aman ZS, Kennedy MI, Begley JP, Moatshe G, LaPrade RF. Efficacy of Vitamin C Supplementation on Collagen Synthesis and Oxidative Stress After Musculoskeletal Injuries: A Systematic Review. Orthop J Sports Med. 2018 Oct 25;6(10):2325967118804544. doi: 10.1177/2325967118804544. PMID: 30386805; PMCID: PMC6204628.

7. Lis DM, Baar K. Effects of Different Vitamin C-Enriched Collagen Derivatives on Collagen Synthesis. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2019 Sep 

8. Michaela C. Devries, Mazen J. Hamadeh, Stuart M. Phillips, and Mark A. Tarnopolsky. Menstrual cycle phase and sex influence muscle glycogen utilization and glucose turnover during moderate- intensity endurance exercise. 291, R1120-1128 (2006). 

9. Roy, B. et al. “The influence of post-exercise macronutrient intake on energy balance and protein metabolism in active females participating in endurance training.” International journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism 12 2 (2002): 172-88 .

10. Jäger, R., Kerksick, C.M., Campbell, B.I. et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 14, 20 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8

11. Res P.T., Groen B., Pennings B., Beelen M., Wallis G.A., Gijsen A.P., Senden J.M., van Loon L.J. Protein 481 ingestion before sleep improves postexercise overnight recovery. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 2012;44:1560–1569. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e31824cc363.

12. Groen B.B., Res P.T., Pennings B., Hertle E., Senden J.M., Saris W.H., van Loon L.J. Intragastric protein administration stimulates overnight muscle protein synthesis in elderly men. Am. J. Physiol. Endocrinol. Metab. 2012;302:52–60. doi: 10.1152/ajpendo.00321.2011.