WHAT TO EAT BEFORE RIDING
The size, timing and content of your pre-ride snack can play an important role in your energy levels during your ride, how well your body recovers and rebuilds after you ride and whether the calories you eat will be used as fuel or stored as fat. Here are some ideas for riders on eating healthy before riding. The biggest thing is to find out what works best for you, and do that.
Hydration!
Being hydrated will make your ride easier and more effective, however for those who have to go to the bathroom frequently, it may be better to periodically sip water. If you are riding in hot weather, be safe to keep your fluids up!
Pre-ride Snack
Most of the fuel doesn't come from the food you've recently eaten, instead from the carbohydrates (call glycogen) and fat that's stored in your muscles, liver, and fat cells. It is fuel for 1-2 hours of very intense exercise or 3-4 hours of moderate intensity exercise. This means that if you overall diet is adequate to keep your fuel tanks topped up, you may not need to eat anything before you ride for a long period of time. So eating before exercise upsets your stomach, or you like to ride first thing in the morning or at a time when eating first isn't convenient, don't eat first.
Some people, especially children have a hard time exercising without eating first, especially if it has been a while since their last meal or snack. These individuals are more sensitive to changes in their blood sugar levels, which fall during the first 15-20 minutes of riding. It can cause tiredness, mild dizziness, or even faintness, especially if blood sugars were low prior. Eating a snack can prevent this.
If you are a moderate rider who performs better with a little snack first, here are some tips:
1. Eat small (100-200 calories) snack about 30 minutes before you ride. It should be a fast-digesting (high glycemic index) carbohydrate and very little fat (which digests slowly). Here are some snack ideas:
- Fruit juice or smoothie
- High-glycemic fruits like pineapple, apricots, bananas, mango and watermelon
- Sports drinks
- Pretzels or bagel (whole grain digests slower)
- Energy bars (3-5 grams of protein, 15 grams of carbs, and little fat)
2. Eat a nutritionally balance meal 1-2 hours prior. This is the best option for many people. The larger the meal, the more fat and protein it contains the longer you will need to wait before riding. Ideally, try to eat enough calories to equal half the calories you expect to burn during your ride. So if you burn 300 calories during your ride, aim for at least 150 calories during this meal. At least half of these calories should be from carbohydrates to keep you blood sugar and energy levels fairly stable during you ride. Have a little protein to help prevent the breakdown of muscle for fuel and give your muscles a head start on recovering after riding. Some good food choices and combinations for this kind of meal include:
Fruit and yogurt
Nuts
Oatmeal
Cereals (with more than 3 grams of fiber)
Trail mix with nuts and dried fruit
Hummus and veggies
Hard boiled eggs (or egg whites)
Cottage cheese and fruits
Half peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread
Half chicken or turkey sandwich (same)
Whole grain crackers with nut butter or cheese
Tomato or vegetable juice
Protein or energy bar
Hydration!
Being hydrated will make your ride easier and more effective, however for those who have to go to the bathroom frequently, it may be better to periodically sip water. If you are riding in hot weather, be safe to keep your fluids up!
Pre-ride Snack
Most of the fuel doesn't come from the food you've recently eaten, instead from the carbohydrates (call glycogen) and fat that's stored in your muscles, liver, and fat cells. It is fuel for 1-2 hours of very intense exercise or 3-4 hours of moderate intensity exercise. This means that if you overall diet is adequate to keep your fuel tanks topped up, you may not need to eat anything before you ride for a long period of time. So eating before exercise upsets your stomach, or you like to ride first thing in the morning or at a time when eating first isn't convenient, don't eat first.
Some people, especially children have a hard time exercising without eating first, especially if it has been a while since their last meal or snack. These individuals are more sensitive to changes in their blood sugar levels, which fall during the first 15-20 minutes of riding. It can cause tiredness, mild dizziness, or even faintness, especially if blood sugars were low prior. Eating a snack can prevent this.
If you are a moderate rider who performs better with a little snack first, here are some tips:
1. Eat small (100-200 calories) snack about 30 minutes before you ride. It should be a fast-digesting (high glycemic index) carbohydrate and very little fat (which digests slowly). Here are some snack ideas:
- Fruit juice or smoothie
- High-glycemic fruits like pineapple, apricots, bananas, mango and watermelon
- Sports drinks
- Pretzels or bagel (whole grain digests slower)
- Energy bars (3-5 grams of protein, 15 grams of carbs, and little fat)
2. Eat a nutritionally balance meal 1-2 hours prior. This is the best option for many people. The larger the meal, the more fat and protein it contains the longer you will need to wait before riding. Ideally, try to eat enough calories to equal half the calories you expect to burn during your ride. So if you burn 300 calories during your ride, aim for at least 150 calories during this meal. At least half of these calories should be from carbohydrates to keep you blood sugar and energy levels fairly stable during you ride. Have a little protein to help prevent the breakdown of muscle for fuel and give your muscles a head start on recovering after riding. Some good food choices and combinations for this kind of meal include:
Fruit and yogurt
Nuts
Oatmeal
Cereals (with more than 3 grams of fiber)
Trail mix with nuts and dried fruit
Hummus and veggies
Hard boiled eggs (or egg whites)
Cottage cheese and fruits
Half peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread
Half chicken or turkey sandwich (same)
Whole grain crackers with nut butter or cheese
Tomato or vegetable juice
Protein or energy bar
"As a moderate rider, you have a lot of flexibility when it comes to timing your meals and choosing your foods. The most important things are getting to know your body and how it responds to exercise, so that you can give it what it needs to perform at its best. Eating the right foods at the right times before you ride is essential to keeping your energy up, your performance high, and your body in fat-burning mode". ~ by Mr. D. Anderson