What's the easiest way to intake nutrients during a ride/run

[indysteel]

I'm not currently running and, even when I am, I don't do it for any great distance.

For my longer rides, I carry one bottle of Cytomax Sport and one bottle of water. I've never really liked gels and ten to stick to real food. Bananas are probably my first choice. Easy to eat, easy to carry.

I've worn braces since late 2007 and that somewhat limits what I can eat during rides because I don't really like the sensation of having a bunch of stuff stuck in my braces and teeth. I used to rely heavily on Clif Blocs, but I struggle with them because of my braces. If they're soft, I do okay though.

For my longest of rides--RAIN for instance--when the official SAG stops are few and far between, I keep cut up Payday bars in my top tube bag and eat a square of it every 20 minutes or so. If there are official stops, I might have a PB&J or fruit, maybe a cookie or two or some trail mix. I never eat a lot at one time during a ride.

[MartianDestiny]

PAYDAY bars, Genius! I think I'm going to have to that trick.

[NbyNW]

For longer rides the most important thing for me is to have a good breakfast. If I start my ride with low blood sugar then there's no catching up.

My stomach doesn't upset easily, so during the ride I just eat real food but try to keep it light. Banana, PB&J, or soup/sandwich if there's a nice place to stop. DH drinks half-strength Gatorade since he tends to lose a lot of salt.

I keep gels or nutrition bars handy but rarely get around to using them.

[Norse]

My stomach IS sensitive during rides, especially longer rides. I have found that it is helpful to start out with a bowl of oatmeal before heading out. For long rides/event days I never eat eggs or meat (no matter how much I love such food otherwise) for breakfast. For supported rides, I will look for bananas, orange slices, salted nut rolls and peanut butter sandwiches at the stops. Bananas especially help prevent leg cramps late in the ride.

My favorite - in terms of doing the job, tasty and no upset tummy - post-ride recovery item is to mix chocolate flavored whey protein with mostly milk and a little water. Sort of a shake.