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5 Things Definitely Not To Eat On Ride

April 22, 2019 by Josh Friedman

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There are lots and lots of articles on what you should eat while riding. Some of those articles may even give you an idea of what not to eat on a ride, but with few specifics. Here is your chance to read about five things definitely not to eat on a ride and why they could ruin your day.

The 5 Things Not To Eat On A Ride

Meat

Most of the digestive issues from the foods on this list is about their basic digestibility. If it takes a long time to digest, a food will not provide much benefit during a ride; you will not have access to the macro nutrients by the time your ride is over (unless you are on an epic ride). Meat tops the list as slow to digest. It requires lots of mechanical digestion, hence energy that could be going to your legs, along with the blood powering your stomach. Low carbohydrate content means very little quickly available energy during your ride. Save your meat for post-ride recovery.

Ice Cream

Ice cream has a bit more accessible carbohydrates than meat, but suffers from the same lack of digestibility as meat. What ice cream (and dairy in general) has over meat is its ability to produce greater quantities of flatulence. You do not want that in your chamois. Most people have difficulty with lactose, whether they know it or not, and you may get a surprise grumble after a milky treat.

Gels and High Sugar Drinks

Surprise! Gels and other high sugar sports drinks only serve to dehydrate you, despite the claims on the packaging. Read the fine print on a gel and it says you should consume with a full bottle of water. How are you going to carry that many bottles on a long ride.

What happens is that the sugar in the gel or drink needs to have a lower concentration for your body to absorb it. That additional fluid to dilute the sugar solution comes from the fluid you already have in your body. Blood viscosity goes up and performance goes down.

Stick with solid food that is has a relatively high carbohydrate content. Solid food will rely on mechanical digestion versus dilution of a sugar solution. You will perform much better.

Spicy Food

Avoiding spicy food is pretty simple. You do not want it to repeat while you do your repeats. More powerful than a power meter or heart rate monitor to know if you are going hard enough is the old throw-up-in-your-mouth. It is bad enough to regurgitate; you do not want it to be spicy too.

And spicy food can cause a bit of stomach discomfort, but that is not the main point here.

Raw Veggies

A few carrots sticks or a small salad will be fine during the course of a ride, say on a lunch stop, but it is not going to give you a boost in energy levels. If you do find the most delicious broccoli on your ride, maybe when stopping at a farmers market?, try to avoid gorging on it. It is going to be tough to digest, along with probably giving you an extra blast out of the old jet exhaust. You may also find the blood draining from necessary parts of your body like your legs and head to power the digestion of all that fiber.

So What is Left to Eat?

There are still lots of great options to snack on while riding. Based on the above, you should be able to distill that your food should be solid, digestible and have a high carbohydrate to protein and fat ratio. Eat what you think is delicious and maybe error on the side of bland to avoid the reflux. You will be more likely to enjoy your snacks and stay fueled properly for your ride.

Learn More:

  • 5 Great Muscle Recovery Foods5 Great Muscle Recovery Foods
  • What To Eat On A Long Bike RideWhat To Eat On A Long Bike Ride
  • What Is Carbo Loading? Good or Bad And How To Do ItWhat Is Carbo Loading? Good or Bad And How To Do It
  • How To Make Your Own Homemade Energy GelHow To Make Your Own Homemade Energy Gel
  • What to Eat Race Day MorningWhat to Eat Race Day Morning
  • What to Eat While CyclingWhat to Eat While Cycling

Filed Under: Nutrition, Nutrition Tips Tagged With: foods not to eat while cycling, not to eat on a ride, nutrition

About Josh Friedman

Josh Friedman has been racing since 1997 and coaching other cyclists since 2008. Josh, head coach at ATP Race Consulting, is a USA Cycling Level 2 certified coach, with athletes near his home in Pittsburgh and across the US. His extensive cycling background, which has brought him to four continents, coupled with a master’s degree in experiential education allows Josh to go beyond coaching. He is a teacher of all things cycling. He is also a father who knows how critical it is to balance all of your life’s commitments in order to succeed. You can find him online at www.atpraceconsulting.info and on Twitter @ATPRacing.

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