Newbie Nutrition Question

[RoadRaven]

MMM... Chocolate milk... now I can feel justified instead of slightly guilty! Particularly armed with the scientific info Alison, thanks

Mmmm... chocolate milk... *makes best Homer drool impersonation*

[fultzie]

homemade soy protien recovery drink

ooh, do you have a recipe?

i generally eat about the same as all of you here... a splurge for a luna bar (when else can i feel "healthy" eating something called "Nutz over chocolate"?! ) or a Gu during a race.

personally i can´t stand "sport drinks" and just drink H2O. or chocolate milk that sounds pretty good right now....

i swear one time a powergel saved me (or at least let me salvage a little pride) when i bonked so bad at a mtn race that i ended up sitting in the woods in tears for a good 5 min. It was chocolate-flavored. thank goodness!

a friend of mine makes his own peanut butter-honey "gu" and keeps it in a little re-fillable plastic bottle (like those travel shampoo bottles that you can buy that don´t have anything in them). i need to get the recipe from him-- i think there´s more in it than peanut butter and honey)

cheers!

[CorsairMac]

Fultzieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee welcome back!!...haven't seen you in ages hun!

[emily_in_nc]

a friend of mine makes his own peanut butter-honey "gu" and keeps it in a little re-fillable plastic bottle (like those travel shampoo bottles that you can buy that don´t have anything in them). i need to get the recipe from him-- i think there´s more in it than peanut butter and honey)

Oh do get his recipe, please! I love pnut butter and honey, so this sounds good. I've seen that "honey stinger" gel but have never tried it. I like the peanut butter addition for some fat and protein; I find that I need some of both rather than just straight carbs on rides of over 60-90 minutes or I'll bonk.

Thanks!
Emily

[fultzie]

thanks corsair!

i´m actually technically not "back" yet... i´m studying abroad this semester... i´ve been off my bike(s) since february! noooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

i tried spinning classes... but now i have tendonitis in my ankle (perhaps from hiking as well) so i´m trying to lay off for a bit.

but i definitely will get his "gu" recipe, emily! it may not be for a month or so, since my teammates are scattered to the winds for summer break, but i´ll post it as soon as i do

happy riding!

[ACG]

On weekends I take longer rides, Sundays aroun 40 to 50, not far for most of you! I normally eat an apple/banana and V8, is this not enough. I normally bring some type of energy bar with me.

I usually feel fine though so I'm probably okay.

[SimpleCycle]

ooh, do you have a recipe?

I kind of make it up as I go along, but I have two main variations. A natural foods store near me sells a regular soy protien powder (just ground up, defatted soybeans) and vanilla flavored soy protien powder which has a finer, more mixable texture.

Recovery drink #1:
Orange juice watered down so it's not too acidic, with two tablespoons of vanilla soy protien powder. I was making it with orange gatorade, but regular OJ tastes much better and seems healthier.

Recovery drink #2:
Frozen ripe banana pieces + soymilk + two or more tablespoons of regular soy protien powder in the mini food processor. Process until smooth. Tastes like a milkshake! I like this one before the ride too.

The soy protien powder is much cheaper than lactose free whey protien powder.

So my riding partners loaded me up with hammergel and heed (hammer's sports drink) today and by the time we hit the convenience store, I needed some plain old sugar (gatorade). I'm not so sure about my ability to digest the maltodextrin in large quantities, so maybe I'll try a different gel or go back to gatorade for the sugar. The gel is easier to suck down than eating actual food, I'll give them that, although it reminds me of sucking the middle out of a jelly donut, and not in a good way. I'll keep experimenting to find what works. My digestive system is awfully finicky, I'm sure I'll have to make some compromises. Thanks everyone for their input.

[CorsairMac]

I have to be careful with maltodextrin - it does not always react in a positive way in my tummy!

[abuelitodimetu]

There is a well-known triathlete (I can't remeber his name) who, instead of gatorade, or gels or other "sport" nutrition stuff, found out that something more mundane fit him as a nutrition aid in IM Tris: chicken broth. Yes, the guy would fill up his bottle with the chicken concoction and have it all throughout the race. Now, this really shatters the myth! As far as I know, he never turned into a pumpkin.

[Tess851]

My vote is for simple, easy, non-expensive stuff too. For general training rides (30-50 miles) or endurance rides (60-90 miles), small slabs of dark fruit cake, wrapped in foil for easy unwrapping on the bike, work really well for me. It's packed full of energy that lasts. Drinks are full strength carb / electrolyte formulas (Staminade, with a scoop of Endura Recovery).

For short races (30-40 miles), or crits, I might use just the bidons with the formula, and I'd probably carry a gu or two for a short road race just in case.... and for longer rides both bidons with electrolyte / carb formulas, gus, and maybe banana, fruit cake, or fruit slice things (those ones that are just fruit and sugar in a bar). the harder the ride is going to be, the less solid I need my food to be - and the easier to digest.

After seeing a nutritionist really early on at the start of my first racing season, I found out that on an average eating day, I was barely, if at all, covering the energy used by my body, despite hoovering so much that I had colleagues and friends threaten to buy me a nose bag (like those used for horses) as every time anyone saw me I was eating I also found out that I needed to mix my carb / electrolyte formulas at full strength in order to keep my body topped up. Initially they tasted vile (way too strong and sickly), but these days I love them - but only on the bike. Can't even stomach them off the bike. Funny how your body adapts and tells you what you need, hey? Good, too.

When I was just recreational and not as into the whole lifestyle thing required with full on riding / racing, I, like CorsairMac, used to crave fruit after a ride, apples, oranges, bananas, paw paw etc. I've since found out that the reason for this is that fruits contain lots of electrolytes which were being lost during the rides.

These days, post ride, I still like some fruit or fruit juice to kick start recovery, followed immediately by loads of water, and things like creamed rice, home-made high gi goodies like caramel rice bubble slice, pancakes drenched with honey and peanut butter, and yes, even a glass of (no, not chocolate) plain skim milk. An hour or two later I keep going with fresh fruits and vegies, complex carbs, and some proteins, along with loads more water throughout the day.

[nuthatch]

I go for yogurt post-ride - it seems to have everything I need and my brand is sweetened with fruit juice (which probably makes no difference at all except in my head ) But chocolate soy sounds good! I never even considered it and you can buy it in those aseptic packages so you could carry it with you if you could stand to drink it warm.

Now I'm thinking of a beer float with a scoop of chocolate ice cream....