dhk2 said:
Interesting diet advice. You've got the majority of daily calories coming from protein, with lesser but equal amounts coming from CHO and fats. The best cyclists I know certainly don't eat that much protein or fat. Instead, they eat a high % of their calories as carbs, stressing fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Particularly for recovery after a hard training ride, the standard advice I've read several places is to eat a high-carb meal with just a small amount of protein, perhaps in a ratio of 4 or 5 carbs to 1 part protein.
Certainly post ride you want to get glycogen back in the muscle as fast as possible. Immediately post ride you want HGL carbs, ie fruit juice.
Within 30-60mins., light protein and slightly lower, non-fiberous, GL carbs, ie. an egg white and a piece of cantaloupe.
After 90min you want to continue replenishing glycogen stores and setting up for tissue repair with a meal of lean protein, lower GL carbs and healthy fats.
The body can only store a limited amount of glycogen in the muscles and liver which makes carb-loading ineffective. If it worked you would be able to eat a ton of carbs and ride a century without having to refuel every 45-60min.
After glycogen stores are well on their way to full, tissue repair is the next order of business. Leg muscles under go a tremendous effort during hard rides. Strength athletes eat from 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass a day. Many of them train for less than 1 hour. I'm no great cyclist and I consider 1 hr. a short ride. Therefore I believe that muscle recovery is of no less importance than glycogen replenishment. If you don't get stronger you can't go faster!
Unless you have your head buried in the sand you know that dietary fats of all kinds are of the utmost importance for good health, especially having a good O6:O3 balance. The best way to attain this is by eating free range beef, pastured pork, game meats, cold water fish and Omega 3 enriched whole eggs. Also beneficial are walnuts and other tree nuts. Even on the toughest rides we spend the majority of time in aerobic HR zones. Fuel of choice is dietary fat.
Maintaining a net alkaline load is very important for performance. Foods with net acid loads are counter productive to this. Protein sources are essential so they must be balanced with alkaline foods, fruits and veggies. So non-essential acid load foods should be avoided, ie. tubers, grains, dairy, legumes.
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