The best foods to eat after yoga

Smoothies

A fruit and vegetable smoothie will refuel your body with the vitamins and minerals that are lost during a workout, says Hana Engel, director at ModernBody, a yoga, nutrition and wellness centre in Ottawa. “The fruit in smoothies will replenish your depleted glycogen stores,” she says. “And because it’s in liquid form, you’ll absorb the nutrients much faster.”

Camomile tea

Camomile tea has a g

entle and relaxing effect on the body, says Vancouver-based yoga instructor and blogger Brittanie Firth. To compose herself before a class, she drinks linden-leaf tea. “It can calm nerves and soothe the digestive system, which is where many believe we hold worry,” Firth says.

Chocolate

Don’t resist a chocolate craving after class. “Dark chocolate can lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol, as well as epinephrine, which can make you feel stressed and anxious,” says Joana Peixoto, an instructor at Toronto Yoga Mamas. The bittersweet treat may also increase mood-boosting serotonin and endorphin levels in the brain.

Related: Four easy yoga moves to beat stress before bed What is laughter yoga?