What comes to mind when you think of Christmas carols? Is it children singing? Hay rides? Sleigh bells? For me, it’s figgy pudding. And, although I’ve never actually had it, figs intrigue me. One of my favorite pizzas boosts a healthy serving of figs. This week, we’ll keep it simple and serve up a...
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Bart Yasso may be known as more of a runner than a cyclist, but this running idol says that “Riding my bike cross country is by far my favorite athletic achievement. I wasn’t out there trying to set any records. Just riding solo enjoying the natural beauty, diverse landscape and friendly people.” I had...
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Many of you will have read the trials and tribulations of Elden Nelson, more commonly known as ‘Fat Cyclist‘, on his fantastic blog. The longstanding blog, cited by many as being the finest collection online, has charted the news, satire and heart-felt peaks and troughs of life for many years now. Fat Cyclist will...
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I’m going to let a great video and manifesto image from a company called Holstee do the talking today. This company believes in the same things we do over here at Loving the Bike, and they have a great way of expressing it. Check out their manifesto and then watch their inspiring bikey video...
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Austin has been invaded by thousands of #runnerds this week as the National Running Expo called “The Running Event” rolled into town. I’m a cyclist, right? So what would I want with a running event? Well, an expo of this magnitude brought with it a bunch of fantastic companies that cater to both the...
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What are your carbohydrate recommendations for the night before a big ride or race? It‘s important to think about the timeline of digestion in this scenario. It only takes refined carbohydrates ~15-60 minutes to be digested and hit the bloodstream. Then, they‘re stored. If your glycogen stores are not fully replenished, they can be...
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This is the first instalment of a series on bicycle commuting by guest contributor, Aaron Madrid. Who better than a newcomer to the world of commuting to talk about their experiences and suggestions to get you doing the same? Loving the Commute by Aaron Madrid While we are all confident that eventually the great...
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Sometimes big things come in little packages. This is certainly the case with this week’s key ingredient. Big-time nourishment comes from a tiny sesame seed. Nourishment that can help cyclists with stamina, achy joints and migraines associated with electrolyte depletion. They’ve certainly stood the test of time, dating back to as early as 1600...
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What motivates you to crank out the miles on a Trainer or Rollers? In our “Let’s Talk” series for this month we’re discussing trainers and rollers and everything that goes along with them. What tips or suggestions do you have to make riding indoors more exciting? What brands or models do you recommend? What...
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BTB Sunglasses and the Testicular Cancer Society are out to break a world record in an effort to spread awareness about testicular cancer. The goal is to donate 8290 sports balls (the number of men diagnosed with testicular cancer every year) within 24 hours. Doing so will break the world record for this sort...
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Unfortunately due to the ridiculous nature in which our planet has decided to rotate through space and influence time and seasons, I missed last week’s #bikeschool session (9pm EST if you hadn’t got the hang of it yet). This was unfortunate for 2 reasons; the obvious being I didn’t get to have my hour...
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The month of December is pretty much party central for the Loving the Bike Family. During the month we celebrate three Birthdays, one Anniversary, Christmas…and this time around we’re tossing in a trip to Hawaii. I love to celebrate these kinds of events, but I don’t let the celebrating stop at Birthdays, Anniversaries, and...
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I generally eat pretty healthily and stay relatively fit but I wonder if I’m getting enough vitamins and minerals. Is there a product (available in the UK) that contains the right mixes of daily vitamins and minerals and if not, which individual supplements should I take to compliment a healthy lifestyle. (ps… I don’t want to take so many pills that I rattle!)
Kelli’s Answer:
Thanks for the question! First a disclaimer: It’s always important to talk to your personal health care provider about supplements -some should not be taken due to medication interactions and individual conditions.
Now, my general recommendations:
Although a healthy and balanced diet is most important, I do believe that most people, and athletes especially, need a good multivitamin/multimineral, extra vitamin D, and fish oil (or another source of DHA/EPA omega-3s) in addition to healthy foods. Mostly, I recommend this because our soils have been over-farmed (which decreases the amount of nutrients in our foods), our waters are polluted (which is one reason we can’t eat as much seafood as we’d like), and our ability to get outside and get sunlight year round has decreased with more time spent inside and at a desk. And, there’s a lot of exciting research that supports higher levels of vitamin D supplementation than previous recommendations.
Generally, I recommend these daily supplements:
Additionally, individual athletes may need extra iron, probiotics, calcium, etc. But, these 3 pills are a good place to start for most healthy athletes.
As you look for supplements, the keys are to find ones that 1) have what they claim they have (no exaggerated claims) and 2) don’t have anything that’s harmful. You don’t want lead or other dangerous heavy metals, and I try to stay away from colorings, flavorings, and unnecessary additives. Since this industry is not really regulated, it can be hard to find good brands that have support from a 3rd party expert. I often www.consumerlab.com, a completely impartial 3rd party site that tests supplements and reports on their ingredients. They don’t have every brand, but it can be a good starting point. I hope this helps!
Please send us your questions for our Expert Sports Nutritionist, Kelli Jennings to “Ask the Sports Nutritionist“. Kelli Jennings is a Registered Dietitian with a passion for healthy eating, wellness, & sports nutrition. For more information go to www.apexnutritionllc.com.
Nutrition Tips
