Paleo diet?

[westtexas]

Is anyone following this who regularly does long rides? I ride at least 40-50 miles a day, usually every day. In Colorado, that can mean 4-5 hours on the bike. What do you use for fuel during the rides, and how do you recover enough to do it all again the next day?

At the beginning of this year, this is what I was doing. At that point I had been paleo for approximately 4 months. I was riding 55 miles both days on the weekends and 30 miles on weekdays - in 100 degree west Texas heat.

I just kept up with my water intake and ate like normal. I had coffee in the morning on the weekends before my rides and after my shower upon returning home, I'd have some eggs, bacon and macadamia nuts, maybe a piece of fruit and some veggies.

During the week, I'd ride after I got home from work and then after my shower I would have a normal dinner.

Never really had a problem with recovery or bonking on the bike. I will mention though, that at this point I was also really used to Intermittent Fasting - where I would go 24 hours or so without eating anything without an issue, while still doing my normal work schedule, so I knew I could go a long time without fuel and be fine.

[gnat23]

Supposedly, if you've been doing Paleo long enough, your body adapts to doing endurance exercise on limited carbs, running strictly on fat.

Not me! My body never adapted well. I had epic bonks an hour into any ride. That horrible feeling of wanting to yak half-way up a climb. Having to lean over the handlebars and breathe heavily for five minutes while the stars swirling around my head subside.

I had better results with carbing up near the ride and going strict the rest of the time:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Paleo-Diet.../dp/1594860890
http://www.trainingbible.com/pdf/Pal...liff_Notes.pdf

-- gnat! (Gotta really like sweet potatoes, tho!)

[Crankin]

Yesterday, I had no carbs before a hard, hot ride. Right before I left, I started craving bread really badly. I wolfed down a piece of Ezekial bread with soy nut butter as I was going out the door. I had a high protein breakfast, otherwise. I tried to just eat the walnuts I brought during the ride, but I started feeling increasingly out of it; I had to eat almost all of a Luna Bar and a Shot Block to make it home.

[ny biker]

So bacon is considered a healthy food on this diet?

[indysteel]

I'm a little confused. A Paleo diet isn't carb free, just grain free, right? For instance, some of the fruit that GLC lists in the "what did you eat today thread," e.g., apples and bananas, have just as many carbs as a packet of instant oatmeal. So, if I eat a banana before a morning ride (as I often do), then my body isn't going to use fat as a fuel source any more readily than if I'd had that packet of oatmeal. Or am I missing something?

[westtexas]

Paleo is grain free (among other things) but considered to be low-carb. Not very-low-carb, but definitely the idea is to limit your carbs and when eating them, choose carbs that are low-glycemic index and are vegetable or fruit based (not gluten-free substitutions for processed foods). The fruits that are encouraged are meant to be eaten in small quantities - berries are considered best for their antioxidant properties. I used to eat fruit ALL the time, but have cut waaaaay back since going paleo. Just a handful of blueberries, blackberries or raspberries for breakfast, and maybe some for dessert too.

Bananas are really great because they are full of vitamins and minerals - but they are a huge carb bomb when you compare them to other fruits. Same with apples. However, they are still healthier than a lot of the processed things you could be choosing instead and the sugars are all natural.

Ny Biker - yes bacon is considered healthy. It's a great source of saturated animal fat. You probably still shouldn't have it at every meal, but it's definitely not considered sinful like on the standard american diet. You just have to be careful that you choose uncured, all-natural bacon, because the cured stuff is full of nitrites and sugar and preservatives. I'd say that when I first went Paleo I spent a TON of time learning to read labels and I really shopped around to find the best brands. Now it's easy and I have my go to favorites that I know are clean and safe to eat.

[Becky]

Uncured bacon seems to be easy enough to find around here, but I'm struggling to locate bacon (or sausage for that matter) without any added sugar. Why is there sugar in my meat?

[Susan]

Uncured bacon seems to be easy enough to find around here, but I'm struggling to locate bacon (or sausage for that matter) without any added sugar. Why is there sugar in my meat?

I'm not sure if it is the same with store bought bacon, but from curing Bacon at home I know that you can use either a special salt for curing that contains nitrit, or you use sugar: this prevents the meat from becoming grey during pickling (? not sure if it is the right word. The step before curing/smoking where you add salt and herbs) when curing or smoking.
Sugar is the better alternative in my opinion. I don't think that there is a lot of sugar IN the bacon after curing, or you would taste it.