I am commuting 21 miles a day, 5 times a week and whatever happens at weekend.
I am on my feet all day teaching. The sustained distance is newish to me, as my car share arrangement stopped;i have always ridden the route over 16 years.

Anyone got some good advice on foods and vitamins. I am looking to keep my levels up, so I don’t get run down and ill.SIS gels have been good when the banana supply dries up.

I’ve found a good recovery shake taken as soon as I get into work really helps.

A bacon roll sorts me out! I have tea, bran flakes and a multi vit to get me there.

Any thoughts on vit c and d?

Normal food is what you need. If you eat well you don’t need vitamins, gels and the like are empty calories and muck up your insulin response.

Drop the refined sugars – gels, maltodextrin and the like. Oats are good for long acting carbs and have some role in regulating insulin response

But simply – eat a normal balanced diet and you will be fine. No supplement needed

Recovery shakes are based on somewhat dodgy science

Homemade oat flapjacks are great. Blend the oats, add some peanut butter, water and whatever else you want: protein powder, salted caramel, Nutella, dried fruits, etc. You get fairly healthy alternative to overpriced flapjack bars without any nonsense you don’t want. You can also make ones that are full of protein for recovery or ones that full of carbs (fruits, salted caramel, chocolate, etc.).

They taste similar to Cliff bars, takes 10 minutes to make, divide them into 100g bars, wrap in the foil and throw them in the freezer.

I used to just have a pain au chocolat and a macchiato when I got to work. Then a 10 hour day, then cycle home. That was 19 miles each way. You’ll only be cycling for 30-40 minutes each way, not really requiring of a special diet to be honest.

You’ll only be cycling for 30-40 minutes each way

I read the OP as 21 miles each way 🙂

simondbarnes – Member
I read the OP as 21 miles each way

No, it’s 21 each day or 10.5 there and 10.5 back…or at least that’s how I’ve read it 😆

Just buy some multivitamins from H&B and eat a good old heart bowl of oats beforehand, I add protein powder to add flavour.

Yeah a few extra calories, but I wouldn’t spend money on gels, as you don’t need to eat on route. Bowl of oats and cold milk or banana when you get to work, and a protein shake.
Tin of tuna and salad for lunch, an apple, and orange.
Oats an hour before you leave.
Mine is a 40-45 mile round trip, but twice a week is my max.

One thing I notice with commuting by bike every day, even on a relatively short 7,5 km each way and especially now I am getting older, is that it does leave me feeling a bit run down for fun rides at weekend, IMO it is worth sorting out an alternative on Fridays and having a day of the bike.

Balanced diet. Lots of veg. Keep a good supply of healthy snacks around to boost your energy. Dried fruit, nuts, oat cakes and the like.

Cheers everyone, including the ones pointing I aint doing much:)
I am on my feet all day, surrounded by kids with all sorts of lurgs. The flu jab fends most of it off. Nearing fifty, I am somewhat knackered at the end of the day for some reason. Anyhow theres a pub on the way home, which means the last mile is fuelled by lagerzade.

Anyhow theres a pub on the way home, which means the last mile is fuelled by lagerzade.

Well there’s your issue – swap the lager for real ale and all will be well.

Alerzade?

Vitamin supplements must work to some degree or the NHS wouldn’t recommend them recommend them to some people:

http://www.nhs.uk/chq/pages/1122.aspx?categoryid=51

Seems to me vitamin supplements are useless if you get the right intake from food. But if you’re lacking then they are useful unless you have the willpower to change your diet.

My attempts to get more iron from regular Spinach smoothies has failed and I’m starting to consider popping some Multivitamins. Would I be wasting my time?

You’re better off buying decent quality such as Solgar, Jarrow Formulas, Biocare, Lambert’s. Avoid that high street health food store as their products tend to be full of nasties. Multivitamins can be a waste of money, better off with separate supplements.

*Importantly though you should be tested before you take anything.*

As regards iron ferrous fumarate has the maximum RDA, cost around £4 for 28 days supply. However some people find their tummy can’t tolerate it, others are available.

IANAD but AIP. 🙂

😉

Anyone got some good advice on foods and vitamins. I am looking to keep my levels up, so I don’t get run down and ill.SIS gels have been good when the banana supply dries up.

I do 20 miles each way 3-5 days a week all year round, been doing it for 10 years. I’ve never felt the need for vitamins and just eat normal amounts of food. I usually have a glass of milk when I get home.

My attempts to get more iron from regular Spinach smoothies has failed and I’m starting to consider popping some Multivitamins. Would I be wasting my time?

What makes you think you have an iron deficiency? iirc the adcice for someone with an iron deficiency would be to supplement iron for about 6 months (thats how long it takes to get the levels up) and then sustain levels through diet.

When I have been in France and Spain, it is much more noticeable how dark leafy salads are part of the everyday menu, something that is missing from the northern European diet. I think that when this is missing, it can lead to lower levels of minerals in the diet, and supplementation of a good multi mineral is more important than vitamins.

It shouldn’t be underestimated how depleted having a bit of stress at work, raising a family and getting in a decent bit of sport on top can leave you. Getting the diet right should be the priority, but taking supplements to help should not be dismissed out of hand as many do.

In an ideal world we’d all be growing our own fruit and veg plus keeping livestock. After all who wants to eat fruit and veg that’s been in cold storage for goodness knows how long.

Good point about dark leafy veg, does anyone have a tip for enabling baby spinach to be edible for longer than 2 days? Seem to be wasting it, probably should buy frozen.

After all who wants to eat fruit and veg that’s been in cold storage for goodness knows how long.

happy enough here especially as apples only grow one time of the year. Anyway on the recovery shakes, it’s a really easy way to get what you need in. Quicker and simpler than eating but that’s more of a race observation.
Take a look here for stuff you can batch make with a nutritional breakdown
Feed Zone Portables

Mike – we need to return to eating what’s in season. Book looks interesting. 🙂

I’ll disagree on that one, plenty of fruit gets cold stored (and for me much better as it’s harvested and stored locally rather than sbipped) and probably one of the reasons we are generally healthier if we want to be. The books are excellent and helps to explain what is happening rather than the I did this and that people come out with.

I know but unsure whether anything is irradiated these days.

[quote19 miles each way. You’ll only be cycling for 30-40 minutes each way[/quote]

That’s assuming the route is flat ,my route is hilly both ways so takes longer than that .