Eating and drinking at the same time?

bflk

I was trying to read up on how long water takes to get absorbed when I drink and came across this article which suggests that drinking straight after eating may not be a good idea if you need to hydrate rapidly. I usually stop for a cereal bar or sandwich then wash down with water especially as the food dries the mouth out a bit. Maybe if the food amount is small its not a big issue. Any thoughts?

https://medium.com/the-coffeelicious/an-explanation-of-water-and-your-body-e8edf9071b0f

sheffsimon

bflk wrote:

I was trying to read up on how long water takes to get absorbed when I drink and came across this article which suggests that drinking straight after eating may not be a good idea if you need to hydrate rapidly. I usually stop for a cereal bar or sandwich then wash down with water especially as the food dries the mouth out a bit. Maybe if the food amount is small its not a big issue. Any thoughts?

https://medium.com/the-coffeelicious/an-explanation-of-water-and-your-body-e8edf9071b0f

My thoughts are that if you have time on a ride to stop for a sandwich then you are not doing the kind of rides where you need to "hydrate rapidly"...or "I'm f***in' gaspin'" as us Yorkshiremen would put it....

Just stop for a bite to eat and a drink and carry on.

ai_1

I've never found ingesting large quantities of fluid in one go during exercise particularly useful. Regular sips are a better approach. I doubt small amounts of food will massively interfere with that.

keef66

Bite of fig roll, couple of jelly babies, quick slurp of drink to wash them down. Repeat as required.

I can keep this up indefinitely. My riding is best described as bimbling though. Not sure I could contemplate high intensity training or racing and comestibles at the same time...

bflk

I haven't got stuck into the papers the article cited but my thoughts are that you would think evolution would have designed a cleverer human tummy than that. I'd expect since water is more important than food then if my stomach had to make a choice it would process the water first!

sloppyschleckonds

bflk wrote:

I haven't got stuck into the papers the article cited but my thoughts are that you would think evolution would have designed a cleverer human tummy than that. I'd expect since water is more important than food then if my stomach had to make a choice it would process the water first!

It cannot account for the stupidity of man.

JayKosta

Ideally you'd be drinking enough while riding so that it is not necessary to do significant re-hydrating while stopped. My standard drink while riding is 'sugared' Gatorade, a good sized mouthful every 5 miles.

Yes, if you eat solid food you'll need some water to aid digestion. I prefer solid food that is slightly 'moist' rather than 'dry' - I find it easier to eat and digest. And don't consume too much solid food at one time - perhaps a max of about 400 Calories.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

Alex_Simmons/RST

A beer and a burrito is standard unit of time for power meter riders. Keep that in mind for when you get serious about your training.

JayKosta

Alex_Simmons/RST wrote:

A beer and a burrito is standard unit of time for power meter riders. Keep that in mind for when you get serious about your training.

---

YES! train hard enough that a 'B&B' could be justified, but have the will power to NOT DO IT --- that's part of the essence of 'serious training'.

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA

RutlandGav

I've noticed, during my current weightloss/biking, that when transitioning from a glycogen depleted state to a full glycogen one, i get thirsty.

Ie. I've been out on a long ride to exhaustion, or have been fasting for 24/36 hours, then have a carb rich meal. Even though i was urinating clear water beforehand, and didn't feel thirsty , soon after ingesting the sugary stuff i'm dead thirsty and glug down a litre or two. Add to that, in the case of fasting, my digestive system's been shut down and now i'm refilling it with all the stuff your body secretes to break down food.

The thing is, your body does not in fact work to maintain a constant quantity of water within itself, it is trying to maintain a constant osmolality . Increase the amount of stuff dissolved in your bloodstream and you'll want more water to keep the osmolality constant.

Didn't use to notice that effect when eating a carb-rich meal before i started training/dieting, because my glycogen reserves would have been pretty much full before i even tucked in, so I was just converting the carbs to fat.

sloppyschleckonds

RutlandGav wrote:

or have been fasting for 24/36 hours,

Can you explain what you mean by this?

homers_double

Imagine being really hungry, then double it.

drlodge

keef66 wrote:

Bite of fig roll, couple of jelly babies, quick slurp of drink to wash them down. Repeat as required.

---^ this is what I use, drink is High5 Isotonic and I also use Sainsburys granolo bar (4 slices for £1.50 in a bag, with the cookies).

whoof

I stopped on a ride on Sunday for roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, potatoes and veg followed by jam roly-poly and custard. I hydrated with a pot of tea (without sugar).
Immediate post ride refuelling was trifle and more tea.
The last time I 'trained' I got a standard class return and had to stand the whole way as there were no seats available.