Healthy diets

Martincan

I realise that a lot of the advice given when talking about obtaining a healthy diet is 5 fruit and vegetables a day, drink lots of water, cut down junk food etc.

I was just wondering if anyone on here had any useful regimes/healthy food ideas that would further compliment a healthy diet, and if anyone changes their diet when coming close to a cycling event, i.e. start to consume more protein/carbs etc.

I'm not to smart when it comes to knowing the correct/preferable consumables that aids health and fitness etc.

Mart

neeb

Everyone will have different opinions on this, but here's mine...

Make sure your diet is balanced and varied - carbs, protein and healthy fats.

Eat wholegrain carbs - wholemeal bread, wholegrain pasta.

Eat seeds, nuts and beans.

Avoid refined carbs (white bread etc) and sugar, except (in the case of sugar) actually during or maybe immediately after exercise.

Eat lots of veg (you knew that already). Things like broccoli, carrots, tomatoes etc are very healthy.

Healthy fats - monounsaturated (e.g. olive oil), avocados etc. Avoid excessive animal fats and try to avoid all processed vegetable fats as much as possible, especially hydrogenated fats. Processed foods such as cakes and biscuits usually contain these (as well as refined carbs) Get enough Omega 3 fats. The best source is oily fish, but consider taking a daily supplement (this is one of the few supplements in pill form that is really worthwhile, the other being vitamin D, especially during the winter).

Don't eat too much red meat, although it's a good source of protein there are plenty others and it's not particularly healthy overall. Fish and tofu are great protein sources. Especially avoid eating lots of processed meat (burgers, sausages).

Some things you might not expect such as good quality chocolate (high cocoa content), tea (especially green tea) coffee, and moderate amounts of alcohol (esp. red wine) are actually rather good for you.

A couple of specific tips I have found useful - give up carbonated sugary drinks completely (coke, fanta, 7 up etc) These are just concentrated sugar solutions! Drink water with your meals (fizzy water if you prefer). As far as the butter vs. marge thing goes - neither are particularly healthy in large amounts. Pour some extra virgin olive oil into an old marge tub, stick it in the freezer overnight (it will go rock hard), then leave it in the fridge (fridge needs to be reasonably cold). You will get something healthy you can spread on your toast. But there's no harm in also having some butter in the fridge and using it in moderation.

As far as eating for cycling goes, you need to eat a little more protein to help recovery (especially if you are increasing your normal training load, e.g. in the spring), but don't overdo it. Make sure you get enough carbs before, during and after hard sessions. There are all sorts of fads and things that are supposed to be beneficial, but if you have a generally healthy diet that's by far the most important thing.

Martincan

neeb wrote:

Everyone will have different opinions on this, but here's mine...

Make sure your diet is balanced and varied - carbs, protein and healthy fats.

Eat wholegrain carbs - wholemeal bread, wholegrain pasta.

Eat seeds, nuts and beans.

Avoid refined carbs (white bread etc) and sugar, except (in the case of sugar) actually during or maybe immediately after exercise.

Eat lots of veg (you knew that already). Things like broccoli, carrots, tomatoes etc are very healthy.

Healthy fats - monounsaturated (e.g. olive oil), avocados etc. Avoid excessive animal fats and try to avoid all processed vegetable fats as much as possible, especially hydrogenated fats. Processed foods such as cakes and biscuits usually contain these (as well as refined carbs) Get enough Omega 3 fats. The best source is oily fish, but consider taking a daily supplement (this is one of the few supplements in pill form that is really worthwhile, the other being vitamin D, especially during the winter).

Don't eat too much red meat, although it's a good source of protein there are plenty others and it's not particularly healthy overall. Fish and tofu are great protein sources. Especially avoid eating lots of processed meat (burgers, sausages).

Some things you might not expect such as good quality chocolate (high cocoa content), tea (especially green tea) coffee, and moderate amounts of alcohol (esp. red wine) are actually rather good for you.

A couple of specific tips I have found useful - give up carbonated sugary drinks completely (coke, fanta, 7 up etc) These are just concentrated sugar solutions! Drink water with your meals (fizzy water if you prefer). As far as the butter vs. marge thing goes - neither are particularly healthy in large amounts. Pour some extra virgin olive oil into an old marge tub, stick it in the freezer overnight (it will go rock hard), then leave it in the fridge (fridge needs to be reasonably cold). You will get something healthy you can spread on your toast. But there's no harm in also having some butter in the fridge and using it in moderation.

As far as eating for cycling goes, you need to eat a little more protein to help recovery (especially if you are increasing your normal training load, e.g. in the spring), but don't overdo it. Make sure you get enough carbs before, during and after hard sessions. There are all sorts of fads and things that are supposed to be beneficial, but if you have a generally healthy diet that's by far the most important thing.

That's very helpful buddy! Thanks a lot for the advice.

Garz

Eat reasonably healthy, don't cut out all bad foods. Ride often and more importantly enjoy the rides. I find if I'm getting too competitive the enjoyment level drops so I only take it as far as it needs to to get the best out of my riding.

neeb

don't cut out all bad foods

Yeah, moderation is the key. It's what you eat most of the time that's important, not what you eat once or twice a week. Nothing wrong with a bit of cake occasionally!

liversedge

neeb wrote:

give up carbonated sugary drinks completely (coke, fanta, 7 up etc) These are just concentrated sugar solutions!

The diet varieties are not though. Some will complain that they contain aspartame or caffeine and therefore are still bad for you.

neeb

The diet varieties are not though. Some will complain that they contain aspartame or caffeine and therefore are still bad for you.

Yup, I'd worry about the artificial sweeteners if you're drinking a lot of the stuff, they're a bit dodgy. Interestingly, they seem to be associated with weight gain even although they do not contain significant energy. It seems that the sweet taste creates an insulin response, so it actually reduces blood sugar (storing it as fat amongst other things), which then leaves you hypoglycemic and makes you eat more! Also potentially linked to increased risks of some cancers. Very unnatural - who needs them anyway, why not just drink water?

liversedge

neeb wrote:

who needs them anyway, why not just drink water?

:roll: