Most nutrition advice is targeted to the average person. (And, it’s important to note that “average” doesn’t include athletes like cyclists.) Nutritionists and dietitians will often say things like: Don’t drink fruit juice. Eat less sugar. Stay away from pasta. Take the saltshaker off the table.
But does this same advice pertain to endurance athletes? Sometimes, yes. Sometimes, no.
Physiologically speaking, the body of a healthy, fit athlete differs significantly from the body of the unfit “Canadian.” For example, compared to an unfit person, an athletes’ muscles readily take up sugar (glucose) from the blood; this means “sugar spikes” are less of a concern.
This article highlights the confusion stemming from nutrition advice that does not always apply to the needs of athletes. One size does not fit all.
I’ve stopped eating (fattening) potatoes, pasta and starchy carbs with dinner. I eat a pile of veggies, instead.
To start, starchy carbs are not inherently fattening. Excess calories of any kind of food are fattening. Eating a “pile of veggies” for “healthier” carbs is expensive, time consuming, likely to result in a very high fiber diet (leading to undesired pit stops), and unlikely to optimally refuel muscles.
Carb-dense (sweet) potato, (brown) rice, (whole wheat) bread, and other starchy carbs/grains optimize fueling the muscles of cyclists who train hard. A strong carb intake can prevent “dead legs” and disappointing workouts. The harder you exercise, the greater your needs for starches/grains. One-third to one-half of your plate can be starches (at least 200 calories from starch/meal ((2.5-4.0+ gram carb/lb body weight per day).
I enjoy recovering from my workouts with a 40-gram-protein shake.
While a bit of post-workout protein can help build and repair muscles, you actually want three times more carbs than protein to refuel depleted muscles. An effective dose of post-exercise protein is ~0.12-0.15 grams protein per pound body weight (0.25-0.3 g protein per kg). For 120- to 170-pound endurance athletes, that’s about 15 to 20 grams of protein, the equivalent of 2 to 3 eggs in a recovery breakfast, or 16-ounces chocolate milk. If you really want to use protein powder, blenderize it with carb-dense chocolate milk +banana or juice + frozen fruits.
I don’t drink orange juice anymore. Too much sugar.
For cardio athletes who train hard, have high calorie needs, limited time to eat, and consume too little…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…