Eating Real Food with the 2:1 Carb intake

Muffintop

Hi,

After reading the big write up in Saddle W@nker Weekly about 2:1 Carb ratio drinks I've purchased some Torq energy drink along with a few gel shots.

Previously been taking to boiling up some potatoes parmasan for eating on a ride popping a couple every 10 miles or so. Could I still munch away at my pots and still get the benefit of the 2:1 carb ratio drinks?

The potatoes have kept me steady (and they're real food), but I couldn't pass up the chance of being able to push 10-15% extra.

Any thoughts?

Mx

CakeLovinBeast

The whole point of the 2:1 ratio thing is that it increases the amount of the carbohydrates your body is able to take up over the course of an hour. Previously, most energy products utilised maltodextrin as their primary source of carbohydrate. The maximum amount of carbs absorbed this way was ~60g per hour.

Recent research has shown that adding fructose into the equation increases the amount of available energy through carbohydrate uptake. The reason for this is because maltodextrin and fructose are absorbed via different internal pathways, meaning that an additional 30g/hour are available for uptake, for a total of up to 90g CHO per hour.

The manner in which you get your carbs is unimportant - be that through energy products or potatoes. The important part to bear in mind is the ratio of maltodextrin to fructose, and the fact that you can AT MOST absorb 90g/hour. The general rule of thumb is that you'd require 1g carbohydrate per hour, per kilogram of bodyweight. Therefore a 72Kg person should look to take on ~72g of carbs. A person who is 60Kg would need 60g, and therefore need not worry themself as much with the 2:1 system so much. Me, at 90Kg, benefits far more.

Beyond that, you also need to bear in mind that fat inhibits carbohydrate uptake. The more fat you eat, the less carbs you can uptake. Therefore, if you're genuinely eating potatoes with parmesan, you're already limiting the amount of energy available to you because of the fat present in the cheese.

Muffintop

Cheers Cake,

You've given me some food for thought.

*here all night*
*try the veal*

Mx

team47b

just to add to that excellent answer, obviously there are different 'speed' carbs, potato is a fast acting carb, the GI info that is available is really useful for deciding on which carb to eat and when.

Muffintop

Did 50 odd miles yesterday using the gel shots, 2l worth of the torq drink (which didn't taste too foul, I've tried others before and found them powdery, this was smooth and easy to drink) also took my usual potatoes.

When I felt I needed something energy wise, took a sook on the drink. Before going up hills, 5 mins before had a caffinated gel shot. However, if my stomach felt empty I ate 2-3 potatoes.

Worked pretty well. Came back with no gel shots, about .5l of drink, and half the potatoes. Overall I felt pretty fine and still had miles in my legs (I was taking it easy as was out with the blokie and he's not done much training). I think I noticed it most with the gel shots before climbing as I managed to find my 'sweetspot' on the hills - you know, being able to peddle up without the world going a bit white at the top.

Next week we have the Trossachs Sportive so I'll take more gel shots, the same amount of drink (that was 2l of Torq plus 1l of water - I put the 1l of water into my camelpack that had the torq in it). And still have the potatoes but less of them.

Mx

bigpikle

That still seems like a lot to be eating for just 50 miles?

I use 2 x 750ml bottles each mixed with 30-40g of maltex powder (MyProein) and a splash of squash, and am more than fine for 3 fairly hard hours. Quick 'recovery' snack afterwards like a banana or hot chocolate etc and I'm good for the next day. If you're liking the caffeine element why not just buy a small 100g bag from MyProtein and add a dose to your drinks? It costs next to nothing and a 100g bag will last you several years!

I also like a few dates in the pocket if I want to actually eat something on longer rides. They are about 20kcals per date and dead easy to use on a bike as they dont go sticky in the pocket and dont need unwrapping etc.

Muffintop

Bigpikle wrote:

That still seems like a lot to be eating for just 50 miles?

quote]

So...?

Mx