Food after a ride?

[Kovu]

Okay well I went on my mountain bike this morning and did a half an hours ride at a moderate rate over a few good sized hills, which would properly be nothing to others. I havent been on the bike for nearly one and a half years so I am goign to build it up slowly. I was shocked really that I didnt stop at any point and kept going the whole way through.

Now i need a few tips please on what to eat. I literally got up, dressed and in half an hour was on my bike. Before i went i had a banna, thats all. After (when my legs were almost burning at the top!) I had my ususal bowl of cornflakes. I was surpirsed though because it didnt taste particulary nice to me and I almost had to force myself to eat it.

Any tips on when to eat and what?

 

[chris42]

you need to eat carbs + some form of protien to help repair muscle fibres

 

[Kovu]

Ok, how long after a ride should I eat stuff like that?

 

[monnet]

I'd say for anything up to or just over an hour you don't need to do any specific eating. If you're hungry when you get back eat something that's fairly high in carbs. You might also want to have something with carbs befroe you go out too - porridge is a good slow burning energy source. It's when you start going out for maybe two hours that you need to think more about food, but then it's more a question of what to eat on the bike than off it.

 

[Blue]

You are right to build up slowly - otherwise injury or demotivation can set in.

I would suggest that unless you are on the bike for more than an hour any food or drink is nothing more than a comfort thing as you won't have depleted your bodily stores to any great extent. I wouldn't go beyond a piece of fruit and a drink of water before and after until you have built things up a bit - however, suit yourself realy.

Once I got up to 40-50 mile rides I started to follow a suggestion that was in Cycling Weekly a couple of years ago that involved 'Whole Earth' peanut butter on toast as the main ingredient. I love it and it works well for me. The peanut butter contains mainly 'good' fats, is packed with protein and prevents cravings between the post ride lunch and my next main meal. Beware other brands of butter as they can contain more saturated fat/sugar/salt. Whole Earth can be found in Holland & Barrett or Tescos. The other ingredients in my snack involve replacing the used Carbs and fluid

The bottom line with a question like this on a cycling site seems to me to be that you will get a huge variation in the advice.

 

[monnet]

Kovu, looking at your previous posts I see you're under 20. In which case I wouldn't worry too much about what eat so long as you maintain a fairly healthy diet overall. I've always cycled but only started going out for more than an hour when I was about 17 and I just went and rode. Now, eleven years later I think a bit more about things but unless you're getting into racing etc it's not worth worrying too much about for the rides your're currently doing.

I think the key at the moment is just to enjoy cycling and the fitness that it will give you. With time you'll get more into the science behind it (and the geeky tech aspects of bikes!).

 

[Kovu]

Yeah I see, thanks very much. I just wondered if any of them might help a bit more, because my usual cornflakes tasted horribly after my ride.

 

[chris42]

It will also depend on what your goals are.
if you are looking to loose weight you will need slow release carbs like porrage to keep you feeling fuller longer.
if you want to build muscle you need to consume extra protien to give your body the building blocks to add muscle.

 

[Kovu]

My goal is not to lose wieght at all, because i am younger and still growing I have had it drummed into me not to try to lsoe wieght. Its fair enough, i'm not overwieght anyway. It's merely to get fit, I spend so much time in front of the computer and TV that my fitness has taken a toll in the last year or so. I don't like running so cycling is the next best thing. Also it was something i have enjoyed hugley, so I thought why not try that?

SO the only goal is to get fitter for me

 

[Hugo15]

Hmmmm...... carbs....... protein...........

Does sausage and chips with curry sauce from the chippy count, as this is what I had after a quick spin tonight? Oh, and I washed it down with Coca Cola - does this count as a recovery drink?

 

[Kovu]

Hahaha funneh.

I can't even drink normal Coca Cola, I have to have diet coke

 

[longers]

Porridge beforehand and muesli afterwards (the dorset cereal company do some very nice ones - I mix with a cheap own brand version to make it last longer). Works for me.

 

[khumbu8000]

Cornflakes contain loads of bad salt. Shredded wheat and weetabix are the best cereals. All Bran has as much salt as a bag of crisps!

Porridge and peanut butter advice is very good.

There are several studies showing that semi-skimmed chocolate milk are very good to have immediately post-ride. Milk for protein and chcolate for quick recovery carbs. I use Nesquik after each ride. I've just done Lands End to J O'Groats in 7 days so something must be working.

Remember during a ride you could take/eat a small sandwich using white bread (as you get the energy quicker whilst you are riding).

Well done for getting back into it. Unless you're training gets alot more intense dont bother with any sports drinks etc.

 

[col]

I was told some time ago,so new things will probaly have been found,that 45 minutes was the window after strenu strenou er hard exercise to get some carbs into you,we used to use pasta and chicken then,or a protein drink.

 

[Blonde]

I read half an hour. Depends how seriously you are training as to whether it really matters. I am on low sugars diet (anti-Candida diet) so no refined sugars at all for me, no white, non-whole grains (most breakfast cereals), no bread and no fruit at the mo either - so no muesli. Most bought cereals and muesli contain sugar - even the 'no added sugar ones' usually have maltodextrin, malt extract or concentrated apple or other fruit juice in as a sweetener, so I can't have those. I make my own muesli using the whole oats and whole cereal flakes I like, plus seeds, as I can't have nuts or fruit. I used to find a good post-ride drink was as fruit smoothie made with yogurt and seeds for added protein, but I can't even have that now, so potatoes (or chips) seems to be may big pre,during and post-ride thing at the moment and it seems to be working! On my last 200km audax, 'Round the West Riding', at the first control they only had one thing I could eat - plain salted crisps, (other than that all they had was cakes and chocolates) so I had to live off those crisps till a late afternoon egg and chips ata greasy spoon type cafe control - I still got round in one of my best times ever for such a hilly event though!