You should know what kind of foods your body could consume easily while riding and as a cyclist, it is an important fact to learn. Some could survive on energy drinks and gel and some need real food like sandwiches, fruits or biscuits. So, a diet plan could help you to fuel yourself and perform well at the race.
A diet chart may help you eat the right amount of food that gives you proper nutrients and make you stronger than before. Maybe you are eating well but getting it in the wrong way. Here we are going to discuss what foods you should eat and what to avoid in this article.
Foods to Eat
1. Beetroot:
Beetroot juice works effectively on our body because it enhances the flow of blood, extends our endurance and increases our muscle efficiency. It affects remarkably for a cyclist. Beetroot juice could make you fast in a trial of ten kilometers. You may win a medal in a race instead of being only a runner-up.
You need to drink half liter of this juice in a day. you may also include beetroot in your salad to get the benefits from it in your daily routine as it could strengthen your health and reduce blood pressure.
2. Bananas:
Bananas are rich in carbohydrates and they are easy to digest in your body. Moreover, they come in handy packaging which does not create damage or waste the environment. They are the number of foods for cycling. They could replace the electrolytes that you lost by sweat, provide potassium and 25-30g carbohydrate to make your muscles energetic.
Bananas are great for riding long ways on your comfort bike and you should eat them before starting your journey. But don’t eat while biking because the fiber in them helps moderate the sugar levels in your blood and could reduce appetite that makes bananas a good kind of snack among your meals. They also work as a good recovery food after your ride. You could add them with milk or smoothie.
3. Coffee:
Coffee is not exactly a food but you can’t ignore the pleasures and benefits of a pre-ride espresso. Coffee could keep you awake while nodding off and especially it works effectively during a ride. It could reduce perception of discomfort and fatigue as well as increase alertness. You would feel better and less tired by drinking a cup of coffee before going out for cycling. Coffee provides caffeine to your body that gives you such benefits.
4. Dates:
Dates are the kind of fruits that are a good source of carbohydrate and other nutrients. The sugar in these dates gives you a sweet and sticky sensation. It is good to eat them with bananas as they are full of magnesium, copper and potassium that could help maintain a strong nervous system as well as blood pressure.
Moreover, the dates are full of fructose, sucrose, maltose and glucose that bursts energy in your body. Thus, you should eat 1 or 2 pieces of dates in a day to stay healthy.
5. Ice-cream and chocolate milk:
Protein and carbohydrate are the two priorities that help to recover your body strength for the next ride. Chocolate milk is one of the recovery drinks as it contains a 3:1 ratio of protein and carbohydrate as well as vitamin D, calcium and potassium that could store your energy. It is easier to digest and contains the right amount of proteins from the milk that are fast absorbing.
Ice-cream is like the chocolate milk or milkshake and it helps to fuel your body when you are tired after a long ride.
6. Microwavable rice with meat or fish:
Cycling is like a workout or exercise and after cycling, you should eat such foods that contains about 30 to 60g of starchy carbohydrate with protein that you could find in microwaved rice with chicken, meat or white fish to restore glycogen in your muscle and it is useful for the growth of muscle, recover and repair them.
Foods to Avoid
1. Salad:
Cyclists shouldn’t waste their valuable time eating empty foods. Some people take salad as a healthy food but it contains less carbohydrate that couldn’t provide enough energy. Eating greens is not wrong if you are trying to reduce your weight.
2. Cereal:
Cereal could release your energy steadier and slower if you take it as your breakfast. That’s why only eating cereal is not enough for cyclists. You could eat it with other foods but not as a main meal.
3. Fizzy drinks:
Fizzy drinks are not good for cyclists as they could leave you lethargic and slugging and are very bloating. You should avoid these types of carbonated drinks that could make you slower.
4. Fats:
Eating too much fat is not good for a cyclist. You should consume hard cheese once a week in a small amount like a piece of matchbox. Moreover, don’t use olive oil on your every meal and try using less oil if needed.
5. Overeating:
Little eating is always better than overeating. Overeating is a common mistake that everyone makes. Eating more could lead you towards nausea. The remedy of this problem is to slow down, sip water and wait.
Hopefully this article would be helpful for you to understand what foods are good for cyclists and what to avoid. Don’t just eat to fill your belly and eat to give your body proper nutrients. Apply these diet tips and get good results!
