Recovery Foods

[Motophoto]

What foods do you guys eat after a ride to speed muscle recovery so your legs dont hurt as much:o . I am sure there is a post on this somewhere but I could not find it. The story: most weeks I can only get in two decent rides but this week I was on vacation so I have done four pretty good rides but now my legs are still sore and I want to ride but I know there is not much left in the tank, a few miles out and I will start slowing down, what should I have been eating? During the ride I only have water and after eat when I get home.

[tekhna]

I keep hearing about this magical 4 carb to 1 protein formula, but I would love to hear about to food other than drinks like Endurox or Accelerade.

[chrisesposito]

protein, high glycemic index carbs, electrolytes, antioxidants, and vitamins. Within 30 minutes of finishing exercise so that it can get to muscles when they are most receptive to getting it. Makes a big difference (at least for me) in reducing muscle soreness and improving recovery for the next day's workout.

I'm fond of Hammer's Recoverite, but reduced fat chocolate milk works pretty well also. If you want solid food, you might try the Balance / Zone Perfect or other multivitamin / protein / carb bars.

[tekhna]

Ok, so I figured there has to be a way to make a trail mix that hits about 4/1 ratios, so hows about this as a recovery food? Maybe I am displaying my total ignorance here, but oh well..

Calories Fat Carbs Protein
Cheerios (3 cups) 329 5 69 9
Rice Chex (1.5 cups) 187 0 43 3
Corn Chex (1.5 cups) 164 1 37 3
Almonds, unroasted (.5 cups) 410 36 14 15
Peanuts, all types, raw (.5 cups) 414 36 12 19
Cranberries, dried (.25 cups) 91 0 24 0
Raisins (.25 cups) 109 0 29 1

Totals 1703 78 227 51

Might be a little fatty for some, but that yields 4.45g carbs/1g protein.
Didn't include M&Ms, I should have! More dried fruit might be a good thing.
Would make about 230 calories per cup serving. Anyone have any suggestions or embelishments for this pretty generic trail mix?

[edp773]

Peanut butter crackers can be a good alternative to goos. The contents vary from brand to brand though. My Bakers Inn 9 grain bread has the perfect mix of 4 carbs to 1 protein and has eletolites, but I have not tried it yet. For goo I use Hammer Gel.
The length and intensity of your ride can make a difference. If you ride hard for more than one and a half hours, you need to take in more than water.

[HWS]

3 fried eggs on wheat toast and a glass of OJ does it for me after a long or tough ride.

[rpc180]

I think Pho from a Vietnamese restaurant is a pretty good choice. Lots of broth with salt and other things, meat, and plenty of noodles. I always feel better after having a large one. This is just my opinion, I'm no sports nutritionalist... :)

[DannoXYZ]

Low fat too... I could eat that stuff every day!

[jennings780]

Kashi Go Lean Cereal
Soymilk
An Orange
An Apple.

After an hour or two - a bag of edamame.

[bandregg]

The yogurt drinks from Stoneyfield are really good. They're expensive, but a good treat now and then.

[craigery]

I've been told that you shouldnt eat right after a bike ride because your body is still burning a higher amount of calories than usual. I usually wait 45 min to an hour to eat after I ride. However, I drink a lot of water or any fluids. I've been told that the more fluids you drink the less sore your muslces will be. So far, it works for me. Plus, if my ride wasnt too long, I like taking my dog for a walk right after words to keep the blood flowing to help recover.

[sjjone]

I've been told that you shouldnt eat right after a bike ride because your body is still burning a higher amount of calories than usual. I usually wait 45 min to an hour to eat after I ride. However, I drink a lot of water or any fluids. I've been told that the more fluids you drink the less sore your muslces will be. So far, it works for me. Plus, if my ride wasnt too long, I like taking my dog for a walk right after words to keep the blood flowing to help recover.

That is advice straight out of Shape or Cosmo. It's true that you burn at a slightly higher rate for a couple hours after a good cardio workout, so if you wanna lose weight and don't give a damn about performance, that's the way to go.

However, if you want to be a better cyclist, get faster and suffer less on a daily basis, you MUST eat within 30 minutes of getting off the bike. It's just about what your goals are.

I need to lose about 10lbs, but eating for recovery is the LAST place I'll cut calories.

[jrennie]

Being a fanatic for the stuff, oatmeal(not prepackaged) is almost the perfect food.
1/3 dry
100 calories
18g carbs
4.3g protien
almost exactly 4-1