Fueling for a long ride or fun w/ diet restrictions

[Becky]

Have you looked into using very small amounts of carb throughout your workout, rather than a big slug of something every 30-45 minutes? As someone with Type 1 diabetes, I have the best results keeping my blood glucose stable by using small sips of sports drink every 5-10 minutes, rather than slurping down a gel and then dealing with ensuing spike. My drink preference is Vitalyte, as it's fairly low in carbs compared to many out there, but still provides some necessary carbs and is easy on the stomach.

Can you experiment a little between now and then?

Good luck!

[GLC1968]

Generally, any simple sugars you consume during exercise will be burned during said exercise and not cause the problems and distress that they cause during normal daily activity.

You might check out the Paleo Diet for Athletes (a book by Loren Cordain and Joe Friel) for more info/ideas. They suggest bananas, sweet potatoes and other such typically higher GI foods to fuel exercise (apple juice too, if I remember correctly). The Paleo diet is grain and dairy free, so in general, their suggestions would probably work well for your diet restrictions.

[KnottedYet]

And for off the bike, be sure to check out this website: http://glutenfreegirl.com/

[Melalvai]

Way to go on the low GI and all. It sounds like a lot of restrictions but I've learned there are still so many more foods than you CAN eat than that you can't. I don't have any restrictions exactly, no celiac or food allergies, I just quit sugar on a whim a year ago and it's awesome. I'm trying for lower GI foods in general. A friend of mine though, has tons of allergies plus trying for low GI AND she is vegetarian besides. And yet she still has more foods she CAN than can't eat.

[dinabean]

Thanks all. I ended up using Larabars (2 of them) just to get me over the hump -- ate them at 1:30/4 and 2:30/4 and drank about 4 bottles of water and 4 bottles of nuun (2 bottles of fluid per hour). It worked well and I felt great afterwards. I know the Larabars aren't low glycemic, but they at least combine protein with sugars and from real-food sources.

[OakLeaf]

For a sugar-free electrolyte replacement, I use Zenergize Hydrate.

Unfortunately it's much harder to find than Nuun. Their website suggests that they've given up on retail and are selling only through the web at this point. But it has no artificial sweeteners, no sugar alcohols, and no antifreeze ... worth bypassing the local stores, in my book, which I really try not to do. (Also, the tablets are larger; you'd have to break them in half for a bike-sized water bottle.)

Vitalyte looks really good as a sports drink, I hadn't seen that before. I've been using HEED - the xylitol isn't really that big of a concern for me, I just mentioned sugar alcohols in connection with Nuun since I know they do give some people trouble - but it looks like Vitalyte is both purer and less expensive, and I'm really not convinced of the need for long-chain carbohydrates during exertion, especially in drink form when you're ingesting it pretty much continuously.

[Becky]

Vitalyte looks really good as a sports drink, I hadn't seen that before. I've been using HEED - the xylitol isn't really that big of a concern for me, I just mentioned sugar alcohols in connection with Nuun since I know they do give some people trouble - but it looks like Vitalyte is both purer and less expensive, and I'm really not convinced of the need for long-chain carbohydrates during exertion, especially in drink form when you're ingesting it pretty much continuously.

Vitalyte has changed its name at least twice in the past 5 or 6 years. First, it was Gookinaid and then Hydralyte ERG. That makes it hard to develop a brand following! It's also hard to find in stores.... But I like it enough to order it online, and it works well for me despite my somewhat-unusual needs. Just as an FYI: if your stomach tends to be sensitive, you may want to try a flavor other than orange. It's the most strongly flavored, and sometimes gives me stomach cramps. None of the others do this.

I'll have to look for Zenergize- it looks good!