Quote Originally Posted by Pedal Wench
After a long ride, if I don't eat a protein pretty quickly, I eat all day. If I only eat carbs, I'm hungry that day and still ravenous the next day. I just did a tough century yesterday, and I didn't eat enough during the ride, or get a protein soon enough afterwards, so I'm still paying for it now.
My favorite post-ride fuel is either soymilk & protein powder (chocolate of course!) or fruit juice (e.g., orange/mango) and vanilla protein powder. It is important to add some protein with carbs as they work together - carbs help muscles uptake protein and protein will rebuild muscles. I always try to get something like this about 30 minutes or less after riding.