Conventional training wisdom can make eating Paleo and having effective post-workout (PWO) nutrition seem incompatible. Everyone knows that you need a big carb load along with your protein; the insulin spike will take advantage of the optimum protein synthesis window and simultaneously replenish glycogen stores. The fastest and easiest way to do this is with protein powders, or dairy (which are Paleo no-nos). What is an athlete to do?
This is the approach that I've taken until very recently myself; it definitely works, there's no arguing that. My solution was to eat pretty much Paleo but keep dairy in and drink milk PWO. However, I've now gotten most of the QuantumFit athletes involved in a big contest with a Paleo component, and I need to provide them with alternatives... so, is there a better way to tackle PWO nutrition?
Well, to start with... what approach you should take to your PWO nutrition depends upon your goals. This is an excellent post by Robb Wolf on the subject. He is way more educated than I am on the subject, so be sure to give that a read! However, to boil it down; for the primary goals of health and longevity, and if your short term goal is leanness, PWO carbs are NOT the way to go. In fact, only in the really big metcons (or if you're competing in a multiple-workout-per-day event) would you need to take in the carbs and replenish your glycogen stores.
Mark Sission (who is also more versed and experienced than I am in these matters) also has some excellent posts on the subject here and here. You'll notice the link in that first post to the results of a study which indicates that a big carb intake PWO does not, in fact, impact protein synthesis at all... the window of optimum synthesis is there, but it will be just as effective to take that protein in along with some fats (to aid in recovery; omega-3s are good here!) and keep your body in ketosis.
So, there can be a no-carb approach to PWO nutrition, and more than that... if you're really trying to lean out and your overall nutrition is on target, fasting for a couple of hours PWO can be very effective, too! This is the approach I'd recommend to just about everyone in our contest; remember, there's that body composition component!
But, if you're going to eat Paleo PWO, what should you actually eat? I'm going to simplify a little here; as Robb points out, there's a spectrum here, and exactly what you do (and how precise you want to be about it) will take you closer to truly optimum performance. For most folks in most cases, these guidelines will be effective...
Low/No-Carb PWO Nutrition
This is the approach to take for any instance where you haven't done a big burner of a metcon... if your body hasn't been working at high intensity for more than 40 minutes or so, you don't really need to worry about rapidly replenishing depleted glycogen (unless, as mentioned in the posts linked above, you're going to go do ANOTHER workout in a couple of hours).
This one is easy to do Paleo-style. Any protein source you find tasty and easy to pack/prepare/consume can go in here; eggs, fish, beef, doesn't matter. Make sure you're getting a decent amount, at least as much as you'd eat with a typical meal.
Along with this, take in some fats; again, whatever you find tasty and easy to pack/prepare/consume. This is a great time to take your daily fish oil!
I've been eating a few eggs along with a couple handfuls of nuts for my PWO nutrition the last few days, and that's been a success so far. Many people also use coconut milk here (which is something I'll be trying soon... love coconut milk!).
High-Carb PWO Nutrition
This is harder to do Paleo style, simply because Paleo inherently eliminates most starchy foods. One compromise many athletes make are using sweet potatoes or yams; these aren't considered truly Paleo by most as they're a starchy tuber, but they're well above white potatoes nutritionally yet still pack a little carby punch.
You could also use fruits such as bananas, stone fruits (peaches, etc.), berries, or cooked carrots.
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