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Best Portable Nutrition for Gravel Century
I'm Cliffed and gelled out! What are people eating on 4-8 hr rides other than energy bars and gels?
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Generally, real food that you already know that you like. peanut butter and jelly peanut butter and honey cookies fig bars olives almonds burritos string cheese payday bars what do you like? |
Kind squares
cutie orange apple sauce(packet) fruit leather protein bar Mostly natural sugars and grains. |
I don't eat much - I use Infinit Nutrition - calories in your water bottle - I use it for all my Century and longer rides.
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I mix up single serving ziploc bags of maltodextrin and protein powder (7:1 by weight) and put it in my water bottle for long rides.
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There is a product unlike anything on the market. Its called UCAN. It is unique in providing a steady flow of energy no matter how much you take.
With pretty much everything on the market, if you eat/drink twice as much you get twice as much boost, but over the same duration. With UCAN, if you eat/drink twice as much, it you get the same energy level, but it will last twice as long. It was initially made for a medical application, but is invaluable for endurance sports. It metabolizes at a steady rate and pretty much ensures that I don’t bonk when on a long ride. Read “our story” for more details: https://www.generationucan.com/our-story/ I hate to sound like a shill, but I hate getting 2-3 hours into a ride and bonking. By then it is too late to recover, and its just a sufferfest. Ucan doesn’t give me a burst of energy or make me feel like superman – it ensures I have a steady energy supply. Besides that, I usually eat something natural, like a Kind Nut bar, and make sure I'm taking electrolytes (NUUN works good) |
Snack size Payday bars. Protein, fat and carbs.
Cheaper than any of the other stuff on the market. I also bring along some cured meat (jerky or sausage) for the salt and protein. Probably going to add some figs and dates into the mix as well. |
RX bars, but my body usually craves Fig Newtons, pickles and coconut water!
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Rice Crispy treats (or equivalent cereal marshmallow things) works for me. Second is something like Fig Newtons or any type of granola bar. If there was an easy way to carry jelly donuts, I would. Me and nuts don't seem to get along anymore so I skip those. Something that packs a punch, is cheap, has a wide variety is fruit cake but in my house it's all gone by January. On my last century I supplemented those above with a stop at McDonalds and a few things from the $1 menu. Nothing is magic and there is no miracle food or product that can give you super powers. Only convenience and friendly packaging and possibly some slick marketing.
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Originally Posted by chas58
(Post 20816026)
There is a product unlike anything on the market. Its called UCAN. It is unique in providing a steady flow of energy no matter how much you take.
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yeah, you could just buy a bag of corn starch too. But maltodextrin’s glycemic index is higher than table sugar, ranging from 106 to 136. This means that it can raise your blood sugar level very quickly. That is key. Nothing you can purchase has the long release cycle of Ucan (no blood sugar spikes). If that isn't valuable to ya, don't get it. The processing to make UCAN isn't quick or cheap.
You can always carry food and stop to eat every hour. KIND makes some high protein nut bars. PB&J, nuts, honey, figs, apple sauce packets work too. Those require carrying, stopping, smelling the flowers, digesting. Lots of options. Pick what works best for ya. Personally in Michigan summers, I just stop off at a farmer's stand, drop $$$ into the jar, and eat a pint of cherries. In the fall, cider and donuts or a caramel apple works well (although that will spike my blood sugar, lol). |
Originally Posted by chas58
(Post 20816026)
There is a product unlike anything on the market. Its called UCAN. It is unique in providing a steady flow of energy no matter how much you take.
With pretty much everything on the market, if you eat/drink twice as much you get twice as much boost, but over the same duration. With UCAN, if you eat/drink twice as much, it you get the same energy level, but it will last twice as long. It was initially made for a medical application, but is invaluable for endurance sports. It metabolizes at a steady rate and pretty much ensures that I don’t bonk when on a long ride. Read “our story” for more details: https://www.generationucan.com/our-story/ I hate to sound like a shill, but I hate getting 2-3 hours into a ride and bonking. By then it is too late to recover, and its just a sufferfest. Ucan doesn’t give me a burst of energy or make me feel like superman – it ensures I have a steady energy supply. Besides that, I usually eat something natural, like a Kind Nut bar, and make sure I'm taking electrolytes (NUUN works good)
Originally Posted by kingston
(Post 20816297)
I'd never heard of UCAN before. A little research reveals it to be hydrothermally modified starch. For $60 I can get a 24.7 oz tub of UCAN (20x120 cal servings) or a 50 pound bag of maltodextrin (over 700x120 cal servings).
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Originally Posted by chas58
(Post 20816382)
yeah, you could just buy a bag of corn starch too. But maltodextrin’s glycemic index is higher than table sugar, ranging from 106 to 136. This means that it can raise your blood sugar level very quickly. That is key. Nothing you can purchase has the long release cycle of Ucan (no blood sugar spikes). If that isn't valuable to ya, don't get it. The processing to make UCAN isn't quick or cheap.
You can always carry food and stop to eat every hour. KIND makes some high protein nut bars. PB&J, nuts, honey, figs, apple sauce packets work too. Those require carrying, stopping, smelling the flowers, digesting. Lots of options. Pick what works best for ya. Personally in Michigan summers, I just stop off at a farmer's stand, drop $$$ into the jar, and eat a pint of cherries. In the fall, cider and donuts or a caramel apple works well (although that will spike my blood sugar, lol). |
Peanut butter sandwich
An Orange. If you can get out where you are allowed to build a fire, a burrito is good. |
Beat me to it, modified cornstarch = maltodextrin. Bunch of marketing nonsense about extended energy etc Either way, modified cornstarch is at the bottom of my nutritional choices. For a century ride where I'm not in a hurry, I'm going to eat something natural with a good mix of complex carbs and protein. My goal is not to spike my blood sugar. if it is a shorter endurance thing where blood sugar isn't such an issue, there are things I would rather eat than maltodextrin. My favorite is simple honey: 4. Honey You can switch out your intake of maltodextrin (processed carbohydrates) to boost energy and replenish glycogen stores with pure, raw honey instead. Raw honey is unfiltered and unpasteurized, so it holds incredible nutritional value and health powers. It contains 80 percent natural sugars, so it’s not surprising that it has been called “the perfect running fuel.” Honey provides an easily absorbed supply of energy in the form of liver glycogen, making it ideal as a pre- and post-exercise energy source. Plus, there are many other health benefits of raw honey. Unlike processed simple carbohydrates, honey raises levels of health-promoting antioxidants in the body, thereby boosting the immune system and acting as a preventative against many debilitating diseases. Honey also benefits the gastrointestinal tract and improves glycemic control. In fact, research shows that honey has antidiabetic effects. (14) |
Originally Posted by MPE
(Post 20816228)
RX bars, but my body usually craves Fig Newtons, pickles and coconut water!
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3d5e5cf23a.png |
Honey Stinger Waffles. They are small, individually wrapped and don’t really crumble! |
Originally Posted by VastCrew
(Post 20816621)
Honey Stinger Waffles. They are small, individually wrapped and don’t really crumble! |
Originally Posted by VastCrew
(Post 20816621)
Honey Stinger Waffles. They are small, individually wrapped and don’t really crumble! |
Originally Posted by u235
(Post 20816764)
Similar to a Stroopwafel? I associate those with flying on United... They switched to pretzels last year but enough people complained and they are bringing them back. Some regional United Express had some knockoff brand late last year but just not the same. First world issues.
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Originally Posted by redlude97
(Post 20816778)
Yea, I buy the trader joes mini stroopwafels and stick some in a ziplock. They are bite sized so I can shove em in my mouth on the fly and they are way cheaper than the stinger waffles.
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Originally Posted by redlude97
(Post 20816707)
What? I lose like 25% in crumbs if they've been in a jersey pocket for more than 5 mins haha
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I like a mix of almonds and craisens. Or dates. I try to keep food with plenty of sodium/potassium since I seem to sweat out a lot of salt...I sometimes sprinkle whatever I’m munching on with lite salt (it’s roughly 50/50 NaCl and KCl). One year at DK, they were handing out boxes of girl scout PB sandwich cookies (I assume they were overstock from the local scouts). I have to say, those pretty well hit the spot on the ride...think ate a whole sleeve. |
I like Stroopwafels the only problem I've had is in the cold weather. They turn solid. :(
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Longer rides need something more like actual food. Bring a bag of beef jerky....if you run out, most convenience stores sell the stuff.
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I like dark chocolate Twix and chocolate milk or canned coffee drinks. Real food doesn’t much agree with me on long rides so I don’t usually eat any. |
Originally Posted by chas58
(Post 20816026)
There is a product unlike anything on the market. Its called UCAN. It is unique in providing a steady flow of energy no matter how much you take.
With pretty much everything on the market, if you eat/drink twice as much you get twice as much boost, but over the same duration. With UCAN, if you eat/drink twice as much, it you get the same energy level, but it will last twice as long. It was initially made for a medical application, but is invaluable for endurance sports. It metabolizes at a steady rate and pretty much ensures that I don’t bonk when on a long ride. Read “our story” for more details: https://www.generationucan.com/our-story/ I hate to sound like a shill, but I hate getting 2-3 hours into a ride and bonking. By then it is too late to recover, and its just a sufferfest. Ucan doesn’t give me a burst of energy or make me feel like superman – it ensures I have a steady energy supply. Besides that, I usually eat something natural, like a Kind Nut bar, and make sure I'm taking electrolytes (NUUN works good) |
Dates are about the same calories as a gel.. just take the pits out first ;) I like Clif Bloks when it is warm, waffles are good ( can get a stack of them at Aldi for cheap).
Also I like to make the Cinnamon apple rice cakes from Portables book. |
The Maltodextrin sucrose stuff kind of misses the point. You don’t want your blood sugar to spike, or to crash on a long ride. Eating/drinking a high sugar content beverage will do that. Great if you can keep it in balance, and you will be hurting if you don’t.
Personally, I like natural foods and complex carbs that will give me long lasting energy with minimal spikes and dips. If that doesn’t work for me, U-Can is an option. It is literally the only energy source available that provides the body steady flow of energy without spikes and dips. Some of the things I like have been mentioned above.
Originally Posted by Spoonrobot
(Post 20841550)
I like dark chocolate Twix and chocolate milk or canned coffee drinks…
There is a lot of science behind this that can be pretty important for an athlete to know. I’m not sure this is the place to do it – you really need to consult a nutritionist. Anyone can go work out hard for an hour with the energy readily available to your body. Much beyond that and you’ll need another energy source – whether it is from food, fat, muscle. The trick to an endurance event is keeping a good balance with your body’s energy systems. Yep, if it’s a 60-90 minute ride sugar is fine. I can crash at home. ;-) |
I don't think someone capable of doing 4-8 hour rides is going to deal with blood sugar fluctuations very often assuming they eat a somewhat regular diet and eat at the recommended intervals during the ride itself.
I'm also not a big believer in the mysticism of UCAN. It's great if it works for you but it seems like most long distance cyclists get along fine without SuperStarch™. Although I will admit it's entirely possible that we're all missing out on the positive effects of SuperStarch® and just don't know it. Then we have this. In July 2018, a class action was filed against the defendant, The UCAN Co., which alleged that the defendant's marketing violated numerous states' Consumer Fraud Acts and unjustly enriched the defendant.The complaint alleged that "[f]rom the serious beginner to the most highly paid professional, athletes are notorious for their susceptibility to being taken in by products that claim to improve performance." The products under scrutiny in this particular action are part of the Generation UCAN line: snack bars and drink mixes powered by a key ingredient, "SuperStarch," which is also available as a stand-alone powder.SuperStarch – "an all-natural, slow-releasing carbohydrate" – is pitched as a bit of a miracle supplement; the UCAN website boasts that SuperStarch is "improving the performance of elite athletes, providing everyday athletes with healthy nutrition for workouts, even assisting children with a rare condition." The site goes on to claim that SuperStarch, unlike competing energy drinks, "provides sustained natural energy levels without spikes and crashes" by "uniquely" stabilizing blood sugar and causing "virtually no reaction from the fat-storing hormone insulin." These broad claims promise the athlete spike-and-crash-free, improved workout capabilities and enhanced peak performance. Ouch "In reality," the complaint claims, "according to laboratory tests and peer-reviewed research, ingesting the Products at recommended rates before and during exercise does not enhance performance and, in fact, impairs performance due to Product-induced increases in gastrointestinal distress." Additionally, the complaint alleges that the only peer-reviewed study cited by UCAN to address the benefits of similar compounds on athletic performance actually illustrates no benefit at all. The study, which pits a SuperStarch-like chemical against an artificial sweetener, actually shows that SuperStarch conferred no reliable performance improvements or fat-burning rates over the artificial sweetener. Has there been any additional research? This send-up of the UCAN sponsored study seems pretty incendiary but essentially correct. It hits quite a bit of the nutritional themes and personalities from a few years ago as well, funny reading: The Carb-Sane Asylum: SuperStar(ch) -- Or does something stink here? So kinda seems like it's magic pixie dust. Expensive magic pixie dust too. Powder is $4+ a serving and the bars are $2.75 each. Yikes. |
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