Best Energy Food?

mitchellslaw

I tend to get tired out easily during the day, specially after bike rides, and I'm guessing part of it is my diet. What are good energy foods to eat at the beginning of the day? I've heard everything -- protein is better for energy, carbs are better, fiber is better, Vitamin C is better. Actually I am a little anemic so that might be part of the problem, but I should supplement the iron intake with a balanced diet anyhow. Thoughts?

daveryanwyoming

Carbs are better in terms of fueling aerobic exercise like cycling. Protein can help protect and rebuild your muscles during and after exercise, but carbs are the dominant energy supply for high end aerobic exercise. Fats play a bigger role at lower exercise intensities, but even very lean athletes tend to have plenty of calories available from fats and the rest of us have no shortage there whatsoever. You still need to consume some but I sure wouldn't "fat load" before an event or long ride Even when you're predominantly burning fats you still need glycogen to fuel the fires and to feed your brain so again carbs or the blood glucose and glycogen that are derived from carbs are the fuels you need to pay the most attention to.

A bit of protein along with meals and snacks tend to make it last longer so yogurt with morning cereal or some peanut butter on apples or banannas in the mid afternoon help those go a bit further.

Make sure you're replenishing your spent glycogen after an exercise session or ride with carbs and a bit of protein. Miss that first half hour after finishing your exercise and it takes a lot longer to synthesize and store glycogen in your muscles which can make the difference between feeling strong and struggling the following day. Check out this link on the concept: http://www.carbboom.com/education/recovery.php
You don't have to buy or use their product, but they explain the concepts well. I really like low fat chocolate milk as my post exercise glycogen replacement fuel. I can find it at almost any convenience store when I'm away from home or racing so it's a readily available carb/protein mix that works really well and has been validated in studies focused on recovery drinks.

I prefer to get the bulk of my nutrients from food, but often take a multi vitamin especially during times when I'm exercising hard or dieting to lose weight. I do take one that includes iron but don't know that I've ever suffered from any noticeable iron deficiencies.

Good luck,
Dave

QikSmurf

+1 on the above advice.


Just remember that your digestive system is fairly unique. What works for me may not work for you. I have found that certain foods repeat on me and I almost regurgitate other foods that simply don't digest quickly enough. Others I train with eat junk food and drink Coke during training but their performance doesn't seem to be affected. This really annoys me because I have to watch every mouthfull to stay ahead.

Portion size is the other issue. Best advice is to eat a little less than you feel is "enough" to make you feel full. The feeling of fullness is a delayed mental process that means that you have actually eaten too much. This is similar to the feeling of thirst. If you wait until you feel thirsty to drink, chances are you are already partially dehydrated.

mitchellslaw

Thanks for the tips, I'll keep that in mind.

aarathi

Best energy foods are berries, vegetables, salmon, lean proteins, tea, nuts and seeds and olive oil.

__________________
http://wslaat.com/