Clyde, There's at least objective merit to the idea that different individuals have different physiological needs. I think little research has been done on this. For example, take 10 athletes and feed them all pancakes for breakfast before an 8 hour ride. Some (like me) will bloat badly and be pretty unhappy. Others might swear it's better than Mom's milk.
I'd be interested in your feedback on a breakfast I've previously used for all day rides: A large bowl oatmeal with a modest amount of brown sugar, 3 or 4 whole fried eggs and a medium glass orange juice. Seems like it's high in sugar or sugar equivalents. I ride about 30 minutes after eating it. It seems to work quite well for me, giving me energy for 6 hours or so. I'm pretty sure that the eggs are a key part of it. Lloyd
ANSWER: The fibrous starch (oatmeal) fuels muscle, the sucrose in the OJ fuels your liver, the egg whites give you protein and the egg yolks give you dietary fat. That is the "positive" perspective of this breakfast. However, the amount of glucose in a "large" bowl of oatmeal (about 150 Cal / cup dry, or 300 Cal / cup cooked) and sucrose in a glass of OJ (110 Cal / cup) probably amounts to 600-700 Calories, which will without question spike your blood sugar and reduce performance compared to 400 Calories worth of carbohydrate. Eating as much as 400 Calories of carbohydrate all at once will also result in reduced performance if digestion is not slowed by protein and fat, which the whole eggs provide, and the amount of protein in 3-4 egg whites is 90-120 Cal (fine), but the amount of fat in 3-4 egg yolks is 120-160 Cal, half of which is saturated fat along with plenty of cholesterol. I would say toss one or two of the yolks, put avocado into the eggs along with one or two yolks so that the total amount of fat stays the same as what you are doing, reduce the oatmeal and OJ by 1/3, and put just as much oatmeal and OJ along with almond butter and some protein powder into the blender to make a shake for your first rest stop or water station. Alternatively just go with any kind of sandwich that you know works for you and skip the shake altogether later on.
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