Food AFTER a ride?

FHKJ

I've recently started riding, and after 2-3 hours get home and am starving. No problem with that, but what should I eat? It's never at lunch/dinner time, and (as I have a family) I eat meals at normal times...

What should I eat in the meantime???

Any advice really appreciated.

Francis

GavH

I do a protein shake which has some carbs in it. There's quite a few on the market that claim to be aimed at Recovery. I'm not hugely into the nutrition thing but the idea that something to refuel the muscels is better than nothing seems to work for me.

FCE2007

I always demolish a cheese sandwich. Red Leicester. Uber.

nmcgann

I find a choc malt "for goodness shakes" does the trick.

sturmey

Big dock-off ham and cheese sarnie with pickled onions and a yoghurt. Then I just carry on eating...

Barteos

The ONLY stuff you need IMMEDIATELY afer the ride is simple CARBS, then after 40-60min. you can think about a protein shake or a small, low fat meal.

Taking 500-1000ml of a carb sport drink will make a big difference to your recovery (no sore legs) and should will keep hunger at bay for a while.

Even better is to start refueling during the 15min. cool-down at the end of the ride.

BeaconRuth

Barteos wrote:

Taking 500-1000ml of a carb sport drink will make a big difference to your recovery (no sore legs) and should will keep hunger at bay for a while.

If only that were true. Drink a carb sport drink and you won't have sore legs.............. what a lovely idea.

To the OP - just have a healthy snack to tide you over to your next meal. It doesn't have to be any special sports product.

Ruth

Gav888

When I get in, regardless of distance I have a protein shake with a bit of chocolate powder mixed in, and a banana. Then about an hour or so after I have something bigger, like Pasta with Tuna, or a chicken sandwich etc. Try to get carbs and protein post ride.

Blonde

Eat what you like and can stomach after a ride. The amount to eat depends on individual factors such as your fitness, distance you've cycled, terrain, effort level, and how much you have eaten during the ride. If you care about eating something low fat, and high quality protein for good recovery and good health, I suggest a couple of scrambled eggs on a potato cake (or bread/toast) with some fruit and yohurt, or homemade fruit smoothie for afters. All easy and quick to do after a ride. You can even make a smoothie before you go out, then whizz in blender again just before drinking, in order to avoid 10 minutes of fruit washing and chopping after a ride.

sheffsimon

FCE2007 wrote:

I always demolish a cheese sandwich. Red Leicester. Uber.

+1 for the cheese sandwich!

Barteos

BeaconRuth wrote:

Barteos wrote:

Taking 500-1000ml of a carb sport drink will make a big difference to your recovery (no sore legs) and should will keep hunger at bay for a while.

If only that were true. Drink a carb sport drink and you won't have sore legs.............. what a lovely idea.

To the OP - just have a healthy snack to tide you over to your next meal. It doesn't have to be any special sports product.

Ruth

BeaconRuth wrote:

Barteos wrote:

Taking 500-1000ml of a carb sport drink will make a big difference to your recovery (no sore legs) and should will keep hunger at bay for a while.

If only that were true. Drink a carb sport drink and you won't have sore legs.............. what a lovely idea.

I ride 5-6 days a week (training not sightseeing) and have done some 2.5-5.0h events and never suffered sore legs on a next day.
Actually in the last few years it happened only once when after a long hard ride in summer I closed my eyes for a "few minutes" and woke up 3h later hungry and dehydrated.
I'm not claiming that my legs are always light and fresh after every hard session, but certainly not sore (after a few hours or next day).

It doesn't have to be any special sports product.

Of course it doesn't. There's nothing special about sport drinks but they just happen to provide your body with highest quality carbs at a FASTER rate than solid food.
You can mix your own drink with some dextrose, fructose or maltodextrin and bit of whey protein and get the same results for less.

Garry H

Barteos wrote:

Of course it doesn't. There's nothing special about sport drinks but they just happen to provide your body with highest quality carbs at a FASTER rate than solid food.
You can mix your own drink with some dextrose, fructose or maltodextrin and bit of whey protein and get the same results for less.

But if it's after the ride, what does it matter how fast they're being absorbed? You're in no hurry to use them up.

Just eat real food!

markos1963

Cheese on toast and a nice milky cup of coffee, perfect.

hopper1

Protein shake + Energy Bar.
Have a shower, then two poached eggs on toast, green tea...

Barteos

Garry H wrote:

Barteos wrote:

Of course it doesn't. There's nothing special about sport drinks but they just happen to provide your body with highest quality carbs at a FASTER rate than solid food.
You can mix your own drink with some dextrose, fructose or maltodextrin and bit of whey protein and get the same results for less.

But if it's after the ride, what does it matter how fast they're being absorbed? You're in no hurry to use them up.

Just eat real food!

After a proper ride you need to top up your glycogen stores in the muscles in order to have enough fuel for the ride next day and to enable your muscles to rebuild themselves.
In the first 20min after a session your food will be absorbed and converted into glycogen at much faster rate than say after three hours.
Because of that solid meals straight after are not preferred as they take longer to digest.

You can obviously eat anything at any time and it'll be still better than nothing, but you may not be getting the most out of your training.

rogerthecat

Kippers, toast and 2 Hard Boiled eggs. Yum

nolf

Quick snack when you get in is really important, as well as staying well hydrated (good article on bikeradar right now actually).

However I would also point out the other side of recovery, after a ride when i get in, as I'm eating I'm putting on an extra jumper before I shower to keep me warm, and post shower I dress warmly again, as well as being extra careful with regards to my hydration/eating.

Sometimes i like recovery drinks, but healthy and nutritious food is good. Cheese on toast is a personal favourite for a snack when i get in (carbs/fat/protein) along with some fruit, then post shower within an hour I have a rice/pasta based meal with loads of veg (I like pre-prepared stews which I can just defrost and heat up!)

JimmyK

sturmey wrote:

Big dock-off ham and cheese sarnie with pickled onions and a yoghurt. Then I just carry on eating...

remind me to never ride close behind you.

The Other McHoy

A lot of good advice covering all the angles, no need to be too anal about it unless you are following a strict diet/training regime laid down by a coach. Like anything regarding diet, there is no shortage of info. on what you should do - the problem for most of us is we often can't be bothered practicing it.

Despite being a firm believer in science, after a really hard session I love Coca Cola - it just hits the spot, especially in the summer. I also like a simple chcoclate milk shake (carbs, protein and fat). Toast and tuna is another easy to prepare snack (carbs and protein) and a banana or two.

On the vitamin side, there is a stack on scientific evidence that supports the use of fish oil - good for the heart, blood pressure and also is reckoned to be anti-inflamatory. There is an increasing number of athletes taking a much higher dose of these essential fatty oils than previously recommended by dieticians. If you fancy taking some, do your research - there are some brands that contain much more of the good stuff than others.

Headhuunter

Immediately after a long ride, or probably any ride, your body will continue to burn through carbs at a high rate for a couple of hours and will also absorb protein at a higher rate. If yuo've pushed it hard, your body will literally be crying out to have its resourced restocked including carbs (I have heard that maltodextrin is more easily absorbed than simple sugars such as glucose, dextrose and fructose), protein (for muscle repair) and electrolyte salts (not just simple table salt/sodium, a whole range of salts are used and sweated out during activity). You can get a lot of these things from a decent meal but I often knock up a quick shake to give my body a quick recovery hit.

As for fish oil, the most important values to look out for on the label are the levels of DHA and EPA which are the "superfoods". Most fish oil you buy from the supermarket or from Holland and Barrett etc are not very high in it and do not do a lot of good. It's also not a good idea simply to take 2 or 3 of the tablets in 1 go to increase the DHA or EPA dosage as this also raises the vitamin A content, which is toxic in high concentrations and also increases the toxin level. Our seas are unfortunately high in heavy metal toxins like cadmium and mercury which are then present in fish oils.

The best oild to buy are more expensive but are very high in EPA and DHA per volume and have been filtered to remove toxins. MorEPA is a very well known brand which makes filtered fish oil which is very high in EPA, which is good for the brain.

MattC59

anything and everything that's in the fridge.