After intense physical activity, especially after a long trek or a long-distance run, people often experience soreness in their waist and legs or all-over muscle aches, extreme fatigue, and perhaps an insatiable thirst and hunger. At such times, what beverages should one drink, and what foods should one eat? Some people grab a bottle of Coca-Cola and drink it heartily, or chew on chocolate candies. However, consuming these drinks and foods when hungry, thirsty, and tired not only fails to relieve soreness and fatigue but, on the contrary, worsens them. This is truly a case of "trying to help but ending up harming."
As is well known, foods can be divided into two major categories: alkaline and acidic. To maintain the acid-base balance of the blood, or pH, in the body, people must consume a combination of acidic and alkaline foods. So-called acidic and alkaline foods are not identified by their taste or flavor but mainly by the chemical elements they contain after being absorbed and oxidized by the body. Foods rich in non-metallic elements such as nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus are acidic foods, while foods rich in metallic elements such as sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium are alkaline foods. A sour taste does not mean a food is acidic. For example, vinegar is sour, and citrus fruits, plums, and apricots are also sour, but they are not acidic foods; on the contrary, they are typical alkaline foods. Conversely, grains, candies, pastries, fish, pork, and other animal meats are not alkaline foods; they all belong to the acidic food category.
Under normal circumstances, the human blood's pH is balanced, with a slight tendency towards alkalinity being better. After strenuous physical labor and intense exercise, the body's sugars, fats, and proteins break down in large quantities, producing more acid. This makes people feel sore in their waist and legs or all over their muscles and causes fatigue and weariness. If one drinks Coca-Cola in such a situation, which has a high sugar content and is an acidic food, and then eats chocolate candies, which are also acidic foods, these things will "add fuel to the fire." They will inevitably increase the acidity of the blood, thus further intensifying the soreness of the body's muscles and making it impossible to eliminate fatigue in a timely manner.
So, what should one eat after labor or exercise? One should eat alkaline foods. Among animal-based foods, only dairy products and animal blood are alkaline foods; all others are acidic. In terms of beverages, it is best to drink milk, soy milk, and tea, or drink fruit juice (without sugar). Mineral water or plain water is also acceptable.
As for whether it is better to drink salt water or sugar water after exercise, this should be flexibly determined based on the specific situation.
Generally speaking, when sweating a lot, especially during intense exercise in the summer, one should drink some light salt water. In summer, high temperatures and humidity cause the body to dissipate a large amount of heat through sweating to maintain a relatively stable body temperature. While sweating profusely, the body also loses a lot of inorganic salts, such as sodium, potassium, and magnesium. It has been measured that running a marathon can lead to the loss of 30 grams of sodium chloride through sweat. A person's daily intake of sodium chloride from food is only 10-15 grams, which will inevitably lead to a salt deficiency in the body, causing fatigue, weakness, and even muscle cramps or spasms. Therefore, drinking some light salt water during intense exercise in the summer is necessary.
When the exercise intensity is not too high, the duration is not too long, and the ambient temperature is not too high, the body produces less heat and does not experience excessive sweating or loss of inorganic salts. In this case, neither salt water nor sugar water is needed.
If the exercise is long, such as running a marathon or long-distance cycling, the body's energy consumption is relatively high, and one should drink some sugar water or sugar-salt water. As for general physical exercise, there is no need to drink sugar water.
As for food, the most suitable things to eat after labor and exercise are tofu, dried tofu, and various bean products, as well as fresh fruits, melons, and various vegetables. These are all excellent alkaline foods. Seaweed is known as the "king of alkaline foods." In addition, roasting sesame and soybeans, adding shredded ginger and a little salt, and eating them steeped in boiling water can quench thirst and satisfy hunger. Sesame, soybeans, and ginger are all excellent alkaline foods, and eating them is also very beneficial for reducing the acidity of the blood and eliminating fatigue.