Vegetarian Nutrition Question

[maggie's sister]

Hello all,

I am new to the forum, so by way of introduction I am a relatively new cyclist. I bought my bike in late '09 and last season was my first full summer of riding. I did my first century in October and am gearing up for a few more later this season.

Since the weather finally broke I have been training in earnest. I have noticed that, on a good deal of rides, I am keeping up with the boys well for about an hour. After that, I start to feel a bit wonky. I think that I do a good job of hydrating throughout the day, but am maybe missing something nutritionally. Any vegetarian cyclists out there have any advice?

Thanks, Maggie's Sister

[tulip]

Do you eat and drink during the ride? I drink every 5 minutes (G2) and eat every 15 minutes (powerbar, usually). I'm not a vegetarian anymore; I've found that I have alot more energy and less body fat since I started eating meat again, but that's a personal choice so you need to do whatever works for you.

Eating and drinking during riding is critical. And afterwards, too.

[indysteel]

As Tulip said, you likely need to eat something during the ride. Depending on intensity, I can generally ride for an hour to 90 minutes without solid food, but not much more than that. What else are you otherwise eating before and after your training rides?

[grey]

I find I have to eat something every ten to 15 miles. It doesn't have to be much, a handful of trail mix is plenty. It's not just vegetarians, I have a friend who loves meatymeatymeatmeatmeat (her words) who rides with me, she and I snack around the same time.

I also add a Nunn tablet to one of my water bottles. In this heat, water alone does not cut it.

EDIT: I've experimented with amaranth pancakes (I make them half with amaranth flour & half with brown rice flour - have a wheat grinder so I grind both myself) and one egg for breakfast. Both times I tried it, I could ride 17 miles without bonking or getting hungry. I'm out of amaranth so I can't continue the experiment.

I've also played with chia seed - about an hour before a ride I set a tablespoon or more in a glass of water for 15 minutes, then drink it all (it makes a sludge, but it's good!). I think it helps *some* but haven't really put it to the test.

[gabriellesca]

While I'm not a vegetarian - I did struggle alot with fueling during training for my century a few years ago. I tried every combination of food - usually carbs and not protein - nothing worked for me personally. But plenty of people on my team just stuck with things like PB&J, boiled potatoes, fig newtons, on their rides. I didn't see anyone focus on protein. So I would think if you are fueling while you ride sticking with carbs should be the best bet.

None of it worked for me - in the end GU with a dry bagel worked the best.

I drank and ate constantly on the bike - even in the very early miles my coach was hammering us to eat and drink.

[OakLeaf]

I'm the opposite. I need protein during a long ride. If you eat eggs, those work well for me - if not, I've been successful with Perpetuem (soy protein).

[indysteel]

I should clarify my eating strategy. If the ride only lasts an hour to an hour and a half, I may eat little to nothing during the ride, assuming that I ate sufficiently before the ride. For longer rides, I start eating at about the 15-mile mark and continue from there. The longer the ride, the shorter the intervals between bites of food. I can usually last between SAG stops, but I keep food on my bike just in case. For really long rides, I typically keep a bag of food in my top tube back, so that I can grab it really easily.

[gabriellesca]

Yes Oak - I know that while most of the team didn't eat protein on the bike - since I did so much research I did read that some people do have better luck with protein than with carbs.

I was always told, and it seemed, that I had to figure it out for myself what would work best for me while I was on the longer rides.

(I also ended up eating way too much on the bike out of fear after a bad bonking episode.)

[maggie's sister]

It may be that I am just not eating enough, both pre-ride and during the rides. I have a tendency to get home from the office and head out for a ride with one water bottle. I generally don't think about food on rides until they hit the 2 hour mark. Time to rethink my strategy.

Thanks.

[indysteel]

You might try eating a small snack about an hour before your evening/late afternoon rides. Assuming I ate a balanced lunch, too, the snack really helps.

[RadicalEdward]

I've been a vegetarian for nearly a decade, and a cyclist for a couple of months

I make my own Lara Bars for long rides (There are HEAPS of recipes out there)
I started with this one:
http://trixareforkids.wordpress.com/2009/01/08/larabar-sweet-salty-snack-make-them-at-home/

They are ridiculously easy to make
For small bites I pop a teaspoon or two of the mix into little taxbags, tiny little ziplock bags - which I can open using my tongue and suck out the tastybits
Or make the bars and freeze them so they're a little bit harder - and keep them in cling wrap
If you're concerned about feeling full though you could mix in some whey or protein powder - I've found them to be enough on their own though

[maggie's sister]

Thanks for the recipe. These seems so easy and delicious.

I have eliminated most of the issue by simply eating more prior to rides and drinking/eating more often during longer rides.

Thanks.

[RadicalEdward]

:D:D:D
I hope you enjoy them!
The general rule seems to be that for most rides thart are around the hour mark - you don't really need to take food with you (obviously that depends on what KIND of riding you're doing)
but after that first hour or so - to keep up a steady intake of calories

Are you concerned about the gelatin in gels?