vegetarian

hi

i am a vegetarian, and i am just not sure what foods to eat on rides (road or mountain). i just feel not quite as energetic as my meat eater friends riding with me. I feel like i bonk before any of them. I am not sure if a gatorade type drink would help, (i tried with once with cytomax and once with gatorade, and it didn't seem to help), or if i am missing something in my diet. any ideas?

thanks

Han

Hi! I am also a vegitarian and I haven't had any problems during rides. I think the key is to have a lot of protein before your ride, ex. tofu, cheese, etc. and drink a lot too. I also eat energy bars or a sport energy drink during the ride. Hope this helps!
Tela

Han, as the other poster suggested, I would be sure you're getting adequate protein before and during the ride. Get some whole grain bagels with cheese, or hummous.... Or if it's a morning ride, try making some quinoa as a breakfast cereal. Drink some oj with it to allow the body to absorb the plant-based iron too.

Another problem may be electrolytes, but if you're eating well otherwise and the rides are short, that's probably not it. But do try a sports drink (diluted with water if you're drinking it while riding) just to see if it helps you. Bananas are great for being easily digested and high in potassium too.

Another possibilty I can think of, are you at your max riding with this group? I mean, have they been at it longer than you have, and have more training under their belts? Maybe you could pick up a few spinning classes at the local gym (again watching your protein intake - eating protein with complex carbs helps your body utilize them better) to up your cardio level.

With all this, keep in mind, I'm a new biker. My experience is with long distance running and hiking, but I expect (and am training as if) the problems/results would be similar.

Good luck!

Fellow veg, Coelura

PS Another thing - are you sure you're getting enough B-vitamins? As a vegetarian, and especially if you're a vegan, you may need to take a supplement!

I would recommend packing a couple of protein bars, such as Balance Bars w/peanut butter for the ride. I've also discovered a new bar that taste like a layered wafer cookie that has 13 grams protein, 9 grams of fat...don't freak out about eating foods containing fats. You need "fat" from foods, like peanut butter, when you're riding distances, mountain trails that require endurance, ect.

There's an old trick that Army Rangers use, those who go through Ranger training...they trade all their meat protein rations for the peanut butter rations. They say that they endure longer on the calories from the peanut butter.

Also, I've noticed that when I eat apples with protein bars an hour before a ride, I do well, but the day I ate the banana instead of an apple, I almost HURLED in the middle of the ride...it was ugly! Bananas and riding do not agree with me, but, that may not be the case for everyone...try different things.

I also "carb" the night before I ride, as in, I do eat a plate of pasta with veggie meat balls, plus cheese. I also eat late (around 8). I used to be a competitive body builder. I learned that I could eat A LOT the night before a hard training/cardio the following morning, and, maintain throughout the workout without bonking from no food....ah yes, just remembered one of the breakfast my trainer used to have me eat after a grueling workout.
Rice with peanut butter!
Good Luck.
T.

han-grrl - I'm also a veggie and don't let your meat eater mates suggest being veggie will affect you riding. Remember the Linda-Macartny professional cycling team from a few years back - they were all vegetarian.

When I started out I found I used to bonk a lot quicker than my mates, partly because they were so much fitter than me and I was burning up more fuel just to keep up with them!

These days I always eat something after I've been riding for the first an hour -even if I don't feel very hungry and usually go for something with dried fruit and oats. I usually take some energy drink too but don't always find I need it.

As for the banana debate - I'm definetly pro-banana. More than once they've saved me when I've reached a particulary bad patch. They're like rocket fuel.