Adventure Cycling Association Forum
Bicycle Travel => Food Talk => Topic started by: 2bearbill on January 06, 2014, 07:49:45 pm
-
I'm new to Adventure Cycling, and pretty new to cycling period. But I'm hooked, and I've set both short term and long term goals for myself. For now, what I'm concentrating on is increasing my average daily mileage.
Can anybody point me to some resources for good foods/bad foods for cycle training? I'm sure some of it is just general good nutrition, but I need to start somewhere.
Thanks in advance.
-
Most of it can be summed up in a few sentences. Eat a balanced diet. Cut out the junk food, except for some low-fat junk food while riding. (These are called "power bars" and "energy drinks.") After long rides, try to get in some quality carbs in the 30 minutes after you stop riding.
Selene Yeager's "Pedal Off the Pounds" has some solid nutritional advice. It might be worth scanning for what and how to eat, regardless of whether you're going to try to lose weight or not
-
Thanks for the help. I found several books by her, but not one by that title - is it a book, or some other publication?
-
Hmm. Either my memory isn't as good as I thought it was, or Rodale changed the title of the book. Ride Your Way Lean is what's showing on Amazon -- same cover picture I remember: http://www.amazon.com/Ride-Your-Way-Lean-Ultimate/dp/1605294063/ref=sr_1_3_bnp_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389193374&sr=1-3&keywords=selene+yeager (http://www.amazon.com/Ride-Your-Way-Lean-Ultimate/dp/1605294063/ref=sr_1_3_bnp_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389193374&sr=1-3&keywords=selene+yeager)
-
When I travel by train I ate "kociolki Rosyjskie". It's some kind of dinner in a jar in Poland ;) D
-
PROTEIN !!! and also things like a good organic (no crap in) peanut butter and a natural healthier sugar such as molasses/palm sugar is great with peanut butter... also ....honey + butter regulates your metabolism so great whilst training
It's important to have lighter foods/snacks whilst training.... makes sense really... rather than heavy stodgy food.
Again molasses drinks can be good... just add some to hot water and can take it hot or let it go cold..
light salads with seeds are great for out and about too...
-
I suggest you go more on Protein and Less Carbs food. :)
-
I suggest you go more on Protein and Less Carbs food. :)
That might possibly, maybe work if you were walking. Walking is a low calorie exercise. No need for quick acting carbohydrates, unlike cycling. When cycling you are burning calories quickly. You need carbohydrates in your blood immediately to make it to the end of the day. You cannot wait hours for your body to convert stored fat or protein back into sugar to feed your muscles. Fat and protein work well when you are sleeping. Your body will convert fat and protein back to sugar while sleeping to recharge your body for the next day. But when you need energy to get to the top of the mountain in the next hour, you need carbohydrates right now.
-
I'm sure some of it is just general good nutrition, but I need to start somewhere.
That's it. You don't need anything else, IMO. I've been mountaineering and cycling for 50 years have tried a few things. A lot of it is just a market looking for customers. You really don't need all that fancy expensive stuff. If you're a professional athlete, well, maybe, but for most of us out climbing or biking all day, not so much. I eat energy bars when I'm looking for convenience. Eat a well balanced diet, stay hydrated, and, for me, get sufficient salt. That's my only supplement. If I don't do that, I seriously hit the wall in the heat of summer.
-
Not just cycling but for any sport activities diet is a most important aspect. I usually prefer going to low carb diet, never cut down all the carbs from your diet. Because the energy you burn during cycling carbs gonna fill that void. Take high protein foods and low on carbs and unsaturated fats.
-
A midday shake of protein, milk, frozen fruit and this stuff I bought on Amazon called "brain octane oil" does wonders for me in stopping carb cravings while keeping energy up on a low carb lifestyle (trying to lose weight, here).
-
On my rides, I take a banana, sliced apple in a sandwich bag (more recently), cheese, and fig newtons. Seems to work well. Need to figure out how to take salted hard boiled eggs!
That being said, I plan to ride my first tour, Southern Tier, starting this September. Chances are that the same snacks will work while touring, supplemented by a good lunch!
Good luck!
-
I have recently heard a lot of positive things about the Renegade diet, maybe this is a sensible diet for you. It is aimed at people who do intensive sport, but also for those who want to increase their general well-being through a balanced diet. This diet is also suitable for a long-term change.
-
I just looked up the Renegade Diet. Looks like another fad diet with no scientific basis. Even if it works, its focus seems to be on building bulky muscle. OP just needs a balanced diet and muscle training, meaning some strength training and a lot of endurance training.
Any info source with something to sell, in this case a book, is not an unbiased source.
-
In that vein, pleased to see only a few replies to this thread started in 2014.
As most know (and as I'll reiterate as a physiologist), when training hard, the body will take just about whatever food you give it and turn it into what the body needs - both to respond to and recover from the stress of training.
-
It’s better to eat more foods that contain a high quantity of proteins and calories. This will give you more energy and more healing capacity for the muscles.
You can also check out peptides. They are like an easier version of proteins. This molecule is shorter than the protein one and is more easily absorbable in your body. Some of these peptides have extended healing properties and are good for your muscles and skin. I usually use peptides from https://paradigmpeptides.com/ (https://paradigmpeptides.com/), and I can recommend them. I started feeling better after having them a couple of times, and now I think that I will continue to take them in the future.
-
There is no silver bullet.
Balanced diet, enough hydration, distrust info from people selling things.
The placebo effect is real. If you think it helps, it just might.
Anecdotes are not data. Correlation is not cause and effect. Random clinical trials are the best method to test things.
Science and common sense, folks.
-
A word of warning - do not suddenly change your diet for your trip. Whatever you plan to eat, make sure that your stomach can handle it and that you will like it the way you will be preparing it during the trip. I shipped myself a bunch of grits during my thru-hike and dumped them in a hiker box because there we not as good without the butter and sausage I was eating them with at home - I grew to hate them :-\
Suddenly taking a lot of supplements can be risky and some build up over time in your system. Perhaps a daily multi-vitamin, but otherwise try to not shock your system. Also, listen to your cravings, they are telling you something. People on a low-sodium diet may suddenly start to experience things like leg cramps (it happens to my wife) once you are riding long hours and sweating. You may have to increase your normal salt and electrolyte intake. Talk to your doctor before you set out if you are planning on adding supplements and I would not change medications just before your trip.
Finally, I carry Imodium when I travel because gastric upset can really put you in danger if not treated in the wilderness.
-
Agree with the others about balanced diet, proteins and high-quality carbs. Also do not forget to stay hydrated during trainings and in ordinary life. It would be great to visit a doctor to have your personal plan of meals
-
I'm a big fan of beans and rice, biking or at home.
I'm sensitive to excessive refined carb type foods (french bread, white pasta being the worst) but rice and beans sits very well with me and I do not experience blood sugar fluctuations that can really take the wind out of your sails. Even better if you can sort out brown rice, but without something like a dehydrator brown takes too long to cook.
There are numerous variation in how you can eat them. I usually do black or pinto beans. Rice and beans with cheese in a bowl, as grain bowls with other things, as burritos, with meat or chicken, or fish, and so on.
I plan to get a dehydrator in the near future and try drying the beans to create a quick meal. Instant rice is great if you need to conserve fuel. when you have access to produce, a simple salsa really improves the dish.
-
cottage cheese, beans, lots of veggies
-
I follow a carb cycling diet to fuel tough workouts. You can find out more about it here https://betterme.world/articles/12-week-carb-cycling-meal-plan/ (https://betterme.world/articles/12-week-carb-cycling-meal-plan/) if interested. It is best to consume larger amounts of carbohydrates around a workout because this will give your muscles enough energy without negatively affecting fat loss efforts. Also, it can help you prevent muscle fatigue.