Question:  I’m a T2 diabetic and I’m wondering what the best food is to start the day before a big ride.  I’m doing a few centuries next month for the Aids ride and I need the energy without spiking or crashing.  Oatmeal and honey spike me like crazy.

Kelli’s Answer:

The magic bullet.  Whole food super pills.  Hours of energy in a bottle.  Easy, quick, short-cut, convenient nutrition.  If you’re looking for any of these, this particular post is not for you.  To keep running, cycling, climbing and adventuring, I’m proposing that you have to take care of and love your body…the slow-food, whole-food, real-food, old-fashioned way.

This week, we’re going to get back to basics.  To eating fresh, raw, whole foods that promote health.  It’s time to eat your veggies.

Recipe of the week: Homemade Whole-Food Ranch Dressing

Ingredients:

• 1 cup organic cottage cheese
• 3-4 tsp water or milk
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed
• 2 Tbsp chopped onion
• ¼ cup Italian Flat-leaf Parsley, chopped
• 2 Tbsp fresh Chives, chopped
• 4 tsp fresh dill weed (2 tsp dry)
• ¼tsp salt, or to taste
• Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Add ingredients to blender or food processor and blend until smooth. (About 3 min.) Enjoy!

Or, if you prefer non-dairy, substitute 8 oz. silken tofu and 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil for the cottage cheese.

Nutrition information: (per 2 Tbsp) 20 calories , 0.5 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 185 mg sodium, 1 gram carbohydrates, 1 grams sugars, 4 grams protein, 25 mg calcium

Comments:

Surprisingly, I’m not going to write specifically about the ingredients in this recipe.  Sure, they’re great.  And, I could go on and on (as you know) about the benefits of garlic, onion, parsley, pepper, lemon juice, etc.  However, this week’s recipe is actually a vehicle to a super-charged nutrient-dense diet.  By having a good dressing on hand, you can load up on vegetables every day.  And I mean load.

Why?

I don’t recommend vegetables just for my health…it’s for yours, too.  They contain components that cannot be isolated, put into a pill, or chemically derived.  Many of these components are not macronutrients (carbs, proteins, or fats), nor do they provide calories or direct energy necessarily.  They do, however, provide huge benefit to overall health.  They are miniscule.  They are alive and therefore reduced, damaged, or killed with processing or high-heat cooking.  They are not well understood.  But somehow, when consumed, they join the fight against the Big 3 cellular foes: inflammation, free radicals, and toxins.  In fact, vegetables:

1. Reduce inflammation in your body.  Specifically, they phytochemicals which are plant chemicals that contain protective, disease-preventing and disease-fighting compounds.  In some vegetables, such as broccoli, we’re talking hundreds of types of phytochemicals in a serving.
2. Reduce oxidative stress from free radicals – many vegetables contain an abundance of antioxidants, which fight damaging free radicals and reduce the destruction to your cells.
3. Provide nutrients that promote cellular detoxification – our bodies have systems in place to detoxify our blood, our organs, and our cells.  However, these systems work best when they have the right tools and ingredients.  Specific vegetables provide nutrients that either increase the detox compounds our bodies make, or provide compounds that directly work to detoxify cells that have been harboring toxins from polluted air, pesticides, food additives, and more.

What’s this mean to you, as an endurance athlete? It means more days on the trail, road, or rock.  More days enjoying an adventure.  Less feeling aged, feeling tired, feeling bogged down.  Sure, you can train, and likely even train well on a highly processed, fast-food diet…for a while.  But, if this is your mode of operation, your body doesn’t like it.  It’s getting clogged…and sooner or later it will rebel and start to drag.

A high-vegetable, fresh, whole food diet, on the other hand, can do wonders for your body.  It will help it be and feel healthy.  I’ve seen it reduce headaches, digestive issues, cholesterol, high blood sugars, and chronic fatigue.  I’ve seen athletes train better and win big when they focus on real, whole foods that support cellular and whole body health.

How Much?

Now that you can’t wait to load them on, how much?  I recommend 3-4 cups, or servings, of fresh vegetables per day (or if using frozen, 1.5-2 cups cooked…but, the more raw and fresh, the better).  For me, this usually manifests as one large, whole carrot at lunch and ~ 3 cups of salad at dinner.  For the most nutrition benefit, I recommend generally choosing very vibrant or dark vegetables (there are exceptions to this rule).  Some of my favorite powerhouse vegetables include: kale, spinach, savoy cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, carrots, tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic, onions, and chili peppers.

Choosing Organic without Busting Your Budget

Since the levels of pesticides that reside in vegetables vary, you can save money by buying some organics and some non-organics.  The highest pesticide non-organic vegetables are:

• Celery, Bell Peppers, Spinach, and Kale/Collard Greens – Do your best to always buy these organic.
• On the other hand, the lowest pesticide non-organic vegetables are:
• Onions, Avocado, Sweet Corn, Sweet Peas, Asparagus, Cabbage, Eggplant, Broccoli, and Sweet Potato.  If you don’t have the funds to buy all of your produce organic, you can buy these ones non-organic.

For any vegetables not listed, buy organic if/when you can.

Recover after a Hard Training

One of the best times to devour high-antioxidant foods is when recovering after a hard training.  Free radicals are usually abundant, and the anti-oxidants can neutralize them and reduce cell damage.  For starters, if you drink a recovery smoothie, add a large handful of spinach to it.  Or, if you’re looking for recovery options, try a Chicken Ranch Sandwich with:

• 1 whole-wheat pita round, tortilla, small to medium bagel, or 2 slices bread
• 2-4 Tbsp High-Protein Homemade Ranch Dressing
• ½ cup Spinach or Kale leaves
• 1 slice tomato
• ¼ avocado, sliced
• 3 ounces cooked chicken breast

Assemble as a sandwich and eat within 30 minutes of finishing your ride.

Why go to all the trouble of making your own dressing when you could simply buy one from the store?  You’ll be hard-pressed to find a whole-food, real-food dressing on the shelves. And, since we’re determined to eat our veggies, we might as well top them with something that’s as beneficial as they are.  This week, you can start dinner with a ½ plate of beautiful, colorful vegetables and top it with a healthy, high-protein dressing.  You can flood your cells with phytochemicals and nutrients that will heal them and prevent damage.  You can keep taking care of your body, so you can keep training hard, from your cells on up.

Give your body what it needs everyday and during training with the right Foods, Drinks and Supplements.  If you would like my help with it, I offer comprehensive plans as Instant Downloads and as Custom Clients starting at just $20.  And, as a FuelRightBlog reader, get a further discount with coupon code:  password-frblog  username-reader.  I’d love to work with you!

Question: I’m often asked how to avoid “bonking” on long rides, runs, and especially, races.  After all the preparation, no one wants to end up in the fetal position on the side of the trail or road.  Many athletes feel that they have their nutrition dialed in, but still fear the notorious bonk when the going gets tough.  How can you dodge the bullet?

Kelli’s Answer:

Assuming you do have your nutrition dialed in (see Summary of Nutrition Needs Before & After Training), there’s one situation that almost always ends in bonking.  Among my associates and fellow athletes, my clients, and myself, it can be the kiss of death, especially in a race.

What is it?

It’s the situation of getting behind your expected pace, for reasons within or outside of your control, throwing your nutrition plan out the window in order to catch up, and then finding yourself behind and on empty.  I’ve been there.  I’ve done it (I’m not proud).  But, when you see competitors passing you after a crash, a flat, a blister, mechanical issues, etc, it’s easy to begin to panic.  To go into overdrive and begin neglecting anything that will take up too much time.  Things like stopping at aide stations.  Reaching into your jersey for your bottle or food.  Or refilling your hydration pack.

The worst it ever got for me was during a Spring back-country ski race.  I had a mechanical issue early on, and my partner and I found ourself in the back of the pack, far from where we expected to be.  After taking the time to fix my equipment issues, and starting on the skintrack again, I discovered that my Camelbak hose was frozen solid.  And, I needed fluids.  Of course I did.  And, of course I knew it.  The only way to hydrate was to stop, take off my pack, and dig for my Nalgene (until the temps rose and my hose thawed).  But how could I make us stop and allow everyone to increase the gap on us.  I didn’t stop.  And as you can guess, this ended badly.

I am a strong believer in hydrating and fueling to a schedule.  Not to hunger, not to thirst.  I can appreciate the recommendation to drink to thirst and eat to hunger(especially with any risk of overhydrated @ more than 32 oz. per hour and WITHOUT electrolytes).  In perfect race conditions, it might work.  But, in my experience it’s just not practical.  I fuel to a schedule because endurance event throw all kinds of twists, turns, and obstacles at you.  It’s not always possible to drink when you first become thirsty, and in my experience, the time difference between first feeling thirsty, and feeling parched and dehydrated, can be sudden and drastic.  Especially in the heat.  Which brings me to this last weekend’s experience…

I’m happy to say I’ve learned from my experience.  While riding Moab’s wonderful Magnificent 7 trail solo, I found myself behind schedule.  Since I was by myself on trails I’d not been on before, in the middle of the desert, I took my time triple-checking my route.  I also walked lots of drops and rode cautiously, as a broken bike, or a broken leg, would have left me in a lurch.  It was 85-90 deg F. I was expected in town 30 minutes ago, and I knew my husband and kids would start to worry.  I was likely 30 minutes from a cell signal.  Up until now I had been doing fine with fuel, but I had just drank the last sips in my Camelbak and needed to refill it with a bottle out of my pack.  I fought with myself for several minutes deciding whether to stop and refill or not, all the while my mouth becoming drier and drier.

I stopped.  I refilled.  I drank, felt great, and finished strong.  It may not have been the high intensity 100-mile mountain bike routes I used to race, but it was still a great ride, good fueling, and the right decision.  I encourage you to make this decision as well.  Plan your race (ride, run, etc), and race your plan.  Stick to it, even when panicked about your position…most likely, you’ll be strong enough to get back where you should be.  Or alternatively, you can bonk and find yourself further and further behind.  The kiss of death strikes again!

Give your body what it needs for great energy and health every day and during training with the right Foods, Drinks and Supplements.  If you would like my help with it, I offer comprehensive plans as Instant Downloads and as Custom Clients starting at just $20.  And, as a FuelRightBlog reader, get a further discount with coupon code:  password-frblog  username-reader.  I’d love to work with you!

Fuel Your Adventure. Nourish Your Body.

Same four ingredients.  Three all-new, whole-food, simple fuel options.  No matter how you do the math, you’re sure to find a sweet potato recipe that will fuel your adventure, satisfy your taste buds, and provide some variety beyond bars and gels.  In fact, each of these will work great before, during, or after training.

Recipe of the week #1: Sweet Potato Cycling Fries

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp organic coconut oil, melted
2 teaspoons maple syrup or organic honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large sweet potato (~1 lb), peeled and cut into fries (any size desired)

Instructions:

Combine oil, syrup, and salt.  Coat fries thoroughly by shaking everything together in large baggie or stirring well in bowl.  Spread onto well-oiled baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or until golden and soft.

Or, for less chewing, try:

Recipe of the Week #2: Sweet Potato Bike Mash

Instructions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.  Pierce potato several times with a fork or knife and bake for ~45-60 minutes, or until very soft.  Remove potato, open by cutting top length-wise.  Add coconut oil, syrup, and salt.  Allow oil to melt and then mix all ingredients thoroughly in skin, mashing potato into smooth consistency.  Allow to cool.  Scoop mashed sweet potatoes out and place in 2 “snack size” baggies.  Eat on ride.  2 Servings

Recipe of the Week #3: Sweet Potato Cruiser Cakes

Ingredients:

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients together.  Form 2 patties. Fry the patties in oil on medium-high for a ~2-3 minutes, then flip and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes (should have crunchy exterior).  Then, reduce heat to medium-low for ~5 minutes, until cooked through (do not flip again).  Allow to cool.  Wrap each patty in aluminum foil or place in a baggie.  They may fall apart during the ride, so make sure they are well-wrapped.  Eat ‘em up!

Nutrition information (1 serving, any recipe): 161 calories, 24 grams carbs, 3 gm fiber, 2 gm protein, 232 mg sodium, 428 mg potassium, 34 mg calcium, 24 mg magnesium.  Fries provide an additional 60 calories per serving from fat (organic coconut oil).

Comments:

You’ve asked for more real-food fuel options, and I’ve heard you.  While there are decent commercial energy bars, gels, and drinks out there, and they do have their place, it’s a great idea to use real food as much as possible, solely or in addition to high-quality commercial options.  And so here they are.

When it comes to nutrient-dense carb sources, you don’t have to look much further than sweet potatoes.  In fact, sweet potatoes provide:

• A vast array of antioxidants including beta-carotene that fight free radicals and promote reduced oxidative stress
• Anti-inflammatory nutrients including glycoproteins that promote cellular health
• Carbohydrates that promote steady blood sugars and even-keeled energy

What’s more, you’ll get a great all-natural carbohydrate and antioxidant source in real maple syrup or organic honey, fast-acting, energy-producing fat in organic coconut oil, and all your hourly sodium needs from salt.

To use these recipes as:

Pre-training fuel: Try 1 serving of any recipe, ~60-90 minutes out, with fluids.

During-training fuel: With training >90 minutes, eat 1 serving every hour with 20+ additional carbs from other foods or drinks.  I recommend using faster-acting carbs for these remaining grams, as from a sports drink, so that you’ll have a great balance of both quick and sustained carbs.  Make sure to aim for 16-32 oz. fluid, 40+ grams carbohydrates (60+ for intense work), 400-700 mg sodium, 100-300 mg potassium (more is fine from whole food sources) per hour.

Recovery: Eat 1-2 servings (depending on ride) with 16-32 oz. fluid plus an additional 10-20 grams of protein from 2 large cooked eggs, 1 scoop protein powder, 16 oz. milk, 6 oz. Greek yogurt/cottage cheese, 2-3 oz. meat, etc.  

Whole-food, high-carb, brightly colored (why not?) fuel options for lasting energy.   Sliced, mashed, or caked, these sweet potato recipes will give you carbs and nutrients to boot.  How sweet is that?

Give your body what it needs for great energy and health every day and during training with the right Foods, Drinks and Supplements.  If you would like my help with it, I offer comprehensive plans as Instant Downloads and as Custom Clients starting at just $20.  And, as a FuelRightBlog reader, get a further discount with coupon code:  password-frblog  username-reader.  I’d love to work with you!

Fuel Your Adventure. Nourish Your Body.

Question: I’ve always heard that clear pee, and peeing in general, are good signs of being well hydrated.  After a strenuous ride, can I use this test to judge adequate fluid and electrolyte intake?

Kelli’s Answer:

Yes and no.  First, clear pee is a good sign that you’ve hydrated well.  And, it’s good that your body is urinating after a strenuous workout.  However, this does not tell the whole story with electrolytes.  In fact, high volumes of pee can occur because the body is trying to rid itself of water, in order to re-establish good water to sodium ratios.  If you did a good job of drinking fluids, but not lytes during your workout, e will be too low compared to the water you did replenish.  The best way for the body to decrease the amount of water compared to sodium is to get rid of some water by peeing.  Unfortunately, this can perpetuate dehydration.

My advice? Replenish fluids and lytes, especially sodium during training!  Aim for 16-32 oz. fluid, 400-700 mg sodium, 100-300 mg potassium per hour during any training that lasts 2 or more hours.  If going longer, >3 hours, it’s a good idea to also add calcium (80-120 mg per hour) and magnesium (40-60 mg per hour).

And, in my opinion, if you’re going to drink it, it might as well also contain some of the carbohydrates you need. You can try Kelli’s Homebrew, or your favorite electrolyte-containing, carbohydrate sports drink such as Skratchlabs Secret Drink Mix, Heed, Cytomax, Gatorade Pro, or 1stEndurance EFS.

I hope this helps!

Kelli, RD

Give your body what it needs everyday and during training with the right Foods, Drinks and Supplements.  If you would like my help with it, I offer comprehensive plans as Instant Downloads and as Custom Clients starting at just $20.  And, as a FuelRightBlog reader, get a further discount with coupon code:  password-frblog  username-reader.  I’d love to work with you!

A few months ago I got the conversation going about Chocolate Milk for recovery.  And, as a fan of this approach, I was inspired to go to the store and get some chocolate syrup for this purpose.  For months, I’ve been hooked on using milk with honey for recovery, but variety is the spice of life, and I was ready for some chocolate.  I wanted an add-in chocolate, rather than a pre-made chocolate milk so that I could determine how much to put in myself, based on my own needs for recovery carbohydrates after riding.  I assumed, naively, that I would be able to find at least one good option for dark chocolate syrup, made with only a few real-food ingredients, even if I had to pay a couple extra bucks to avoid cheap junk sugars, colorings, and chemicals.

I was wrong.  We all know what happens when we assume.

It wasn’t a health food store, to be fair, but generally, my favorite grocer has a good variety of organic and healthy options.  I was dumbfounded as I looked at the shelves over and over again, reading horrible lists of ingredients and nutrition labels. I do this for living, after all, and I couldn’t find a good one.  Of course, I should have known where to start.  In my own kitchen.

Recipe of the Week: Homemade High-Antioxidant Chocolate Syrup

• 1 1/4 C organic honey
• 1 C unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 C water
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• Dash of cinnamon (optional)

Place honey, cocoa, water, and salt in a medium saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, whisking to remove all lumps and mix thoroughly.  Bring to a boil and allow to thicken, about 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool for 5-10 minutes.  Stir in vanilla and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.

To make chocolate milk, add 1-2 Tbsp to 8 oz. dairy or soy milk.

Nutrition information: (1 Tbsp chocolate syrup) 30 calories, 10 mg sodium, 8 gms carbohydrates, 1 gm protein

For even more variety: Try real maple syrup instead of honey, add 1 Tbsp of pure mint extract instead of the vanilla, or add in some coffee with the milk for a recovery mocha.

Comments:

Want a high-antioxidant, powerhouse of a recovery drink?  Of course you do and now you’ve got it.  Here’s why this combination of honey, cocoa, and milk will work for you:

• Cocoa is a concentrated source of antioxidants that reduce oxidative stress, fight free radicals, reduce inflammation, and improve insulin sensitivity.  Click here for more details on the health benefits of cocoa.
• Organic Honey also contains antioxidants.  What’s more, it provides the carbohydrates needed to replenish glycogen stores (the most crucial function of recovery) and natural enzymes that aide digestion and improve nutrient absorption.  Take care to buy organic honey, though, as non-organic honey has been found to be little more over-processed and void of all the healthful benefits.
• Milk: As we discussed in my previous chocolate milk post, milk is certainly NOT the only good choice for recovery proteins.  But, with both quick- and slow-acting proteins in whey and casein respectively, it’s a good choice.  I realize there are many athletes who cannot tolerate or choose to not consume casein or dairy.  One option would be to use soy milk instead, and if you tolerate whey, add a whey protein isolate to provide a quick-acting and an intermediate-acting protein.  In order to spare muscles, you need to consume a carbohydrate source for default energy needs, and a protein source for rebuilding…most any protein source will help (although some are better than others).  If you’re looking for an alternative to dairy milk, though, realize that coconut milk and almond milks contain virtually no protein.
• Fluids: No, this won’t work for your recovery fluid needs.  While milk is technically a fluid, I tend to not count it toward fluid needs for athletes as the kidneys have to do quite a bit of work to filter out and use the proteins.  Instead, consider any fluid it offers icing on the cake in terms of hydration and drink another fluid on the side for recovery (aim for 32 oz. per hour of your training minus your intake during your training).

While this information might not be groundbreaking, especially since we just discussed Chocolate Milk Recovery just a couple months ago, it certainly is an improvement over commercial chocolate syrup options – in the nutrition and deliciousness categories.  And, although some of the benefits of the ingredients will be diminished with cooking, they will still far outshine the high fructose corn syrup-laden chemical chocolate concoctions at the store.  So simple, I’m not sure why I didn’t think of it before.  Hadn’t spent much time in the chocolate syrup aisle, I guess.  This week, for recovery nutrition, let’s minimize the junk and keep it real.

Give your body what it needs everyday and during training with the right Foods, Drinks and Supplements.  If you would like my help with it, I offer comprehensive plans as Instant Downloads and as Custom Clients starting at just $20.  And, as a FuelRightBlog reader, get a further discount with coupon code:  password-frblog  username-reader.  I’d love to work with you!

The pre-training ritual.  Most every athlete has one, whether strategic or not.  At the top of the list is what to eat.  Some work out on nothing, even after fasting through the night.  Some swear by oatmeal, energy bars, or baked potatoes.  For me, when it comes to my favorite pre-training fuel, it’s gotta be a smoothie.  Why? Mostly because I’ve never been willing to wake up 3 hours before race-time or ride-time to eat.  I always feel “light” within an hour of drinking a smoothie.  I can pack in everything I need, into a small volume, without risking a bloated stomach or extra bathroom trips during the ride.  If made ahead of time, I have nothing to figure out, or even chew, in the morning.  You can just relax, sip, and get your game-face on.

Recipe of the Week:   Build-Your-Own Pre-Training Smoothie

Ingredients:

Base ingredients:

• 1 cup frozen or fresh berries
• 1/2 cup cooked oatmeal
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt (can be dairy or soy)
• 1 Tbsp organic honey
• 1/2-1 Tbsp organic coconut oil
• water/ice as needed for consistency

(280 calories, 50 grams carbs, 5 gm fiber, 8 gm protein)

15 gram carbohydrate add-ons:

• 1/2 medium banana (15 grams carbs, 0 grams protein)
• 1 Tbsp organic honey, organic agave syrup, or organic maple syrup (15 grams carbohydrates, 0 grams protein)
• ½ cup orange juice (or other 100% juice) (15 grams carbs, 0 grams protein)
• ½ cup cooked oatmeal (15 grams carbs, 3 grams protein)
• 1/3 cup cooked rice (15 grams carbs, 3 grams protein)

*For every carb add-on added, increase plain yogurt by ¼ cup

Instructions:

1. Determine your pre-training carb needs below.  Place all base-smoothie ingredients in a blender.  Add in carb add-ons and  extra yogurt if needed.
2. Blend well, adding water and/or ice to achieve desired consistency.  Be careful to not over-process or allow too much air to incorporate into the smoothie (usually occurs when left to blend too long or on too high a speed).  If you see a lot of air bubbles, allow the smoothie to “rest” a few minutes to reduce the air trapped inside.
3. Drink immediately, refrigerate for up to 48 hours, or freeze (allow 24-36 hours to thaw in refrigerator).  If refrigerated, shake well before drinking.  For best results, drink 60-90 minutes before training.

Determining Carbohydrate Needs:

There are fuel components that are vitally important for performance and those that are marginally important.  For an athlete whose main goal is optimal performance, carbohydrates are vital.  Here are some recommendations for determining carb needs before a 2+ hour workout:

If your primary goal is to lose weight OR you’re riding a short, easy, or recovery training OR doing math in order to make a pre-training smoothie seems ridiculous to you, stick with the base-ingredient smoothie and do not add smoothie add-ons.

If your primary goal is optimal performance on a moderate to high intensity workout (without regard of weight loss), use 0.45 – 0.68 grams of carbs per pound of weight.  This is a big range, so use your discretion with approximately 0.45 grams/lb weight for moderate intensity training 2-4 hours, and closer to 0.68 grams of carbs/lb weight for an intense 4+ hour training.  So, if you weigh 180 lbs, and your riding 5 hours at high intensity, you can use ~108 grams of carbs and would need to add ~ 4 carb add-ons.

If you are training at a very high level and are at a “race weight” (generally underweight compared to conventional ideal-weights), consume up to 0.9 grams of carbs per pound of weight.  So, if you weigh 130 lbs, aim for ~117 grams of carbs and 4-5 add-ons.  Also, increase the time before the workout to 2-3 hours.

Of note: These calculations are based on 1-2 grams carbohydrate per kilogram of weight.

Further Comments:

Many factors play a large role in optimizing your pre-training fuel.  You don’t have to pay attention to every factor on every workout.  But, I use this smoothie’s ingredients to satisfy these nutrition needs:

Carbohydrates: It’s important to use carbohydrates that are appropriate for the “timing” of your workout.  For example, it can take many hours for a high-fiber meal to be absorbed and metabolized.  If you eat a bowl of Fiber One before a 4 hour ride, it may well still be setting in your stomach when you’re showering afterwards.  And, if it’s setting in your stomach, it will put you at risk of stomach issues.  For my money, I go for moderately fast-acting carbs (which are accelerated in the liquid form of a smoothie) from a variety of sources (fruit, honey, oats, dairy).

Protein: Protein is also important before long training.  As long as you choose sources that are easy for you to digest, personally, they are a great compliment to carbohydrates.  I choose plain dairy yogurt because it provides both a fast acting (whey) and a slow acting (casein) protein.  If you have any issues digesting casein, you can substitute whey protein, or another protein for the yogurt, or you can use soy yogurt.

Probiotics: I’m a fan of consuming these healthy bacteria before and after training.  Why?  They can reduce gastro-intestinal issues even in the short-term, and they increase the absorption of antioxidants.

Enzymes: The natural enzymes found in live foods, such as fresh fruit and organic honey can aide digestion.  Since many athletes experience digestion issues while training, the more enzyme help, the better.

Antioxidants: The more work your body’s doing, the more biochemical reactions are taking place.  With more reactions, you can get more of a build-up of free radicals and oxidative stress.  In both the short-term and the long-term, this can spell trouble at the cellular level.  The antioxidants found in fruits and organic honey can neutralize these trouble makers.

Medium Chain Triglycerides:  These special saturated fats are quickly digested and metabolized like carbs, bypassing the normal slow, bile-dependant digestive path of most fats.  What’s more, they are used directly by the energy powerhouses of the cell, the mitochondria, and offer more than twice the calories (energy) of carbohydrates per gram.  Organic coconut oil happens to be a great source of medium chain triglycerides.

Fluids: Although you don’t want to overload your body with fluid immediately before a workout, it’s still a good idea to consume 8-16 oz. within 2 hours, especially after a dehydrating night of sleep.  By adding water to a smoothie, you can easily down some fluid with this breakfast.

Delivery:  As I’ve stated, I’m a fan of the drinkability of a smoothie.  I’m not a fan of waking up at 4am in order to race at 7am.  To me, it’s easy, and it goes down fast and smooth.  It doesn’t set in my stomach or make me feel too full when it’s time to ride.

Even though this is my preference, I’ve always worked with my clients to optimize the fuel they want to use.  There are definitely dozens of pre-training fuel options that will work well.  Have you found your preference?  If not, maybe it’s time to build-your-own smoothie.

Give your body what it needs for great energy and health every day and during training with the right Foods, Drinks and Supplements.  If you would like my help with it, I offer comprehensive plans as Instant Downloads and as Custom Clients starting at just $20.  And, as a FuelRightBlog reader, get a further discount with coupon code:  password-frblog  username-reader.  I’d love to work with you!

Fuel Your Adventure.  Nourish Your Body.

Question:

Out of habit, I’ve always eaten cereal (granola) before my morning ride.  For the last several weeks, I’ve been riding at 6am to avoid the heat, and eating at 5:30 am.  I haven’t had any stomach issues, but I am not sure that this is the best pre-ride meal strategy. My legs have felt heavy since starting to ride earlier.  My rides are 1.5-2 hours.  Should I eat less, something different, or nothing at all?  What do you think?

Kelli’s Answer:

I think your pre-ride fuel strategy can be improved.  The issue with eating a moderately high fiber breakfast within 30 minutes of beginning a ride is that it will likely take too long to digest, absorb, and metabolize to provide any energy to your muscles at all.  And, what’s more, if the meal is setting in your stomach, you are increasing your risk of stomach cramps (but it sounds like you’ve been okay here) and a reduced bloodflow to your legs since your body is working at digesting.

Although many athletes feel like they need a full breakfast before a morning ride, I think you’ll have better result with less food, and ones that you can eat quickly and metabolize faster.

My first choice would be 2 Tablespoons organic honey + 0.5 – 1 Tbsp organic coconut oil (all straight off the spoon).  Why? These are fast-acting, quick-metabolizing energy foods.  The honey provides moderately fast carbs that act similarly to maltodextrin (moderately fast and longer lasting than glucose), natural enzymes to improve digestion, and antioxidants.  The organic coconut oil provides fast-acting medium chain triglycerides which are used directly by the mitochondria of cells (energy producers) without the need for bile or slow digestion.

Another option would be a sports food with a moderate amount of protein – something like a Clif bar. Or, a smoothie with 1/4 cup yogurt, 1/2 banana, 1 Tbsp honey, and water.  These foods will also digest quickly and provide energy during your ride.

And, don’t forget about 8 oz. of fluid.

During your ride, especially if high intensity and over 60 minutes, or moderate intensity and over 90 minutes, you’ll still need during-ride fuel as well.  With all rides in heat, you’ll want fluids and lytes!

I hope this helps!

Kelli, RD

Give your body what it needs for great energy and health every day and during training with the right Foods, Drinks and Supplements.  If you would like my help with it, I offer comprehensive plans as Instant Downloads and as Custom Clients starting at just $20.  And, as a FuelRightBlog reader, get a further discount with coupon code:  password-frblog  username-reader.  I’d love to work with you!

Fuel Your Adventure.  Nourish Your Body.

Another ride.  Same ol’ bar.  If your fuel on the bike, trail or climb is anything less than inspiring, it’s time to make a change.  This week, I’ve got a Lara Bar-ish knock-off that’s sure to refresh your taste buds, legs, and wallet. It’s no-bake, easy to make, and uses only 5 whole-food ingredients. And, this is not your grandma’s granola bar.  It just happens to be perfect for training.

Recipe of the Week: Fresh Lemon Energy Bars

Ingredients:

Instructions:

Place cashews and dates in food processor, process until finely chopped.  Zest 2 lemons, juice 1 lemon.  Add zest, juice, and salt to food processor.  Process until smooth, but not quite a paste (this doesn’t need to be exact).  Press into a greased bread loaf pan (if it’s sticky, you can use wax paper to press).  Place in freezer 1 hour, or in refrigerator until firm.  Cut into 12 equal bars or squares.  Store in refrigerator – wrap in plastic wrap to take with you.

Makes 12 bars.

Nutrition: 192 calories, 20 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams protein, 52 mg sodium, 258 mg potassium, 16 mg calcium, 82 mg magnesium

Comments:

Instead of a stale, processed bar that tastes overly sweet and sugary, you can enjoy a homemade version that’s citrusy and fresh.  With 20 grams carbohydrates and 5 grams of protein, it’s perfect fuel before or during your ride.  And, with 200 calories, healthy fats from cashews, and protein, it’s got sticking power that will last through some tough hours of cycling, running, climbing or adventuring.  What else can it do?  Well, its key ingredient, lemons, has a lot to offer for training and for overall health and disease prevention.  They provide:

• High levels of Vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that works in the body to fortify the immune system, fight free radicals that can build up during intense physical work, and reduce the symptoms of osteoarthritis.
• Anti-nausea properties.  When you’re nauseous, not many things help.  However, the smell and  taste of lemons can provide relief.  Since many athletes feel slightly nauseous when eating while training, including fresh lemons can ease an unsettled belly.
• Anti-bacterial compounds.  These components of citrus can reduce putrefactive bacteria in both the intestines and the mouth, and thereby provide fresher breath and reduced gastrointestinal distress.
• Mucus-busting action provides relief to athletes who suffer from build-up while training.  If you ever feel like you’re constantly “working the junk out of the lungs,” you’ve got a friend in lemons.
• Unique flavonoid compounds that have anti-cancer properties.  In fact, limonoids have been shown to help fight cancers of the mouth, skin, lung, breast, stomach and colon.

For lasting energy with fresh lemony flavor, eat one bar 1-2 hours beforehand, or during the first half of any 2+ hour workout.  With any luck, you’ll feel stronger, have fresh breath, less mucus, and not one hint of nausea.  In the long run, you’ll reduce risk of cancers and fortify your immune system.  Not bad for a bar.

Give your body what it needs for great energy and health every day and during training with the right Foods, Drinks and Supplements.  If you would like my help with it, I offer comprehensive plans as Instant Downloads and as Custom Clients starting at just $20.  And, as a FuelRightBlog reader, get a further discount with coupon code:  password-frblog  username-reader.  I’d love to work with you!

Fuel Your Adventure.  Nourish Your Body.