Training & Nutrition - How do you get your carbs?? Or how do you make brown rice taste better??

I do a lot of carb loading (with intentions besides riding), but I'm finding it a little more difficult than I expected. It must be easy (5 min to make or so) and fair tasting. Brown rice is perfect, but the kind I've been using is so bland I can barely eat it (which is saying a lot. I can eat almost anything). I've tried some different frozen potatoes and they're okay, but loaded with so much sodium it's ridiculous. Thanks for any tips.

Brett

Candy is the easiest carbs. Sugar, yum yum. Not especially healthy though, and not complex carbs. Try a different kind of rice, there are tons out there to try.

Herbs.. spices.. adding veggies, nuts and fruit. Since there is no definitive taste, you have limitless options to spice it up, many of which add almost no time. Adding toasted pine nuts and currants is a classic combo.

Trader Joe's has some good frozen brown rice. They also have seasoned pasta (like garlic herb) that cooks in 2 minutes. Again, throw in some other stuff for variety.

Make batches of pancake mix using whole and multigrain flour, add some fruit, maybe use powdered egg white.

stir fry with brown rice, tuna veggie rice casserole, brown rice warm with a little honey and milk, brown rice casserole with olives, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, chicken stew over brown rice...endless possibilities...I like short grain brown rice...Lunden's seems to be the best.

I've said it before, and i'll say it again...

171932

Preferably Leffe Blonde... ;)

After cooking the brown rice I mix it with vegetables. You can add garlic and onions and spices to the water as you cook it. I prefer curry. I also cook my brown rice in homemade chicken broth. I wash the brown rice first and then cook it with a little hot oil before adding the broth or water.

Saute a little bit of onion and garlic and mix it with the rice. Or mix in some salsa.

Uncle Bens

After cooking the brown rice I mix it with vegetables. You can add garlic and onions and spices to the water as you cook it. I prefer curry. I also cook my brown rice in homemade chicken broth. I wash the brown rice first and then cook it with a little hot oil before adding the broth or water.

Yup, try cooking the rice in a half-broth instead of water... add some spices also. I think the best option though is to eat pasta.. within 2hrs of finishing your activity, but not immediately after. I'm not sure about this carb-loading bit, if you're already topped up then it's just going to turn into fat.

I heard the way to get good brown rice is with a real good Ricecooker since they have the option already so it tastes just like white rice. But I can't tell if it's true or not cause I don't even have a rice cooker to start with.

I love basmati rice with butter in it and a million other ways to get carbs. In our society carbs aren't exactly difficult to find, complex or otherwise.

Almost any steamed vegetable and sauce Mornay over the top of the brown rice. I like organic short grain. Broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower are really yummy, but only one at a time. Stir fry over is good. A rice cooker is a very good thing. But if you want to only spend 5 minutes cooking then you are shackled to industrial foods, which are pretty much all crap. Ever hear of the Slow Food movement? Eating is only the most important thing you'll do every day. You might think about giving it a little of your time.

Feed it to a rabbit, then eat the rabbit.

Fruit: cantalopes, peaches, blue berries, apples, raspberries, bannanas. A fruit salad is great. Indulge every once in a while to break the monoteny.

5 minutes is not enough time to devote to long term healthy eating. But thats another curse brought on by fast food that I don't want to get caught up in again :p Many good ideas here, Broth is a great way to cook your rice in and make LARGE amounts, enough to last no more than 4 days or freeze it. After 4 days you will notice a major loss of flavor. As for the broth, I'm assuming you are not going to make your own, use the low sodium stuff as there is still a reasonable amount of flavor.

Rice and left over ANYTHING works as well. Again the large amount saved for a few days can be added to any portion of left overs and made into a stir fry, omelet, skillet fry, you name it.

I am addicted to oatmeal at the moment. Not the crappy packet stuff. Regular oats boiled.
I have tried a few others like steel cut oats but I keep coming back to regular oats.

I am addicted to oatmeal at the moment. Not the crappy packet stuff. Regular oats boiled.
I have tried a few others like steel cut oats but I keep coming back to regular oats.

Yeah, I rotate between old school rolled oats + Peanut butter + Banana, and Kashi Go-Lean cereal.

Yeah, I rotate between old school rolled oats + Peanut butter + Banana, and Kashi Go-Lean cereal.

If you want, i'll sprinkle some clenbuterol on your go-lean cereal. That way your cereal will really live up to it's name and you can deny knowing about the pixie dust later if anybody asks!

Rice cakes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UiuqIWGe_s

Fresh sweet potato, microwaved.

Will take about 8-10 minutes, but no effort.

You can add butter or olive oil to make it less dry, but is delicious, full of vitamins and plenty of carbs.

Stay away from the frozen meals - there are plenty of good fresh options!

butter makes everything taste better

butter makes everything taste better

MMmmmmm buuuuttttttteeeerrrr

http://scienceblogs.com/strangerfruit/WindowsLiveWriter/Mmmmmm.roadkilldrool_F1C9/drooling_homer_2.gif

I refuse to use margarine. Butter ftw!

I refuse to use margarine. Butter ftw!

Seriously, whats up with margarine? Why?

Seriously, whats up with margarine? Why?

here's a quick article. http://www.healthcastle.com/butter-or-margarine.shtml

Sweet potato rice pudding BRAH.

1 1/2 cups of cooked rice
1 cup of mashed sweet potatoes
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of raisins
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
3 cups of milk
Bake at 325. I usually use egg whites instead of whole eggs for more carbs and less fat.

That sweet potato rice pudding sounds awesome. Is it good with brown rice? My girlfriend seems to think that the consistency would be off unless you used white rice.

Also, how long do you bake it for?

Ah, sorry I was in a rush. Give it 1 and a half hours in the oven.
It works well with shorter grain brown rice, overcooked. The long grain stuff would need to be cooked twice, probably, for the texture to be right.

here's a quick article. http://www.healthcastle.com/butter-or-margarine.shtml

Transfat, yes... but if you were eating margarine from the 60s on you would have been clogged up with trans-fat, which never goes away, because some margarines are loaded with it. Now there is the palm tree issue regarding trans-fat free margarine. Margarine has a horrible track record, honestly.

I tastes better.

Nuh uh you tastes like boiled chikanz.

lol
It tastes better.

Try rice pudding made with brown rice, coconut milk and some brown sugar. Sprinkle cinnamon on it when you are ready to eat it. Bonus: it's tasty hot or cold.

I never touch margarine, the processors of these foods have been skating on thin ice for YEARS and don't want you to look at the health records in this country for the last 50 years... It's not any ONE thing that will get you, it's the combination of all the processed crud OVER THE YEARS that adds up and causes problems. I used to eat everything that wasn't nailed down and figured if I was exercising I would be fine... Nope, my system is crashing and you wouldn't know it by looking at me. In the past year I have cut out all processed foods and eating a reasonable diet that includes just about everything I can get my hands on but in it's grown form. I've lost 30 lbs and my BP is getting back to normal, I sleep better, my acid reflux is GONE, and MANY other issues are disapearing... Personally I think my approach is working for me and I ain't changing...

So thats why margarine is BAD...

Big fan of rice and bean burritos. Little salsa, some beans, rice and a bit of cheddar all rolled up in a wheat tortilla. Not sure what else I put in. Bake for a while, and enjoy with sour cream. great stuff. also good leftovers for time to come.

Balsamic vinegar and a little bit of olive oil.

Just in case:
1. make rice.
2. stir in a couple eggs.
3. add cumin, turmeric, chili, diced tomatos, fresh parsley, salt, and pepper to taste.

If you mix brown rice in with some soup it bulks the soup up, and adds great taste to your rice.
My favorite is to make some lentil soup and mix them together.

Can't stand brown rice. Do they even eat brown rice anywhere else but in America? After a hard ride I eat Jasmine rice and eggs with butter, sometimes the fake butter. It's what my body craves. GL

I do a lot of carb loading (with intentions besides riding), but I'm finding it a little more difficult than I expected. It must be easy (5 min to make or so) and fair tasting. Brown rice is perfect, but the kind I've been using is so bland I can barely eat it (which is saying a lot. I can eat almost anything). I've tried some different frozen potatoes and they're okay, but loaded with so much sodium it's ridiculous. Thanks for any tips.

Brett

have you ever noticed that whenever someone posts about a certain topic, all of the sudden the banners show a similar product suggestion? It seems like there's some effort in bikeforums to do a lot of marketing here.

Japanese curry with rice: http://www.asianfoodgrocer.com/product/golden-curry-mild-3-5-oz

look up lists of complex carbs and simple carbs and also look up how to use them separately and in conjunction with regards to training.

for example before bike commuting 13 miles year round a typical start for me included 2 eggs; 2 pieces of toast; coffee; water; B6; B12 about 1.5 hrs before leaving and then just before climbing on the bike a small box of raisins. I had all the energy I needed.

btw: protein like a chicken cutlet is a good late nite snack cuz it takes a while to digest and gives your metabolism something to do and helps you sleep. it also feeds your muscle recovery and growth overnite

If you want taste and pure carbs then cook the brown rice with a tab bit more water to make it sticky. Then mix vinegar and soy sauce with pepper to make sauce, you can also add chile. Pour it on the brown rice and eat away. Its actually good.

butter makes everything taste better

Or Ghee

With brown rice, I like to mix in a bit of soy sauce, Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (rooster on the bottle) and garlic powder. Then I chop up some steamed broccoli and some baked chicken, and mix it in. That is a tasty, healthy, filling, albeit spicy, dish. :thumb:

Fresh sweet potato, microwaved.

Will take about 8-10 minutes, but no effort.

You can add butter or olive oil to make it less dry, but is delicious, full of vitamins and plenty of carbs.

Stay away from the frozen meals - there are plenty of good fresh options!

Sweet potato the perfect carb!