Feeling sore after a tough workout? Delayed onset muscle soreness – also known as DOMS – is a common but annoying phenomenon that can occur a day or so after intense workouts. While no one individual food is going to solve the problem of muscle soreness, there are a few foods that may help alleviate it a bit (though the research is sparse). As a dietitian, here are my favorite options.
1. Tart Cherry Juice
This is one of my favorite recovery foods for sore muscles, because there’s been quite a bit of research on it. In fact, a 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis concluded that tart cherry juice had “a small beneficial effect in reducing muscle soreness.” It may be small, but you know any little bit of relief can help when you’re dealing with DOMS!
Note that not every study has found a link between tart cherry juice and muscle soreness, so we can’t say for certain that it will definitely help. However, tart cherry juice offers numerous other benefits like antioxidants to fight cell damage in the body, and naturally occurring melatonin to promote good sleep. Little risk to trying and lots of potential reward!
You can drink a glass as-is, or you can try it in a recipe like one of these:
2. Pistachios
Pistachios are one of the few complete plant-based protein, and offer an easy, portable post-workout snack. A 2023 study found that eating a high dose of pistachios helped alleviate muscle soreness in the non-dominant leg following downhill treadmill running. (Downhill running involves eccentric contractions, which trigger more muscle soreness compared to flat road running).
Similarly, a 2022 study on downhill treadmill running also found that eating pistachios led to lower pain ratings in most muscle groups around 72 hours into recovery.
Pack some in your gym bag, or try working them into your diet with these recipes:
3. Coffee
The more research comes out about coffee, the happier I am with my cup of coffee each morning before my workout. The caffeine in coffee may help with muscle soreness. A 2021 systematic review found that caffeine reduced muscle soreness at the 48-hour recovery mark compared to placebo groups.
It’s likely that caffeine may attenuate pain perception via effects on the brain (for example, binding to adenosine receptors). Another 2022 review noted that four studies looked at repeated administration of caffeine between 24 and 72 hours after a workout, and found it reduced the perception of pain by anywhere from 3.9% to 26%.
The effects of caffeine may vary based on gender, original degree of pain perception, and genetic differences in caffeine metabolism.
Feel free to enjoy a cup of hot coffee, iced coffee, or cold brew in the hours following your workout. You could also try a tall glass of protein coffee as a convenient post workout beverage – just be sure to pair it with some carbs as well.
4. Beets and Beet Juice
I’ve written quite a bit about the performance-enhancing effects of beet juice for runners, and how these effects may vary based on gender, age, and training. But another awesome effect of consuming beets and beet juice is the potential impact on muscle soreness.
In fact, a 2022 systematic review concluded that “short-term beetroot supplementation has the potential to accelerate recovery of functional measures and muscle soreness.”
The benefit may be related to the polyphenols, nitrates, or betanins in the beets. These can vary based on the cultivar and type of juice product, so it’s hard to give a definitive answer as to how much to include. However, if you want to test it out, consider adding 1-2 beet juice shots to your daily routine in the days before and after a tough training session, and see if it impacts your perception of soreness.
You can also try including more beets in your daily routine on a regular basis, in recipes like:
- Beet, chicken, and butternut squash soup
- Strawberry and beet salad
- Creamy beet soup (my fav!)
- Beet salad dressing
5. Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese is rich in casein, a type of slow-digesting protein. Research suggests that consuming casein before bedtime could help with post-exercise recovery, including possibly (but not definitively) reducing muscle soreness. This pre-bedtime snack is likely to be most helpful for folks who are exercising in the evening.
The research suggests consuming around 40 grams of casein before bed, which is quite a bit of cottage cheese (around 1 ½ to 2 cups). That might work for some folks but be a bit daunting for others. Is there a benefit to a lower intake? We don’t know, but it might be worth a try!
At night, consider just eating cottage cheese with fruit mixed in. If you want to add more to your daily routine, here are some of my favorite recipes:
6. Berries
Berries like blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries are excellent sources of anthocyanins, specific types of polyphenols that lend certain fruits their red, blue, and purple color. A 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis found that anthocyanins were linked to lower delayed onset muscle soreness at 24-hours post-exercise.
Note that this review also included tart cherries and some other fruits, so it’s hard to tease out if berries alone could have this benefit. However, berries are nutrient-rich and contain digestive-friendly fiber, making them a nutritious choice for any athlete.
Snack on berries when you’re craving something sweet, or consider one of these tasty recipes:
- Blueberry chia jam or strawberry chia jam (great swirled into oatmeal with peanut butter for a PB&J oatmeal breakfast)
- Strawberry banana soft serve “nice cream”
- Blueberry high protein overnight oats
- Blueberry smoothie bowl
7. Almonds
Almonds are a great snack, providing a combination of protein, healthy fats, and phytonutrients. An interesting 2023 study linked chronic almond snacking to reduced muscle soreness during subsequent exercise tasks about 72 hours after downhill treadmill running. Specifically, eating almonds reduced muscle soreness during vertical jumps by about 24%, and led to improved maintenance of performance during those jumps.
This could have applications for athletes that include plyometrics in their training. In that study, athletes ate 57 grams of almonds per day for 8 weeks. That’s a little more than a third a cup of almonds each day.
Consider incorporating almonds into your snacking routine, or using them to top salads, smoothie bowls, and oatmeal.
8. Chocolate Milk
Chocolate milk is well-known for being a potential recovery beverage in the endurance sports world, thanks to its carbohydrates (to restock energy in the muscles) and protein (to start muscle repair and recovery).
A few studies have also investigated the impact of chocolate milk on muscle soreness. For example, a 2022 study on female badminton players that found consuming chocolate milk immediately after exercise decreased the perception of muscle soreness in lower extremities in during that post-workout time frame. Similarly, a 2015 study found that chocolate milk led to lower muscle soreness scores three days after exercise in rock climbers, compared to water.
Chocolate milk is one of my favorite post-workout recovery options for runners and triathletes that may not be super hungry immediately after a long workout, but want to get some solid nutrition into their body. You could also use chocolate milk in smoothie recipes combined with additional fruits and vegetables for a bigger nutritional boost.
9. Watermelon
Watermelon is one of the best dietary sources of L-citrulline, an amino acid. Research has shown that supplementation with L-citrulline led to lower perceptions of muscle soreness at 24- and 48-hours post-workout.
However, levels of supplementation are typically much higher than that which occurs in naturally in watermelon. It’s unclear if there would be a benefit from eating regular watermelon. That said, watermelon is still a wonderful option for replenishing fluids after a workout, so it’s great choice to add to your diet regardless.
Enjoy a couple fresh slices, or try one of these recipes:
10. Fatty Fish (Maybe?)
Fatty fish include options like salmon, sardines, and mackerel, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s offer several benefits in the body, including cognitive health, heart health, mental well-being, and potentially a reduction in muscle soreness.
For example, a 2021 study found that omega-3 supplements led to lower muscle soreness at 24-hours post-workout. However, a 2024 systematic review found that the effects of omega-3 supplementation were inconclusive, so it’s hard to determine if omega-3’s definitely help any measures of muscle soreness. It’s also impossible to conclude if eating fish regularly would have the same effects as supplementation.
Regardless, fatty fish is nutritious to incorporate in your diet, so it’s worth consuming regularly. Here are a few of my favorite recipes:
The Bottom Line
There is no one food that will magically rid athletes from muscle soreness, but some of the nutrients and phytochemicals in certain foods may offer small benefits. Other recovery strategies like massage, percussion massagers, foam rolling, adequate sleep, certain supplements, or cold-water immersion may offer larger relief when dealing with delayed onset muscle soreness.
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