How far I ride... my longest ride is 4 hours. I have been doing mostly apple juice and doing fine with it. I do about 50/50 mix with water. I would probably not race with apple juice, but not sure. One thing to consider is that I am riding hard and racing, not taking leisurely rides.
I am not sure what all of the above means. E.g. it's metabolized by the liver (as opposed to how and what does that mean to me?)
Applejuice has a very low glycemic value of 40 which I would have thought would be good for long steady fuel? Maltodextrin according to Hammer is 130 GI.
can anyone explain what this means to me in english. If maltodextrin is a complex carb, but it has a very high glycemic index then wouldn't that just provide a spike of energy? if the GI of applejuice is so low, why wouldn't it be good?
As for reasoning, I just prefer to consume as many natural foods as possible.
Some quotes from hammer
http://www.hammernutrition.com/hnt/1275/
People often ask about the Glycemic Index (GI) of various carbohydrates and how those figures relate to fueling for endurance exercise. Here’s the scoop: GI rates the speed at which the body breaks down a carbohydrate into glucose. The lower the GI, the slower the process, and therefore the more stable the energy release. For food eaten at times other than exercise and recovery, GI is an important dietary factor, and we recommend eating foods with a low–to–middle GI rating.
Long–chain, high–GI maltodextrins have a GI value of about 130, compared to glucose (100) or sucrose (62). This means that maltodextrins raise blood insulin more effectively than simple sugars, but without the rapid and precipitous drop that is a common (and deleterious) effect of simple sugars. Also, as mentioned earlier, maltodextrins allow you to absorb a greater volume of calories than you can from simple sugars.