bars (power, snack, etc)

i have yet another question!

granted i'm not riding far enough yet to warrant taking along power/snack bars (at least i don't think i am) but to prepare for my longer rides.. i would like to know the best/healthiest ones to eat.

i looked at and picked up a couple of kashi brand bars cuz i liked the ingredients list (not a ton of sugar, preservatives, nor unhealthy stuff)...

what do you all eat/recommend? and normally how far/long before you need them...

or do you not eat the bars but take other stuff (i.e. banana, nuts, etc)

again.. THANX!

I mountain bike, and I carry a bunch of luna bars, some clif shots, and a bag of nuts and raisins. I'd say I have something to eat for every hour I'm out there. That's just a rough estimate. I save gels for really extreme bonk situations; I don't use them when I just need regular food.

For longer rides, I usually put some powerade/gatorade in one of my water bottles and then I throw something like a Clif bar or a payday candy bar in the pocket of my jersey. I don't know how healthy this is, but it's easy to carry and it gives me the energy I need. I find that eating something (but not necessarily an entire bar at once) every 1-1.5 hours works for me.

Last year I could barely ride an hour without stopping for something to eat, but I think my metabolism has slowed down a bit (getting older!) Nevertheless, I *always* have food on me, even if I'm just going out for a 2 hour ride. You never know what's going to happen, and if you get stuck somewhere, you don't want to be hungry too. :)

I can't chew Power Bars & most others of their ilk, so I carry my own mixes of dried fruit and nuts. The current recipe is bananas, cherries (from my friend's tree), raw cashews, and white chocolate chips from the organic bin. I dry my own (organic) fruits so I know what's in them - nothing but fruit.

Usually I carry jerky as well - also homemade, from locally raised free-range beef. :) That extra blast of protien really helps.

gabrielle

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Originally posted by gabrielle
Last year I could barely ride an hour without stopping for something to eat, but I think my metabolism has slowed down a bit (getting older!)

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Maybe it's not that you're getting older, but that you're getting fitter! I've read that as your fitness increases you metabolize your glycogen stores more efficiently. I also had noticed I needed to eat less as my endurance increased.

I swear by plain bagels nowadays, the kind you get in the grocery store (Lender's, Thomas') - they keep well in the freezer and thaw fairly quickly. I stick one in a ziplock and keep it in my handlebar bag for easy access, and just pull off a chuck to nibble as I need it. I also take a few fig newtons with me if I want something sweet, although I'm going to give payday bars a try too.

When I'll be riding more than three hours, I like to take a break midway and stop for a bite. My favorite at this point are Clif bars, because they are tasty and moist. The others I've tried are too dry (granola bars) or too chewy (Power Bars). On long rides in the summer, I drink sips from a bottle of Gatorade, interspersed with drinks of water.

As usual, I have an opinion ;)

Two things to keep in mind about all of the "power foods": they are very calorie-dense and they are very $$$.

In my opinion they are highly over-marketed. They have their place: they work well when an athlete is going so hard, so long and/or so fast that "real" food isn't practical. Generally they are used in events lasting more than 1 hour.

Personal favorites in this catagory include Clif Bars(peanut butter), Hammer Gel (raspberry or vanilla) and Cytomax (citrus).

For training or "just riding" I stick with Gatorade (I buy the powder at the grocery store), bananas, Fig Newtons, and basic cereal bars (those Kashi bars sound neat!).

If I am riding for 2 hours or less I'll take just take water and perhaps Gatorade in one bottle if it's very hot. I carry $5 in my jersey pocket "just in case". For longer (3+) rides I'll throw in a bar or two and a banana. Luckily most of my routes pass by rural groceries; if I need more calories I can stop and buy a packet of Fig Newtons and an extra Gatorade.

I usually go with the Cliff Bars. I found a site that sells them at a quantity discount. I can't stomach the Power Bars, they are just too sweet. I drink mostly water on my rides, gatorade upsets my stomach while exercising. Bananas are great too, really easy on the stomach.

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Originally posted by pedalfaster
As usual, I have an opinion ;)

Two things to keep in mind about all of the "power foods": they are very calorie-dense and they are very $$$.

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that's one of the reasons i chose the kashi bars.. not as many calories.. and i am still trying to lose those last 2 pounds that don't want to go away.. :mad: (which i've noticed no one has mentioned as a choice.. hmmmm)

but i do notice that now that i've taken up cycling.. i'm hungry more often.. and definitely after riding!

fig newtons, dried fruit, peanut m&m's, mini snickers, grapes, pbj squares, ytrail mix... lots of alternatives to bars for short rides. I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who needs to eat about once an hour!

The only time I bother with sports drinks is for long, hard rides. I get Cytomax recovery, I find it really helps with what's called exercise hangover the next day. It saved my rear after camp, I felt so much better after the weekend than I did last year.

I do mix it half strength, full strength sports drinks of any sort make me feel like puking.

caligurl -- I also used to get *so* hungry after a ride. I would try not to eat until we got to a restaurant afterwards ... and by the time we got there, got seated, ordered, etc. I was so hungry I would order half the menu -- and eat it!

I got some advice to try eating 200-300 calories of carbs and protein right after the ride -- naturally enough, about what one of these energy bars gives you. Sure enough, it keeps my body from freaking out, and when I get to the restaurant, I can make a rational decision.

It's easy to get penny wise and pound foolish when it comes to food. In my case, eating a snack after the ride actually saves me calories and fat in the long run.

IIRC eating carbs within an hour after completing strenuous exercise is critical for proper recovery... and beer does not count. A bagel is supposed to be excellent tho.

Irulan

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Originally posted by Irulan
and beer does not count.

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sadly.. i haven't had a beer since january when i started the south beach diet! of course... on a better note.. neither have i had a diet mountain dew! lol!

Post ride carbs are important as is post ride protein. Your muscles will take in protein much more readily with a carb boost and you'll recover faster. If you can find a protein powder with l-glutamine (the most prevalent substance in muscles) that is the best.

For recovery after a long ride I eat a banana and yogurt- and sometimes make it a shake with vanilla soy drink.

While riding, I'll take a mixture of trail mix and almonds,(the low salt variety), a banana to ward off cramping, a payday bar if it's hot and I'm sweating a lot- and my current fav energy bar Pria chocolate and peanut butter. It's supposed to be made by Power bar, and is supposedly made for women- high calcium yadda yadda- sort of like a Luna bar, which I've never seen up here in my corner of the Great White North!

Kimba