Recipes Go Bites
3/07/2018

Top 3 nutrition tips to Go Faster at the #BristolGP

Fuelling for performance

Nutrition is such an important aspect of competing. It can make the difference between a great race and terrible one.

Go Faster Food’s Nutritionist, Sophie Heath, give us here her top 3 nutrition tips to get you feeling your best for the 2018 #BristolGP

1
Fuelling up for the big day – the training diet

Great nutrition isn’t all about race day – you need to think about the build up to the event too to help get the most out of your training. 

In the days and weeks before try to be conscious of what you’re feeding your body and aim to include the following with most meals:

Nutritious carbohydrates: these are a key energy provider so ensure you’re getting a portion of carbs with most meals around your long rides. Excellent sources of carbohydrates include wholegrains (like wholegrain rice), potatoes (sweet potatoes are a good choice) and starchy veg. 

Healthy fats: another key energy-provider. Great sources of fats are avocados, oily fish, oils, seeds and nuts.

Good quality protein: protein helps to maintain and build healthy muscles, so it is vital you feed your body consistently with adequate protein while training hard. Animal sources include meat, fish, dairy and eggs, and plant-based sources include lentils, beans, quinoa and nuts. 

5+ a day: fruit and veg contain all-important vitamins, minerals and other compounds that have antoxidant effects and can help reduce inflammation - helping you recover from your training rides. Make sure you eat a rainbow of colour in your diet to benefit from all the different nutrients fruit and veg supplies.

We’ve created some delicious recipes that you might want to try. They provide a nice balance of nutrients to support your training:

2
Eating before a hard ride or on race day

Having an energy-packed breakfast is key to giving you a good start to your ride. 

Carbohydrates and fats are important here, as the main energy providers in the diet. Going for a slow-releasing carbohydrate like oats is a great choice for your pre-ride meal. Here are some delicious oaty breakfasts you might want to try… 

For anyone riding for under an hour, having an energising breakfast should be enough fuel to get you through the race. However for those who are out for longer, or for anyone who hasn’t been able to fuel sufficiently beforehand, you might want to take a couple of energy balls in your pocket to refuel during the ride. 

Here’s an easy recipe for our delicious date & coconut balls.

For those of you who don’t fancy getting your hands dirty in the kitchen, we’ve got just the thing! Last year we launched Kate Percy’s Go Bites which you can buy on our website. 

They have been voted ‘the tastiest energy balls’ by Athletics Weekly so they are definitely worth a try — see the bottom of this article for a 15% off discount code. A banana is also a great snack option during a ride — always good to partially open them beforehand though to save the hassle when you’re trying to concentrate!

3
Recovery after a long ride

Ok so I’m sure all you care about now is rewarded yourself for getting through the ride — I totally get that! But if you don’t want to feel too sore the next day, getting the right nutrition during your recovery will help — so try to get a balance.

Protein is important here to help replenish your muscles, carbs can help re-energise, and of course some fruit or veg to give you the anti-inflammatory effects they provide. You can still eat a delicious meal which has a great nutritious balance – think chicken carbonara with a side of tender stem broccoli. Yum!
 
So there you have it, my top tips for your ride! If you’d like some more delicious training recipes, sign up to our free weekly Go Faster Friday recipe newsletter at www.gofasterfood.com 
 
Best of luck with the training, we look forward to fuelling your ride with our Go Bites!

If you’d like to buy some Go Bites ahead of the day, we’re offering you 15% off. If you’d like some training recipes we’re also giving you 15% off Kate Percy’s Go Faster Food recipe book. Simply use to code BRISTOLGP15 when you purchase either at www.gofasterfood.com

Go Faster Food was founded by sports cook and author of the Go Faster Food recipe books, Kate Percy, 10 years ago. They are all about inspiring and fuelling active lifestyles with delicious food and relevant knowledge about how to eat to perform and feel better. 

You can keep up to date with Sophie’s adventures on her Instagram.

If you’d like to know more about Go Faster Food, check out their website and follow @gofasterfood on social media. 

Don’t forget about that BRISTOLGP15 discount code 👆.