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Paleo Recipes for Athletes

Fueling your body with the right nutrients is essential for peak athletic performance and recovery. Whether you’re training for a competition, pushing your limits at the gym, or simply maintaining an active lifestyle, The Paleo Diet offers a natural approach to nourishment. Below, find recipes, tips, and tricks when living a Paleo lifestyle and maintaining an active lifestyle.

An athlete rests on the bleachers while eating an apple

Sample Menu for Endurance Athletes

Still looking for more Paleo fuel inspiration? Check out these sample menus designed for runners, cyclists, and other endurance athletes with fueling suggestions for two-a-day workout days or what to eat on a recovery day.

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What To Eat Before a Workout

Highly processed sports nutrition food products are unhealthy fuel. Energize yourself naturally with these Paleo recipes for athletes that contain some carbs, proteins, healthy fats, and caffeine.

Avocado Sweet Potato Toast

No-Bake Carrot Cake Energy Balls in a bowl, finished.

No-Bake Carrot Cake Energy Balls

Iced Lemon-Strawberry Yerba Maté

Pineapple Power Smoothie

plated kids energy balls

Date and Almond Energy Balls 

Two cacao reishi lattes in glasses ready to drink.

Cacao Reishi Latte

Sweet Potato Breakfast Boats

Finished avocado smoothie next to a pair of bananas

Avocado Smoothie

four different tea types in a row

Coffee Alternatives to Consider on The Paleo Diet®

What To Eat During a Workout

For training sessions longer than an hour and a half, you'll need to replenish your energy. While whole foods like bananas or a baked sweet potato wrapped in foil may satiate you, it's good to rotate through different fuels and find what works for you.

Mid-Workout Energy Bars

Strawberry-Lemonade Homemade Electrolyte Drink from above

Homemade Electrolyte Drink: Strawberry-Lemonade

Sweet Potato & Kale Egg Muffins

Pumpkin Spice Date Balls

homemade fruit roll ups recipe

Mango-Blueberry Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups

Paleo Nut Bar finished in a basket

Paleo Nut Bar

plated kids energy balls

Date and Almond Energy Balls 

Woman enjoying a lemon and mint leaf water.

The 10 Best Natural Electrolyte Drinks for Everyday Hydration

Raspberry-thyme fruit roll-ups finished_birdseye view

Raspberry-Thyme Fruit Roll-Ups

What To Eat After a Workout

Replenishing those tired muscles after a hard workout is super important—and often overlooked. Experts recommend eating 30-60 minutes after a workout for optimal recovery. Power through post-exercise fatigue and whip together one of these easy recovery recipes.

Protein-Packed Breakfast Casserole

A small glass desert bowl filled with raspberries and pomegranate raspberry gummies, with three raspberries and one gummy on the white marble table next to the glass.

PaleoFLEX™ Pomegranate Raspberry Recovery Gummies

A mason jar full of pumpkin pie smoothie with a silver metal straw, garnished with chopped pecans and surrounded by a large white bowl of fruit, two bananas and some carrots.

Pumpkin Pie Recovery Smoothie

Ginger Spinach Smoothie

PaleoFLEX™ Chocolate Energy Balls

Baked sweet potatoes plated.

Baked Sweet Potato

Blazing Buffalo Turkey Meatballs

Protein packed mushroom frittata with fresh thyme plated with a fork.

Mushroom Frittata with Fresh Thyme

The Paleo Diet for Athletes

An Athlete's Guide to The Paleo Diet

Find more than 80 athlete-focused Paleo recipes and more in The Paleo Diet for Athletes by the founder of The Paleo Diet, Loren Cordain, and endurance sports coach Joe Friel.

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