I know nothing about nutrition. Growing up, my Mom was a Dietitian who preached about medicinal herbs and which flowers were edible and yet, we ate very little fresh vegetables and no fresh fish. It was a mid-west meat and potatoes diet. In the 1970s, my Mom raced canoes. She and a friend would paddle for hours on flat Ohio rivers in ripped jean shorts, tank tops and visors in the hot summer sun. I remember her rigging up large water bottles and long hoses with duct tape to the side of the canoe and packing bottles of Ensure and butterscotch candies as hydration and fuel for these 3 to 4 hour races. (yuck!) She was a pioneer in the exploration of food for endurance racing.
We’ve come a long way baby and there is still so much to learn. I will admit, I am guilty of obeying the media. I fell right into the belief that GUs, Gatorade and Energy Bars were the way to fuel up during an endurance race or adventure. But after a couple of marathon races and rides, you find yourself dreading the next mile because you know you will be gagging-down that GU and thinking to yourself, “There has got to be something better than this.”
There is and it’s all natural, whole food. It’s so simple and yummy and the ingredients are probably in your kitchen right now! Last week, VIDA Ambassadors Uriell Proft and Leigh Bowe presented answers to all our questions and shared their knowledge on effective nutrition. Uri, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and firm believer in whole, unprocessed foods to fuel health and performance on or off the bike, guided us through creating some delicious homemade snacks to keep us fueled and hydrated on the trail. Ditch the sugary sports drinks and go with the mild Skratch Lab hydration options. The Skratch Lab cookies (LOVE) and homemade rice cakes are pack full of nutrients and super portable.
The Feed Zone Portables and Feed Zone Cookbooks include great portable snack recipes ( I loved the cashew and bacon rice cakes – yum!). You can find the Skratch Lab products and both cookbooks at The Vertical Runner in Breckenridge.
Brilliant! The VIDA MTB Series’ mission is to improve women’s experiences mountain biking through riding instruction, proper gear setup and nutrition. I’m psyched for the Beti Bike Bash 1-Day Core Clinic on June 13th and also the Keystone Clinics this summer! For more information visit VIDA MTB Series .
Wild Balance Jewelry was also on hand to for some instant retail therapy. 🙂
Enjoy the Climb.