Best "normal" food and drink for recovery?

rodgers73

I'm setting off on Thursday on a 4 day tour from Doncaster to Kent. I'm already carrying a ton of gels and bars to keep me going so I cant be bothered packing a specialised recovery drink/food.

Whats the best type of food or drink to have straight after a ride to help me recover ok? Is chocolate milk the sort of thing??

Thanks

mattshrops

chocolate milk is pretty much spot on - probably best cos you can pick them up at almost any local shop.
also milk with a liquidised banana -carbs and protein.

where you sleeping?

Anonymous

Avoid milk.

Banana/Raisins (high GI alkaline fruit) for carbs and whatever protein you can get your hands on although preferably a protein shake mixed with water.

Mr Dog

Why no moo juice Nap D?

Anonymous

Cos my nutritionist guy (who does nutrition for various top level athletes including some British Cycling/Sky boys) told me it's a no no. I just do as he says. Unless I want to get pi$$ed and eat pizza.

Something to do with us not having the enzymes to break down milk properly when adults and the slow release of casein IIRC.

Mr Dog

Would the protein shake not mirror the milk simply being whey and casein?

Anonymous

Depends on the protein shake. The milk thing is to do with us not having Lactase to break down the lactose when we're all grown up. The lactose slows digestion somewhat...

After training you want a fast release protein like pure whey isolate. Although many contain an amount of micellar casein which is a slower release.

Anyhoo, I'm just the fat boy trying to lose weight, he's the one who knows his stuff!

Pokerface

Well my nutritionist can kick your nutritionist's arse. And she tells me to have a recovery shake (with low fat milk) after my rides. :oops:

Anonymous

Fair enough. Look online and there are journals / studies / arguments for and against pretty much anything, including nutrition and training.

Unfortunately everyone agrees that eating pizza and getting pi$$ed is bad though

shockedsoshocked

Unless you're lactose intolerant or have a background hailing from one of the ethnic groups susceptible to it I don't see why you'd tell someone to completely avoid milk as a recovery type drink? This would go against pretty much all the literature I've read about milk as a recovery drink , and against all the advice I've received from Sports Physiologists/coaches.

What about benefits of stuff like Colostrum? Milk is a fantastic thing!

Pokerface

To be fair, there is a MASSIVE amount of literature saying that milk is the devil's drink and will probably end up killing you.

rodgers73

I'm staying in Bourne (75 miles), Cambridge (58 miles) and Gravesend (68 miles) then doing the last 35 miles to Whitstable on the 4th day.

I'm not sure there's much chance of me finding a protein shake at the Co-op/Spar in those towns so some bananas and a Yazoo will have to do!

Thanks all

ut_och_cykla

Good recovery food - you want a mix of slow & quick release carbs and protein mainly (fast slow down take up rates so try to avoid them for recovery)
Tuna or chicken breast or egg sarnies - with as little fat as poss (mayo/butter etc )
Milk shake - low fat or choc milk. Milk has both fast & slow release proteins.
Fruit - ripe bananas etc or banana sarnies!

Thsi is just directly after your ride. then just eat normal balanced meal asap and get your feet up for the rest of the evening

emx

I would just eat and drink 'normally' - the distances you are covering daily are not huge and presumably you are not trying to set a new road record, so you won't exactly be ripping through your glycogen stores.

Eat sensibly, but there's no need to get scientific...

amaferanga

You don't need gels for a tour (unless your schedule is so tight that you can't stop to buy or even eat food). You'd be better off ditching the gels and taking some whey protein to make your own recovery shakes instead. Though whether you really need a recovery shake for a tour is questionable as well....

simon_e

ShockedSoShocked wrote:

Unless you're lactose intolerant or have a background hailing from one of the ethnic groups susceptible to it I don't see why you'd tell someone to completely avoid milk as a recovery type drink? This would go against pretty much all the literature I've read about milk as a recovery drink , and against all the advice I've received from Sports Physiologists/coaches.

Does the fact that some people are intolerant and many others have problems with milk make you think it might not be the ideal product? Humans have very different dietary requirements, digestive systems and growth patterns from cattle. I do take milk in coffee etc but drink a lot less of it than I used to.

Opinions vary, knowledge changes and people can be wrong (and sometimes unwilling to challenge fixed ideas). Myths are easily perpetuated but received wisdom isn't always right. Note what Mark Cavendish says about Sports Scientists.

ShockedSoShocked wrote:

What about benefits of stuff like Colostrum?

It's for baby cows. Ideally you should have had colostrum from your mother when you were a baby. I find it odd that so many people recoil at the thought of (human) breast milk and breastfeeding bavies is a minority activity among mothers yet we all gladly slurp stuff from another species' tits long after they have stopped using it themselves.

And that's before you consider the huge problems like mastitis (requiring frequent doses of antibiotics and other treatments). I don't like the fact that milk is swimming with female hormones and that despite containing lots of calcium it doesn't aid bone growth. The Dairy Council / Milk Marketing Board has done a fine job.

Pokerface

Breast milk. It's the way forward.

simon_e

Pokerface wrote:

Breast milk. It's the way forward.

if you're under 4 years of age.

Breasts, however, are another subject entirely

rick_chasey

Pokerface wrote:

Breast milk. It's the way forward.

Ice cream

pmannion9

+1 its a Tour.
There to be enjoyed at a nice pace.
Stop off when you feel like and can be great fun going into a small local shop and cleaning them out of food...

Recovery - Steak & Chips followed by 2 pints of real ale - SORTED.

Also if staying in B&B's - Full Fry up each day...

Anonymous

pmannion9 wrote:

+1 its a Tour.
There to be enjoyed at a nice pace.
Stop off when you feel like and can be great fun going into a small local shop and cleaning them out of food...

Recovery - Steak & Chips followed by 2 pints of real ale - SORTED.

Also if staying in B&B's - Full Fry up each day...

Sounds like a proper plan!

I thought the OP was going to be doing it in one go!

I'd defo do this if I was touring

rodgers73

I quite like the gels to be honest - they remind me of ice pops! Take the point though...

Garz

I heard about all that ingesting milk after a certain age, not sure if I read it from a reliable source though. Anyway I'm sure in either CW or C+ they stated milk is the opposite and should be consumed after a training ride for it's protein and nutritional content.

Nothing like a bit of contradictory health advice.

Bit like the 'dont drink wine' it's bad for you, few weeks later news article 'glass of wine good for you' spiel.

I can see why NapD nutritioninst may ward off it, and if I drink more than a cup full I certainly feel bloated. However after a tough ride with many hours till your back in the saddle I cannot see drinking a sensible amount would be a bad choice. :?

shockedsoshocked

Simon E wrote:

ShockedSoShocked wrote:

Unless you're lactose intolerant or have a background hailing from one of the ethnic groups susceptible to it I don't see why you'd tell someone to completely avoid milk as a recovery type drink? This would go against pretty much all the literature I've read about milk as a recovery drink , and against all the advice I've received from Sports Physiologists/coaches.

Does the fact that some people are intolerant and many others have problems with milk make you think it might not be the ideal product? Humans have very different dietary requirements, digestive systems and growth patterns from cattle. I do take milk in coffee etc but drink a lot less of it than I used to.

Opinions vary, knowledge changes and people can be wrong (and sometimes unwilling to challenge fixed ideas). Myths are easily perpetuated but received wisdom isn't always right. Note what Mark Cavendish says about Sports Scientists.

ShockedSoShocked wrote:

What about benefits of stuff like Colostrum?

It's for baby cows. Ideally you should have had colostrum from your mother when you were a baby. I find it odd that so many people recoil at the thought of (human) breast milk and breastfeeding bavies is a minority activity among mothers yet we all gladly slurp stuff from another species' tits long after they have stopped using it themselves.

And that's before you consider the huge problems like mastitis (requiring frequent doses of antibiotics and other treatments). I don't like the fact that milk is swimming with female hormones and that despite containing lots of calcium it doesn't aid bone growth. The Dairy Council / Milk Marketing Board has done a fine job.

:?:

simon_e

ShockedSoShocked wrote:

Simon E wrote:

a load of stuff

:?:

Cow colostrum is for baby cows - evolution tells you that. If you were meant to grow to be 500kg at a year and eat grass all day then maybe cow's milk would be ideal. But you aren't so I'd suggest it isn't.

I'm not saying no-one should eat or drink dairy, just think about what it is and where it comes from, and challenge some of the assumptions you (and anyone else) might make about food.

Garz wrote:

I heard about all that ingesting milk after a certain age, not sure if I read it from a reliable source though. Anyway I'm sure in either CW or C+ they stated milk is the opposite and should be consumed after a training ride for it's protein and nutritional content.

There are plenty of people who can knock holes in the 'nutrition advice' provided in CW, C+ and in Bikeradar articles. Education, intuition and an analytical approach can take a lot further than some people would have you believe.

Pokerface

If I thought about where most of my food comes from I would starve to death.

simon_e

Pokerface wrote:

If I thought about where most of my food comes from I would starve to death.

Bobby Sands did that, it didn't seem to do him any good.

Ignorance can be bliss but isn't necessarily best.

kieranb

As regards nutritionalists:

from http://www.mstrust.org.uk/atoz/dietitian.jsp:

Dietitian/nutritionist

A dietitian (also spelled dietician) is a therapist who assesses, diagnoses and treats diet and nutrition problems. Dietitians use food and nutrition to devise eating plans to help manage medical conditions, promote good health through healthy eating and educate individuals and groups on good nutritional habits. Dietitians often work as part of a wider multidisciplinary team.

For people with MS who experience swallowing problems, dietitians can suggest types of food and ways of preparing food that makes them easier to swallow.

Dietitian is a protected title and all dietitians must be appropriately trained and registered with the Health Professions Council.

The Nutrition Society has a list of accredited courses and maintains a register of nutritionists. However, unlike dietitian, the title nutritionist is not currently a protected term and anyone in the UK can refer to themselves as a nutritionist without any formal qualifications.

The British Dietetic Association (BDA) has published a leaflet to explain to the public exactly what differences there are between dietitians, nutritionists and nutritional therapists. This can be downloaded from the BDA website. (pdf 513kb)[/b]

kieranb

oh, maybe we shouldn't eat honey either as that is for baby bees?

Garz

kieranb wrote:

oh, maybe we shouldn't eat honey either as that is for baby bees?

Simon E wrote:

There are plenty of people who can knock holes in the 'nutrition advice' provided in CW, C+ and in Bikeradar articles. Education, intuition and an analytical approach can take a lot further than some people would have you believe.

Absolutely. Which is why some guy recommending me to not drink it, after some personal trial and error I will judge for myself. Similarly with some guy posting on a forum trying to knock holes in discussions.

simon_e

Garz wrote:

Simon E wrote:

There are plenty of people who can knock holes in the 'nutrition advice' provided in CW, C+ and in Bikeradar articles. Education, intuition and an analytical approach can take a lot further than some people would have you believe.

Absolutely. Which is why some guy recommending me to not drink it, after some personal trial and error I will judge for myself. Similarly with some guy posting on a forum trying to knock holes in discussions.

Is that me? I didn't tell you not to drink it. My views may be unconventional (which can be a good sign) and may of course be erroneous but I do at least have reasons why I suspect milk might not be the wonder-drink some sources claim it to be.

On one level trial and error is an understandable approach but are you suggesting you will base your decision solely on that? Do you have no doubts about its compatibility with the human digestive system?

What is "knocking holes in discussions"?

And yes, honey is THEFT!