Dried fruit for carbs while climbing?

[bikebottles]

I am tired of gels and sports drinks for sustained energy while cycling moderate to steep hills and have switched to dried fruit (most with added sugar).

I have read that the fructose in fruit isn't immediately useful to the muscles. Am I shorting myself on some energy doing this?

 

[LauraLyn]

I am tired of gels and sports drinks for sustained energy while cycling moderate to steep hills and have switched to dried fruit (most with added sugar).

I have read that the fructose in fruit isn't immediately useful to the muscles. Am I shorting myself on some energy doing this?

It could be a good experiment. But . . . two things:

1) "Dried fruit" = your body needs to rehydrate the fruit. This is not normally work you want to give your body when climbing, and it will contribute to dehydration. (So perhaps better to hydrate the fruit before the ride to address this.)

2) Digestion = solid foods (and especially uncooked foods) take longer and more energy to digest. So you are also taking energy away from your legs and other muscles to digest dried fruit.

Fresh fruit in a smoothie drink would seem to be the best to me.

(Suggestion: Try chia seeds. Hydrate them first. They carry approximately 9 times their weight in water when hydrated, so this can also be a source of keeping you hydrated during a long climb/ride.)

 

[bikebottles]

Makes sense!

It could be a good experiment. But . . . two things:

1) "Dried fruit" = your body needs to rehydrate the fruit. This is not normally work you want to give your body when climbing, and it will contribute to dehydration. (So perhaps better to hydrate the fruit before the ride to address this.)

2) Digestion = solid foods (and especially uncooked foods) take longer and more energy to digest. So you are also taking energy away from your legs and other muscles to digest dried fruit.

Fresh fruit in a smoothie drink would seem to be the best to me.

(Suggestion: Try chia seeds. Hydrate them first. They carry approximately 9 times their weight in water when hydrated, so this can also be a source of keeping you hydrated during a long climb/ride.)

I see what you mean, I hadn't thought about the energy needs of digesting the dried fruit taking energy from the legs. Don't want that. Humm...hydrated chia seeds, interesting! Thank you LauraLyn!

 

[durianrider]

I disagree.

Ive literally won 24hr solo xc races on fruit and water with organic medjool dates being my preference.

Chia seeds are full of fat and protein. They literally take days to digest where as fruit is INSTANT fuel in that it contains fast acting glucose and slower acting fructose. Look at what the gel companies are trying to do: they are using the same ratios of glucose/fructose that most fruits have as science has shown an athlete can take in more sugars per hour aka conserve glycogen stores therefore go harder for longer.

My suggestion is buy boxes of organic medjool dates. Aim for 1g of carbs per kg of bodyweight per hour. So for me at approx 65kg thats around 4 large medjool dates per hour. Pit the dates prior so you can just pop em. Squirt some water in your mouth and chew. There you go. The BEST fuel for any human. Nothing comes close hence why athletes that get majority of their calories from fruit will always outperform themselves when using other fuel sources.

I train around 20% of the average cyclist/runner. My strava times indicate otherwise.

I just ran a 34:19 for 10 000m on Sunday. On just 20km a week jogging. Fruit sure is magic food..

 

[bikebottles]

I disagree.

Ive literally won 24hr solo xc races on fruit and water with organic medjool dates being my preference.

Chia seeds are full of fat and protein. They literally take days to digest where as fruit is INSTANT fuel in that it contains fast acting glucose and slower acting fructose. Look at what the gel companies are trying to do: they are using the same ratios of glucose/fructose that most fruits have as science has shown an athlete can take in more sugars per hour aka conserve glycogen stores therefore go harder for longer.

My suggestion is buy boxes of organic medjool dates. Aim for 1g of carbs per kg of bodyweight per hour. So for me at approx 65kg thats around 4 large medjool dates per hour. Pit the dates prior so you can just pop em. Squirt some water in your mouth and chew. There you go. The BEST fuel for any human. Nothing comes close hence why athletes that get majority of their calories from fruit will always outperform themselves when using other fuel sources.

I train around 20% of the average cyclist/runner. My strava times indicate otherwise.

I just ran a 34:19 for 10 000m on Sunday. On just 20km a week jogging. Fruit sure is magic food..

Aah, dates are a favorite and medjools are sumptuous while having no added sugar. I haven't tried them riding yet. I just did the calculations, I would need about 54 g per hour, just a tad over 2 oz US.

So, the fructose is just slower but not unavailable. I will give this a go. Thank you durianrider!

 

[LongSprint]

Honey

Scratching that - bad advice!

 

[Boeing]

I disagree.

Ive literally won 24hr solo xc races on fruit and water with organic medjool dates being my preference.

Chia seeds are full of fat and protein. They literally take days to digest where as fruit is INSTANT fuel in that it contains fast acting glucose and slower acting fructose. Look at what the gel companies are trying to do: they are using the same ratios of glucose/fructose that most fruits have as science has shown an athlete can take in more sugars per hour aka conserve glycogen stores therefore go harder for longer.

My suggestion is buy boxes of organic medjool dates. Aim for 1g of carbs per kg of bodyweight per hour. So for me at approx 65kg thats around 4 large medjool dates per hour. Pit the dates prior so you can just pop em. Squirt some water in your mouth and chew. There you go. The BEST fuel for any human. Nothing comes close hence why athletes that get majority of their calories from fruit will always outperform themselves when using other fuel sources.

I train around 20% of the average cyclist/runner. My strava times indicate otherwise.

I just ran a 34:19 for 10 000m on Sunday. On just 20km a week jogging. Fruit sure is magic food..

pm me your strava user ID id like to see this

 

[durianrider]

For anyone wishing to follow me on strava, feel free.

http://app.strava.com/athletes/254600

 

[jhanakkl]

Help to shop fruit baskets online

We are online Fruit baskets manufactures. We go through the process of generating a pretty mobile mockup but we are still away from the success. Obviously we are looking Now for a cheaper solution of this problem. Or current web URL is

http://absinthium30.wix.com/yoursgift

Your help is warmly welcomed.
Jhana

 

[elapid]

We are online Fruit baskets manufactures. We go through the process of generating a pretty mobile mockup but we are still away from the success. Obviously we are looking Now for a cheaper solution of this problem. Or current web URL is

http://absinthium30.wix.com/yoursgift

Your help is warmly welcomed.
Jhana

I know another fruit basket who will enjoy your product

 

[Oldman]

It could be a good experiment. But . . . two things:

1) "Dried fruit" = your body needs to rehydrate the fruit. This is not normally work you want to give your body when climbing, and it will contribute to dehydration. (So perhaps better to hydrate the fruit before the ride to address this.)

2) Digestion = solid foods (and especially uncooked foods) take longer and more energy to digest. So you are also taking energy away from your legs and other muscles to digest dried fruit.

Fresh fruit in a smoothie drink would seem to be the best to me.

(Suggestion: Try chia seeds. Hydrate them first. They carry approximately 9 times their weight in water when hydrated, so this can also be a source of keeping you hydrated during a long climb/ride.)

Just finished this same discussion with my wife minutes ago! She's looking for a healthy alternative to sports bars but we shared the concern about digestibility; especially when putting in the maximum efforts. The most important thing is getting the raw calories into the system with minimum demand on the system for water or bloodflow. We appreciate that input. Have you tried chia seeds and do you mix them with anything (they don't sound spectacularly tasty)?

 

[durianrider]

I eat 4 large organic dates per hour. When you chew em up with a swig of water they are no longer a 'solid food'. They are of a gel consistency yet FAR more nutrition and no fiddly wrapper to muss over and dispose of.

Chia seeds are something I eat a few times a month. Maybe 50g a month.

I just won the 2013 Strava Base Mile blast with 6190km riden. Carbs FTW. Also not a single rider passed me on any climb during January and it was TDU season and I was most of the time on my bamboo bicycle. Dates chewed with water is as good as it gets. If you want pure liquid then just consume 1g of organic sugar per kg of bodyweight per hour. Measure it up and tip it in your bidon.

Sports drink without all the chemical junk and excess sodium retention inducing salt to weigh you down on the climbs.

 

[durianrider]

I know another fruit basket who will enjoy your product

ha ha

 

[Rip:30]

I eat 4 large organic dates per hour. When you chew em up with a swig of water they are no longer a 'solid food'. They are of a gel consistency yet FAR more nutrition and no fiddly wrapper to muss over and dispose of.

Chia seeds are something I eat a few times a month. Maybe 50g a month.

I just won the 2013 Strava Base Mile blast with 6190km riden. Carbs FTW. Also not a single rider passed me on any climb during January and it was TDU season and I was most of the time on my bamboo bicycle. Dates chewed with water is as good as it gets. If you want pure liquid then just consume 1g of organic sugar per kg of bodyweight per hour. Measure it up and tip it in your bidon.

Sports drink without all the chemical junk and excess sodium retention inducing salt to weigh you down on the climbs.

Winning at base miles. Could you possibly be any more beta? Poor, clinically OCD, and lacking in confidence so much that you literally spend years bragging on the internet--what a convincing sales pitch.

 

[usedtobefast]

I know another fruit basket who will enjoy your product

well played sir.well played.

 

[lostintime]

With dried fruit, you can soak them overnight and drain them . Carry what you need for the day. The fruit gets all plump and outrageously juicy . My favorites are organic Calmyrna Figs and Turkish Apricots . Even if you are "on the road" , you can put some fruit in a zip-loc plastic bag with a bit of water and the water will be absorbed into the fruit within 4-6 hours, depending on the fruit. Raisins would be fastest ,

 

[lostintime]

ha ha

Give 'em h e double toothpicks Harley

If you are not being a bit "crazy" ... you're not really LIVING !!!!!

The sacred mantra .... SO WHAT !!!! Just do it anyways

 

[Polyarmour]

I do Medjool dates for long races instead of sugar syrups. Take the stones out and stick about 15 in my back pocket. Don't even have them in a bag so they are easy to access. Works for me, I've never run out of energy.

 

[MarkvW]

I do Medjool dates for long races instead of sugar syrups. Take the stones out and stick about 15 in my back pocket. Don't even have them in a bag so they are easy to access. Works for me, I've never run out of energy.

On a bike tour, with lots of daily riding, dates, figs, and bananas are great at keeping me from bonking. All that potassium, I guess.

 

[Athame]

I do Medjool dates for long races instead of sugar syrups. Take the stones out and stick about 15 in my back pocket. Don't even have them in a bag so they are easy to access. Works for me, I've never run out of energy.

I'm gonna try that.

 

[helas101]

There are already given you different tips. But according to me I think you should eat banana. I read somewhere that it is most effective for muscles. I try it and its really work. Must try it.