First on our list is porridge or oatmeal. This is a firm favourite, especially among
pro teams, for good reason. Oats are very low on the glycemic index - what that means
is that they give a slow, steady release of energy. Ideal for the start of the day when
you don't want a sugar spike. Perfect for the long ride or other strenuous activity.
They don't have to be boring either. I might spice mine up with a bit of brown sugar, also
some raisins and fruit. Our very own Simon Richardson gave his perfect recipe about a year ago.
Fish is an absolute superfood for us cyclists. Not only does it contain high quality protein
to help rebuild our muscles after a tough training session, but it also contains essential fatty acids.
Don't be put off by the name. These are good fats that your body needs. To top it off,
you get a great hit of vitamins B, D and selenium.
On the off chance that you ever happen to find yourself in the breakfast room of a team
of pro cyclists, you'll likely find that, along with their oatmeal, they'll probably
be consuming an omelette or some other form of eggs. It's a great source of protein with
which to start your day and you can even add some extra healthy ingredients like tomatoes.
Tinkoff-Saxo's Hannah Grant showed us how to make the perfect omelette. You can watch
that video if you click in the description below.
The fact that cycling and coffee go hand in hand might not be a coincidence after all.
Caffeine is one of the few proven ergogenic aids and it's in strong coffee in abundance.
Just be a little bit careful though, because some of the large drinks that you can now
purchase in modern coffee shops contain more calories than in an entire meal. Stick to
smaller, stronger coffees if you don't want to put weight on and look more sophisticated...and perform better.
Nitric oxide is a fashionable term in the world of sport at the moment, but it does
appear that it's a performance enhancer. Studies have shown it can help increase your endurance
and improve your blood flow. Where can you get it? If you're in the US you can find it
in beets, if you're in the UK you can find it in beetroot. Trouble is, you need to eat
a hell of a lot of these if you want to get a performance benefit, so either buy them
pre-juiced or just juice them yourself, just like we did in this video here.
Not dissimilar in quality to fish are nuts and seeds. They're also a great source of
protein and essential fats. Good examples include almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and
pistachios. But try to go for uncooked raw versions of the product. Even almond butter
or peanut butter can be healthy for you if you get organic stuff without too many additives.
But, go easy on them if you're using them as snacks because they do contain a lot of calories.
Particularly trendy in the US at the moment is this - coconut water. It contains a lot
of potassium and very few calories and it's more effective than plain old water at keeping
you hydrated. It might not be to everybody's taste, but we do know that there's lots of
WorldTour teams who have a plentiful supply of this on their team buses for riders to
consume before and after races.
Eaten at the right time, rice is a great way to promote recovery. It's very high on the
glycemic index scale, which means it gets glycogen quickly into your bloodstream.
This isn't what you want in general, but immediately after training or a race it's exactly what
you want to replenish your muscles' glycogen stores. Some teams will even use it during
a race. Combined with fish or some sort of eggs, it makes the perfect post-training meal.
'Eat your greens' is something that many of us will remember our parents telling us as
kids. Unfortunately they were right. Vegetables contain so many of the vitamins and nutrients
that we need, and they're also a great source of carbohydrates. Unlike fruit, which contains
sugar, it's also very hard to eat too many vegetables.
Last but by no means least, one of our favourite on the bike foods - flapjacks. They're easy
to eat as you ride, easy to put in your pocket and taste good to boot. They provide exactly
the sort of fuel that you need for your ride. There's lots of recipes out there, but why
not start off with one from our very own Simon Richardson?