What should mountain bikers eat? We asked a registered dietitian for tips.

Alex Larson is a registered dietitian and multi-sport athlete who helps endurance athletes optimize nutrition and performance. She’s written multiple nutrition guides and offers customized nutrition coaching services to athletes around the world.

Do athleticism and nutrition go hand in hand? Are athletes generally healthy eaters by nature?
What is a “flexible eating style”? Are restrictive diets sometimes harmful?
How does pre-race fueling work?
Is nutrition drastically different for training vs. racing?
Is it more challenging for athletes to maintain a healthy gut than non-athletes?
What types of things can cause gut issues for athletes during a workout?
Are there signs that nutrition is holding us back from fitness gains?
What have you learned about nutrition from your own training?
With summer approaching, should athletes adjust their diet based on the season?
Does an individual’s nutrition plan look different for different sports?
Do you recommend an app for tracking daily nutrition or a food journal?
If I eat the wrong thing after a race, is that going to have a big effect on my future performance?
What’s one simple step mountain bikers can take to improve their nutrition?

For additional nutrition resources and to connect with Alex, visit alexlarsonnutrition.com.

Transcript

Jeff Barber 0:00
Hey everybody, welcome to the singletracks podcast. My name is Jeff, and today my guest is Alex Larson. Alex is a registered dietitian and multi sport athlete who helps endurance athletes optimize nutrition and performance. She’s written multiple nutrition guides and offers customized nutrition coaching services to athletes around the world. Thanks for joining us, Alex,

Alex Larson 0:25
Well thank you for having me. Jeff. I’m excited to be here.

Jeff Barber 0:29
My first question for you, you know you’re an athlete, you’ve competed in a number of different events, do athleticism and nutrition go hand in hand? Like are athletes, are we generally healthy eaters by nature?

Alex Larson 0:45
I would love to think so, but I wouldn’t say that’s the case for everyone, because some people get into sport for different reasons. Some people maybe choose to get into sport because they’re looking to lose some weight, or they’re looking from the social aspect of things. And sometimes when you get really heavy on the social aspect of things, you know, going out to eat doesn’t always equate to being healthier. And sometimes when people think that they’re exercising a whole bunch, that they are going to be able to eat whatever they want. So I don’t make it is that you and so, I mean, I, I think in general, people want to live a healthier lifestyle when they’re really active, but then sometimes, when you start training more, you also notice that your hunger gets really intense too. And navigating that can be a little tricky as well, and making sure that you’re still getting in the nutrition that you need and honoring that hunger.

Jeff Barber 1:47
Well, can you talk a little bit more about that? Like, like, yeah, if you’re an athlete and you know, obviously we’re burning a lot of calories, let’s say we ride all day long, going like a huge mountain bike ride. Does that then? Just mean, you can eat whatever you want afterward, or, like, yeah, do do we need to think about that a little bit more?

Alex Larson 2:08
I think it’s important to think about it. And if you’re riding all day long, you’re also, like, missing out on some meals, right? Like you might write right right through your lunch. And so not only are you burning all these extra calories, but you missed a meal. That is an opportunity. I think of like meals and snack as opportunities to get in the nutrition that you need, and so you need to make up for that. But that doesn’t mean that you just get to go hog wild with whatever sounds good. I think it’s really good to be strategic. And you wrote all day now we need to focus on recovery. That’s something that not enough, and athletes prioritize is fueling themselves with the appropriate nutrition so that they can recover really efficiently. We can help prevent some muscle soreness, and if they’re going to ride again the next day, maybe it’s a beautiful weekend and they want to ride along both Saturday and Sunday. We need to get you to recover really quickly after Saturday’s ride, so you’re ready to go for Sunday and feeling really great. So that’s where sometimes being strategic in choosing foods that you want to eat, but then also balancing it with the things that you really need so that you recover well. So for example, you’re riding all day. You’re going to be burning through a lot of that muscle glycogen. The glycogen is our body’s stored form of carbohydrates right in our muscle. It uses it as energy during exercise, and so when you’re depleting those glycogen stores, we need to reload them the rest of the day afterwards. So again, you’re getting yourself back to where you need to be so you have that energy for the next workout. And protein really important for muscle recovery. Those muscles got tore up, they’re needing a fresh source of amino acids. So supplying some really good quality protein can be very helpful to, like I said, preventing that muscle soreness, getting them that fatigue out of them, so that you’re not right in the struggle bus the whole rest of your next workout.

Jeff Barber 4:14
I’m certainly guilty of, you know, thinking of meals as rewards, you know, like, after, after a big effort. But, yeah, I like how you phrase it. As meals are opportunities, not opportunity to refuel or to, like, make healthy decisions and everything like that. That’s, that’s super helpful to me, yeah, and

Alex Larson 4:36
The other thing too, sometimes people think of like, oh, I had a long, hard day. Like, all I want is, like, you know, a tall, cold beard. I’m like, okay, that’s that’s great, but we really need to rehydrate you, and you’re going to notice that you might not sleep as well. You’re going to be more dehydrated overnight, if you’re just going to try and reload with your fluids as beer. So like thinking through those decisions. First, you know, when I have athletes like, is it okay if I have a beer after my race? I’m like, Absolutely, but I want you to have plenty of electrolyte rich fluids throughout the day, before you, you know, go to dinner and have a beer, and then afterwards, after that beer, I want you to continue drinking instant fluids so that we can get you feeling good and recovered a lot faster.

Jeff Barber 5:21
So one of the things that you seem to write about a lot and talk about is this idea of a flexible eating style. So what, what exactly do you mean by that? What do you what does it mean to be flexible in how we eat? Yeah, well,

Alex Larson 5:35
I definitely don’t like the term diet, in dieting, it sometimes just has this very restrictive negative connotation to it, right? And so, you know, in my like writing for my blog, or like talking about eating, I was like, I need something other than the term diet, like, I just need something that’s a lot more positive. And so I came up with this term flexible eating style, and it’s really more of an eating pattern than a diet. For people, I want it’s a really a way of eating that is easy for you to stick to long term. Because if you think of someone like, Oh, I’m eating really good right now, it’s like, well, that sounds very like start and finish. And I want something that sounds very temporary. I want something that is enjoyable for people, like they enjoy what they’re eating, I want it to meet their needs nutritionally, but also socially and culturally, and allows you to go on vacation and not feel like guilt or shame for your food choices. So that’s where you know, it’s not a diet. It’s more of like an essence, a style of eating for people where it’s something that’s doable, it’s realistic. It works with their unique schedule. You know, as a mom of three kids and trying to fit in some exercise and working full time, like it’s it’s not easy to follow a restrictive diet. It’s impossible. So if we can find something that meets your needs and is something that fits in with your like, I said, your unique life. That’s, that’s a winner in my book.

Jeff Barber 7:04
Is it, is it more of like a psychological thing to, like, not be feeling guilty about what you’re eating or not eating or or is it a health thing? Or is it both, like, like, what? What are you being flexible about?

Alex Larson 7:20
I think it’s both. I think having a really positive relationship with food, not viewing food as like, good or bad, because truly food does not hold moral value, but understanding like what food is going to offer you. Am I choosing this particular food because I just flat out enjoy it, or is it going to offer me anything of benefit? You know, I have athletes who love like a pop tart or candy, and I’m like, let’s use that to fuel right before your workouts. Like it’s good carbs, you know, let’s use that to our advantage. And then maybe other times of the day, we’ll focus on including some veggies, because we’re not going to eat veggies before we go for a long bike ride. And so being more strategic in all foods fitting into a healthy lifestyle, I think. Is that that goal?

Jeff Barber 8:09
Well, you mentioned vacations too. Is that another opportunity where I don’t know, for a while, I was trying to eat plant based, and, you know, I would go on vacation, and it would be really tough. Like, either you’re like, on the road or you’re, like, with family, and there’s not really options, and, yeah, so you is, is being flexible also mean, like, yeah, not always sticking to that rigid diet, because I admit I would cheat. I’d be like, I’m going to Chick fil A. Like, it’s fine, because one time is not going to kill me.

Alex Larson 8:41
Yeah, exactly. It’s one time. It’s it’s not going to undo any of the other healthy, healthy choices that you make. And there’s still ways that you can make Chick fil A healthy and you can get a fruit cup as a side, and you can get, you know, a small fry instead of a large fry. You don’t have to get a big gulp of, you know, so, like, there’s ways that you can definitely make whatever situation in the best in what your options are, and thinking about, what do I really want when I’m at Chick fil A? Is it their waffle fries, or is it, you know, a crispy chicken sandwich? And maybe have a crispy chicken sandwich? Yeah, right. So good stuff. Yeah, so where I’m at in northern Minnesota, we’re just getting our first, like, Chick fil A here this spring. So it’s very exciting times over here near Duluth, because I feel like we’re just kind of sheltered over here. We just got to Costco, like, two years ago, so we’re really behind the times. I know we’re getting there. So, so, yeah, you think about, like, what is it you truly want and enjoy that, but then maybe some of the other things that you can have more often, you know, maybe making it an alternative, healthier swap, like I said, like the fruit cups, or I was out last week at a sports nutrition conference in Kansas City, and for one of the lunches, I got a club sandwich. And. And I was like, Oh, I still need some more protein. So I got a side to cut his cheese, I got some fruit, and it was a very filling meal, and very, like, nutritious, and it was good, like I enjoyed it, and I didn’t feel like I was depriving myself from I think I ended up having some some Kansas City Barbecue at one point during the trip. But it wasn’t like I went all out with the massive platter, either like, I kept it reasonable, yeah.

Jeff Barber 10:23
So on the flip side, how do you know if your diet or your eating style, like is is unhealthy, or like is too rigid, or, I don’t know, like, how do you know when you have this like, wrong relationship with your diet? Yeah,

Alex Larson 10:38
I think if people, in terms of mentally, if they are feeling like they have food rules and they feel guilt or shame if they eat a certain food, or if they say, like, Oh, I’m being good today, like that. To me, seems like it there could be some work on people’s relationship with foods. And that’s where, you know, I can come in, you know, with some athletes that say they have a really poor relationship with food, and just help them understand, like, what that all foods can offer something, and we might, like, I said, offering that strategy of, like, where we can time it out so you can get the most bang for your buck with whatever food that you’re choosing, right and then aligning it with your needs. You know, if we have athletes that are trading really high volume, they need a lot of food, they need a lot of food, and they need a lot of fuel, and so making sure they understand exactly how much they should be eating, because a lot of them just aren’t eating enough, because we’ve been in this conditioned diet culture mindset for so many years, and kind of opening their eyes to, hey, you need more protein, or, yeah, you’re not getting enough carbs. This is why you’re feeling fatigued at the end of these training blocks. This is why you’re feeling so much muscle soreness. This is why you’re not seeing any gains and strength and power on the bike. You know, like being able to kind of explain those things and how making some simple adjustments to their nutrition can really turn things around for them. Is a lot of fun on my end,

Jeff Barber 12:07
Let’s talk specifically about fueling for mountain biking and nutrition along those lines. How does pre race fueling work? I know for a lot of people, I mean, will joke about, like, Oh, I’m carbo loading. But like, Carbo, that’s a real thing, right?

Alex Larson 12:25
It is a very real thing. And I will say it’s not as fun as people think it is, because when you do a proper carb load, it is a lot of food. And I often tell my athletes, I’m like, you basically are gonna throw any healthy eating recommendations you’ve ever heard in your life, you’re going to throw it out the window for a day or two here, while we carb load you. And it’s going to be a lot of food, and you’re going to be tired of it by midday, because you’re just going to be kind of full. And so we have to kind of strategize, like maybe doing some liquid carbs with some, you know, carb based foods and but basically, the object of carb loading is to super load your muscles with that glycogen that I mentioned, so that you carb loading doesn’t make you faster on the bike, what it will do is it will help delay fatigue. It’ll help you maintain your pace for longer without fatiguing. So I always tell like our marathoners, I’m like so that lat, that final 10k when most people see their wheels fall off and you start to bonk like you won’t notice that as much, if at all. If we’re properly carb loading, same thing with like distance bike racing, you’re going to have stronger power on your legs later on in the ride, because your glycogen is not going to be as depleted as much. And then I noticed that people recover a lot faster, too, like they bounce back from those big, hard training rides or their races a lot faster. Too? Interesting?

Jeff Barber 13:50
Yeah, I didn’t realize that it was like a serious thing. I mean, for most people, probably for me too, it’s like, eat some spaghetti the night before or something. But this sounds like it’s much more like strategic than that.

Alex Larson 14:04
Yeah. Depending on how long your race is, it could be anywhere from one to three days that we’re having athletes carb load. Wow. And if you think of carb loading for every gram of glycogen that gets stored in our muscles, it’s about three grams of water that goes with that. So it really is an effective hydrate or two. So for the love of God, do not weigh yourself when you’re carb loading, because you will notice the scale will jump up like 456, pounds. Wow. It’s pretty common. It’s just because it’s water weight. And if you’ve got a really hot and humid race where you know you’re going to be sweating a lot, it’s nice to have that fluid on you to keep you hydrated for longer and delaying dehydration. So there’s a couple different aspects of carb loading that it can really benefit your performance. Yeah,

Jeff Barber 14:46
I was going to ask about that too, like, pre hydrating, because for me, I know that I do a lot better if I’m, like, really well hydrated before a race, versus, like, I’m I’m terrible about drinking during. The race, I just either I forget or, like, I’m just not feeling thirsty. Can you, like, pre hydrate to some degree, or is it tied to the carb loading? You can?

Alex Larson 15:09
For a lot of our really, really salty sweaters, I will have them do a preload of sodium with fluids, like the night before the race and then the morning of the race, usually saying, like, drinking like 16 ounces, or like half a half a liter, at least an hour before a race start, just so you can give yourself some time to empty your bladder too. But preloading with a little bit higher dose of sodium can be helpful if you’re a salty sweater, just giving it kind of a little head start.

Jeff Barber 15:37
How do you know if you’re a salty sweater?

Alex Larson 15:41
There are some tests you can do, but a lot of, like, the indicators would be like, if you have chronic cramping issues, especially like later on in, like an endurance race, if you are really just heavy sweater, and then you notice that when your sweat dries, there’s like salt, like caked on it. That being said, I actually just had my sweat tested last week when I was at that conference. And the guy was like, What do you think you’re at? And I was like, I bet I’m probably, like, below average. And he goes, you’re actually way above average. And I was shocked. It was like, 1700 milligrams of sodium per liter of sweat. I was blown away. I’m still, like, processing it in my mind, and how I’m looking back at all of the racing and the heat I’ve ever done, and I’m just kicking myself because I definitely did not get enough electrolytes in so, yeah, it’s like those these little things that we can pull from people in terms of information about how their body responds To exercise and heat and humidity can really set them up for success. So the fact that you told me that you don’t drink enough on the bike, you forget that would be probably one of the first things that I would look at for you, is practicing that throughout training, so that when you do get to race day, it’s like second nature for you to take in that fluids and stay hydrated, because once you get, like, over 2% loss of body weight from fluids, you really start to see your performance decline. Your heart is having to work a lot harder to pump blood because there’s not enough, like plasma volume in your blood. So, like those types of things really can make a difference in performance.

Jeff Barber 17:16
Interesting, yeah, I also need to get my sweat tested too.

Alex Larson 17:21
There are some different routes out there. They’re starting to make some products that are like wearable devices precision hydration, that sports fuel company, they have a test that it’s basically like a little electrode that like pulses into a little spot on your skin that triggers that section to sweat as if you’re in a really hard effort. And then it collects the sweat, and then they’ll analyze the the sodium in there, level in is another, like patch one, that you can put on your skin, and then you send it in, and they’ll tell you your sweat rate. And then there’s a couple, like they said, there’s some wearables. There’s like, H drop or Nyx is one, I think the one that’s a little more expensive has a little bit better reviews on it. So yeah, there’s, there’s definitely some different options for people to learn a little bit more about their sweat rate. Or you can just do a simple, like, in home sweat test too, that just at least tells you the volume that you’re sweating, like, how much you know, how many liters an hour, or how many ounces an hour that you’re losing, so that you can at least get a ballpark range of what you need to be taking in for fluids. Interesting.

Jeff Barber 18:32
Well, part of what we’re talking about here with pre-race fueling, I’m wondering, does it apply to training, like, is, is there a difference in your mind between training versus racing, in terms of, like, what you’re taking in before, during and after? Does it matter if it’s a training ride or a race?

Alex Larson 18:50
I like to view training as practice for racing, of practicing different fueling products that you’re going to use practicing in training your gut to be able to handle the the carb rate that you need to take in on the bike during your ride to make sure that you can perform well on race day. I think of what you’re going to feel with before your workout is practice of what you’re going to feel with before a race, and timing that out and seeing what foods and beverages are going to help you feel best. And with biking, you know, I had this mantra that the bike is the buffet, because usually, most athletes can tolerate taking most anything you know, right before a ride, and unless they’re going to go like super hard effort right from the get go, usually you can handle most stuff in your gut, because you’re not having as much jostling motion as you do with running, and your heart rate’s a little bit lower biking. So that biking, the bike is the buffet, is usually my mantra, because we can, we can go just about any route with fueling those people do have a sensitive gut, then looking at more like liquid based. Least carbs before a workout would be where I would go there. Yeah, but yeah, I I don’t necessarily think of training fueling as different from racing. I just think of, let’s use your training as practice, like words, practice, practice, practice, your fueling, so that when you come to race day, there’s nothing new. You just know exactly how to execute things. It’s second nature for you. There’s going to be no surprises. And, like, my favorite is when our athletes get done with their race and they’re like, nutrition was on point. It felt great start to finish the PR. Like, those are the types of things that I’m like, awesome. This is exactly what I wanted to hear. Yeah,

Jeff Barber 20:38
You mentioned the gut and gut health, obviously is like a hot topic these days. It’s very trendy. Yes, among Yeah, among athletes and non athletes. Is it more challenging? Do you think for athletes to maintain a healthy gut, or is it easier because we are so active?

Alex Larson 20:58
Well, I guess for the most part, I feel like athletes usually have a fairly healthy gut. The sometimes when I see athletes with gut issues, what’s interesting is that if they’re really under fueled, like, if they’re just not eating enough, if they’re really restricting, if maybe they’re trying to, like, lose some weight, what ends up happening is the gut movement and motility will slow way down, because it’s trying to, like, get every single bit of calorie it can from food, because it’s just, like, desperate for nutrition. And when we start to get athletes fueling more, their gut starts moving a lot better. They see a lot more like, their bowel movements are more irregular, like they just they don’t might not notice as much bloating. It’s kind of interesting how just eating more consistently can really improve that gut health. But then in terms of like gut issues while exercising, that can really be like a individualized aspect of things. But I feel like the most important thing there is looking at, like gut gut transit time. So if we’re, for example, training or racing on a really hot, humid day, we’re putting in like, full effort, and you’re noticing that you’re feeling more bloated. You’re feeling like anything that you eat and drink is just kind of sitting there. Then we know that maybe blood flow is a little restricted in the gut right now. It’s more prioritized at like, muscles in the skin, to keep you cool, to keep you moving. And so things aren’t really emptying in the stomach, and so that where I’m like, Okay, we gotta, you gotta slow down. You gotta get your heart rate down so that things can start moving along. Or if they are not consuming enough fluids, and they’re consuming a ton of carbs and sodium, they could be having a little bit of like, the like, osmotic movement in their gut, where they’re actually pulling hydration back into their gut, and that’s not good either, and sometimes that can cause some diarrhea. So like, there’s a lot of things that could be happening with gut issues during a workout that we’d have to kind of look at, or they might just be eating way too much fiber, like you mentioned, plant based sometimes, with our plant based athletes, they’re just eating an epic amount of fiber, and that’s just contributes to really bulky stools, and then you’re going to have, you know, bowel issues on out in the middle of the woods. That’s not good to be able to stop and have to do that.

Jeff Barber 23:17
It sounds like a lot of it is kind of because everybody does have a different gut, that there is a lot of this is like experimenting, figuring out what works. How do you know? I mean, for me, I kind of decided any gut issues that I have before, say, a race or a big ride. A lot of times it’s just nerves, like, how do you know that it’s that, versus, like, your nutrition?

Alex Larson 23:43
That’s super common for nerves and anxiety. Actually, one of the sessions that the at the sports nutrition conference as that was on gut issues and anxiety and navigating working with like a sports psychologist or having some relaxation techniques to help calm that anxiety and reduce those GI issues. And I will say that for me, pre-race, that anxiety wreaks havoc on my appetite.

Jeff Barber 24:12
Yeah, same. I don’t want to eat.

Alex Larson 24:13
I go in with the best intentions of what I’m going to eat, and I’m just like, oh my gosh, nothing sounds good. Like, I have to, like, force this down because I’m so nervous, and so I’ve just resorted to having some liquid based fuel to sip on throughout the morning, because I can get that down a lot easier than, like, a bagel with peanut butter on it. So yeah, like, those nerves definitely can make an impact on gut and appetite.

Jeff Barber 24:39
Are there signs that people might be able to see or notice about themselves that nutrition is holding us back from fitness gains? Like, how do we know if our nutrition is dialed versus not?

Alex Larson 24:54
Yeah, the classic signs that I see, one of the most common ones. Is energy levels for people like they might have decent energy during their workout, but then the rest of the day, they just feel trashed, like so tired, feeling like they need to take a nap. It’s just so like taxing to get through their day. Maybe they’re a little grumpy and, you know, poor mood. Oh, another one would be that I find interesting is if they just aren’t feeling motivated to train anymore. You know, if your workouts are just feeling like a suffer fest over and over and you’re not feeling like it’s even enjoyable, that is a big sign to me that they’re under fueled, like any of those things I listed. I’m like, oh yeah, we definitely have an opportunity to see if we need a fuel more or just optimize that nutrition. Maybe, maybe they’re eating the right amount of calories, but they’re just not getting it from the right sources. Maybe they’re not getting enough carbs and they’re eating too much protein, or maybe they’re not getting enough protein and we’re not seeing, you know, you’re recovering really well, and we’re not, you’re not able to put on any like muscle or strength, so those would be probably the most common ones that I see. Or if people notice, like, they’re just not improving in power on the bike, like they’re like, I like, I’m just not seeing any any improvement, any performance gains, like, I haven’t PR in three years, or I’m constantly injured, or just things where they’re just feeling like something’s missing, yeah, nutrition is probably one of the best places that they can look.

Jeff Barber 26:30
You mentioned a lot of different areas. Clearly, it touches everything. And another thing that you’re saying about like looking at how many carbs you’re eating, how much protein you’re getting. I mean, I think our listeners are probably familiar with with macros, macro nutrition. How do you know, like, do you have an app or something that you recommend people use to track that sort of thing? Like, like, how do you know how many carbs you’re eating in a day?

Alex Larson 26:58
Well, that’s where you would probably have to do some journaling to get an idea of what you’re currently taking in. Sometimes it can be really insightful to, you know, hop on my fitness pal or chronometer, or whatever your preferred. You know, there’s lots of different tracking apps out there that can give you an idea of what you’re taking in for nutrition. And I would take it, I would take a journal for at least, like a week or so, because then you might be able to also see some variations too, because you might just be super inconsistent, like some days you’re taking in 2800 calories, and other days you’re only taking in 1900 calories. You know, there might be some really drastic fluctuations where you could say, okay, maybe I do need to work on being a little bit more consistent in what I’m taking in, and that can sometimes happen with people who have that restrictive mindset where they’re like, Oh, I’m gonna eat well and really healthy these next few days, and then they get so overly hungry because they’ve been basically dieting, and then they just lose all control and all willpower, and then they’ll just binge or just eat lots and lots of foods to to kind of combat that hunger. And so then that’s that’s not a really healthy way either, and that’s really hard on your gut to take in that large volume of food like that all of a sudden. So that’s where taking your journal can really offer you some insights and give you kind of at least a starting point of where you can start making some changes. I usually don’t recommend, and even our, our one on one coaching program, we we don’t revamp everything about people’s diet overnight. We start with some of the low hanging fruit. What are some of the simplest, easiest changes that we can make? And then let’s slowly, like, make these small, little changes over time to get them to where they need to be. That way, it’s not overwhelming, it’s not overly complicated. It seemed very doable for them, and then by the time they get to that point, it’s really easy for them to maintain it, because we’ve just kind of integrated it into their lifestyle.

Jeff Barber 28:52
That makes sense. Well, I’m curious to know, what have you learned about nutrition from your own training?

Alex Larson 29:00
That is an interesting question. So it’s been a while since I’ve really trained heavily because I have, I’m in the trenches of motherhood with three young kids.

Jeff Barber 29:13
There’s probably a lifestyle eating style that’s associated with that too there that you can kind of optimize.

Alex Larson 29:19
Yes. Like eating over your kitchen sink. Like, whenever you can find the time, it’s kind of where it feels like sometimes, but every once in a while, we’ll sit down, I’ll for a whole meal, which is really fun, especially now that the baby’s like, starting to eat solid foods. But so when what started me actually, in this whole sports nutrition, endurance sports nutrition realm, was when I did Ironman Wisconsin, almost 10 years ago. I remember very vividly in the later hours of that race, seeing a lot of people struggling. It was kind of a war zone in that second half of the marathon, and when I crossed that finish line, I remember thinking, oh my gosh, if I didn’t know what I was doing with my new. Nutrition, I don’t think I would have gotten through this day. And what’s very interesting now is that nutrition, endurance nutrition, has evolved so greatly in the past 10 years. Especially in the past five years, there’s so much more sports fuel products. We’re really embracing higher carb intake. A lot of the cyclists nowadays, like some of the pro athletes, are doing 120 grams of carbon hour, which is wildly different from 10 years ago, when they were still only saying, like, 30 to 60 grams of carbon hour. So when I look back at my own training, I was like, Gosh darn it. I was so under fueled. Like, what? Like, I really need to, like, get these kids older so I can start training again and redeem myself. Like, that’s where I’m kind of at in my head, of like, what we know now is so, so much better than what we did before, and that’s going to continue to grow and evolve in in our knowledge about fueling for for distance races, which is great. Like, that’s what makes this fun for me, is there’s always things to learn and your research coming out, and new, new things that we can do to improve.

Jeff Barber 31:04
For your nutrition plan ahead of that race, like, had you tried different things? Like, was it kind of trial and error, or was it, you know, like you studied it and you got it right, kind of the first time?

Alex Larson 31:17
For what we knew back then, I did pretty I did pretty well. I I practiced it all in training. You know, that was definitely something I did really well. Was I fueled with lots of different products throughout the nine months that I trained for that race, and practiced my hydration and also practicing like being very comfortable, grabbing my water bottles, grabbing fuel and opening up packaging while riding at the same time and while pedaling. That, I think is something that people kind of have gotten away from, especially with with using trainers now all the time, and I don’t blame them. You know, it’s not exactly the safest to go out on the road and ride, and with mountain biking, it gets even more challenging because it’s really technical courses in a single track, like you’re you can’t really take your hands off the handlebars very often. So for cyclists, I’m a huge fan of hydration mixes in the bottle, because you can get a really good dose of carbs, and you’re already having to carry fluids and stay hydrated. So and being strategic to looking at your course, figuring out where on the sections of the course will you be able to take in a good amount of fluid and fuel, and being, you know, very thoughtful and intentional about that, I think, is important.

Jeff Barber 32:31
I live in Georgia, where it gets extremely hot and humid in the summer, and with summer approaching, should athletes adjust their diet based on the season? You mentioned that carb loading can help with that in terms of hydration. But are there other things, just like in general, diet that we should be looking at that maybe that’ll help us through the summer?

Alex Larson 32:56
I feel like when it comes to nutrition for athletes, we kind of think of it as like a periodization, like, what season are you in? In the year? Are you in the off season? Are you in the preseason? Are you in the in season and adjusting nutrition as needed? So if you’re in the off season, you might not be as active, you might be doing a little bit more strength training. So we can certainly adjust your nutrition to meet your goals. Maybe you’re wanting to get a little leaner, put on some muscle, but like, maybe you gained a few pounds during the season that you want to lose. You know, we can. We can really focus in on how you’re going to adjust nutrition there, and then when you get more in the in season, and you’re training a lot, you’re going to need more carbs. We can look at the timing of things to make sure that we’re getting a good majority of those carbs around your workout, and then just making sure that we’re getting enough to reload glycogen levels and recover, still making sure you’re getting a good amount of protein to support that recovery, but maybe not quite as much as you would in the off season. And then just upping calories in general, I think is is important when you’re putting in that much exercise. And then if you know, in Georgia, when it’s super hot and humid, you’re going to be sweating a lot more so doing some like in home, sweat testing, understanding what your sweat rate is in the heat versus in the off season when it’s cooler, and making that, you know, appropriate adjustments. Maybe it’s putting, like a hydration pack on your back with a straw that you can just quick grab some fluids while you keep your hands on the handlebars. You know, just ways to keep yourself being healthy and strong and preventing injury would be the top priority in my mind for navigating, you know, mountain biking in Georgia, and then understanding, like, if you’re a salty sweater, making sure you have plenty of electrolytes in that those fluids to really help with rehydration would be also top of the list.

Jeff Barber 34:49
That’s really helpful. It makes sense to consider more like your activity levels and kind of where you are in your training, if you’re in season. Or out of season? Yeah, definitely can see that that makes a difference for your nutrition.

Alex Larson 35:05
I wouldn’t adjust it based off of, like, a day to day basis, either. Because sometimes when people have like, a rest day, they’re like, Oh, I’m not, I’m not exercising today, so I’m not going to eat as much. And then they notice that they’re even more hungry than ever before. And I’m like, Yeah, that’s because on rest day, your body’s wanting to cut back up because exercise often will suppress our appetites. We might not notice as much hunger on those days. And then when you have a rest day, your body’s like, okay, yeah. Now this is the time where I really need this nutrition to fully recover, because if athletes are trying to to cut back on fuel on a rest day, and then they’re like, not even ready to go the day after, and they have to take a second rest day. That’s where I’m like, Yeah, we really need to hone in on that recovery nutrition so that you’re ready to bounce back quicker.

Jeff Barber 35:52
I’ve definitely noticed that for myself, where, like, immediately after a workout, even like, that afternoon or that night, I’m not super hungry, but then it’s the next day that I really am hungry. So I’m curious. You know, we talked in the beginning about this idea of a flexible eating style, but then also things like, you know, your post race recovery meal is important. So like, are some meals more important to get right than others in terms of, like, the timing, or is it okay to be flexible whenever, like, just as long as you don’t do it a lot?

Alex Larson 36:29
When I think of flexibility, I think of not necessarily putting different levels of importance on meals. I would think of it more of like, so right after a workout, within like, that hour, hour and a half afterwards, our body is, like, very primed and ready to, like, take in carbs at a very quick rate and reload glycogen levels. It’s really willing to take in some protein and start that recovery process. It’s not to say that it won’t use that nutrition later on in the day. It’s just primed really well right afterwards to take it in very efficiently, I see. And so that meal or snack afterwards is pretty important, and you might not notice that you’re very hungry afterwards, because, again, exercise suppresses appetite. And this is where you might have heard of the term intuitive eating, where people are like listening to their body, and if their body’s telling them they’re hungry, they should eat something. If not, don’t eat.

Jeff Barber 37:24
When my body is telling me I want a Mountain Dew. I usually drink one.

Alex Larson 37:27
Yeah, this is where you have to balance that intentional eating with intuitive eating. Where you’re going, Okay, I’m not super hungry right now, and this has happened to me too, where I will get done with, like, a long run on a Saturday, and I’ll come home, and I’m like, Okay, I gotta eat something. And then I get, just get distracted with my kids as little stinkers. And two hours go by, and then all of a sudden it hits me, and I feel awful. I feel so tired. I feel a little sick to my stomach. I can, like, almost feel like my blood sugar tanking, and I’m like, Oh no. I’m like, What did I do? I totally forgot to fuel and I do this for a living, and I’m like, what, like, I just, like, kicking myself. And so then I, of course, I want to just eat everything in my kitchen at this point because I’m so hungry. And I’m like, if I just had maybe made, like a protein shake and had, like, some toast right when I got home, something like easy to get down, I would not be feeling this way two hours later. And so again, being flexible, protein shake, very easy, quick and doable. Would like a meal with, like, fruits and maybe some, like, an eight, like eggs and like, you know, maybe some smoked salmon on bagel, like, doing like, a whole meal with, like, actual food be a better option, absolutely. But in that moment where I’m super busy and my kids are hanging off me, I’m like, two minutes I can do a protein shake and a piece of toast, and that’s going to be good enough for me. I’m flexible in that aspect of working with what my schedule is.

Jeff Barber 38:55
That’s helpful. So we’re talking a lot about mountain biking specific nutrition just because that’s who our listeners are. But does an individual’s nutrition plan look different for different sports? And in particular, I’m thinking endurance sports, like, obviously, if you’re like a weightlifter, I would think that’s like kind of a different thing than if you’re a runner, but let’s say mountain biking versus running like are they pretty similar in terms of the nutritional plans.

Alex Larson 39:26
Generally, our nutrition advice is pretty similar. I think the main difference is the logistics of, okay, you’re on a mountain bike, you’re carrying all of your fuel and your fluids with you, unless there’s, like, you know, eight stations and that type of thing that are so far apart, you know, in a race, or if you have, like, a loop that you’re doing, you know, in training, and you can stop back at your your car to grab what you need, versus marathon running, you know, you’ve got a little bit more issues usually, with GI. Just because that jostling motion, the heart rate’s a little bit higher. But, yeah, I mean, generally we look at like length of time. So if you’re out mountain biking for two hours, you usually can tolerate a really, you know, good amount of fuel during that versus marathon running. We might dial it back a little bit more, just because, again, tolerability in the gut. But I mean, for the most part, it there really isn’t that much difference. We want to focus on getting in plenty of carbs. We want to focus in on hydration, electrolytes and just meeting your needs and the best and easiest way possible for you.

Jeff Barber 40:35
What about like, the pre race, pre ride, like just your everyday nutrition. I mean, is that? Is that going to be pretty standard for people no matter what sport they’re doing, carbs are king.

Alex Larson 40:47
That’s the general advice. And then looking at, you know, how soon are you consuming it before you start your workout with mountain biking, you can have a little bit more solid fuel right beforehand and tolerate that usually pretty well. I wouldn’t recommend with whether you’re running or you’re mountain biking, doing anything super high fat or super high protein, because that’s just going to slow down digestion. Carbs are always going to get digested quickly, but if you’ve got lots of fat and protein in there, it’s going to slow that down and it’s going to sit in your stomach for a lot longer. Same thing with really high fiber. So it wouldn’t be having like, you know, something like a huge, massive bowl of oatmeal that’s going to be a really high fiber I mean, you could certainly do some oatmeal, but maybe adding some brown sugar into it, it’s just going to add more of those simple carbs or some maple syrup to it, or even doing like, a cream of wheat or cream of rice, that’s going to be broken down and a lot less fiber. So being just strategic, I think that way in timing and carb content, but yeah, like, across the board, from endurance sport to endurance sport, there are a lot of similarities.

Jeff Barber 41:53
Now I’m thinking about it, even within mountain biking, thinking about, like, a cross country mountain bike race where, yeah, my last an hour ish versus, like, bike packing Right? Like, where someone is, is going for days, and they’re, you know, slow and steady, but you know, again, they’re still, they’re racing. It seems like those two would, would probably have a very different in race fueling strategy, for sure. I mean, I know on bike packing trips, I’ll eat a burrito and then hop right back on the bike and you got to keep going, right?

Alex Larson 42:27
Yes, any calories? A good calorie. Sometimes with those like backpacking, multi day events, because you’re, you’re basically, kind of eating your meals on the go. So, yeah, a burrito or, you know, whatever it is that you stop by the gas station pizza.

Jeff Barber 42:43
I mean, I brought pizza. I didn’t feel great after eating that. But again, it’s like, yeah, like calories. I need calories, and I can’t eat goo for, you know, three days straight.

Alex Larson 42:53
So there definitely is different strategies with with the type and duration of of mountain biking you’re doing, for sure.

Jeff Barber 43:04
Finally, I want to ask what’s one simple step that mountain bikers can take to improve their nutrition?

Alex Larson 43:11
I would say I honestly what I said earlier about taking a food journal, even if it’s just for a week or two, like putting in everything that you eat and drink for a week, I wouldn’t get too honed in on, like, calories or macros. Just journal it and then look for you know, patterns and do some research. I’ve got lots of research resources on my website, of, like, how much protein does someone need based off of their body weight, or, if you’re training for an endurance sport, like, how many carbs do you need? Like, I have some guidelines available for people to just get a ballpark range of where they’re at and how they could just start making some simple changes. It could be as simple as just starting to eat breakfast each day. Maybe you’re someone that skips a meal most days of the week, that could be a huge thing to start incorporating eating breakfast. If you’re someone that your breakfast is a cup of coffee and a protein bar. It’s not a breakfast, or if your lunch is a garden salad, not a meal. Like making things a little bit more substantial and balanced can be a huge first step for people.

Jeff Barber 44:11
So with this food journal you’re saying, make it simple. Like, what? What does that look like? Is it like date time? What you ate is part of it, like, how you felt, or like, what like, what level of detail?

Alex Larson 44:26
I would I would break it up into like, meals, snacks, kind of seeing what your pattern is. Are you skipping meals? Are you inconsistent with snacks? Are you noticing, let’s say, for example, you’re always, like, starving at like, three o’clock in the afternoon, and maybe you had lunch at 1130 but you don’t have dinner till you know six o’clock a snack would be super appropriate there. So maybe think about like I’m already going to have a pre planned snack ready to go and get ahead of myself there, instead of trying to push through without having that snack and then being starving when I get home at Four. 30 and dinner’s not, you know, for another hour and a half, and then fighting this, this hunger for an hour and a half in your kitchen while you’re making dinner, like there’s things that you can start to anticipate and be more strategic with instead of trying to fight yourself.

Jeff Barber 45:14
That’s great advice. Well, Alex, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us. I’ve learned a ton, and, yeah, I’m motivated to do a food journal now. So that’s exciting.

Alex Larson 45:27
I love that. Well, thank you, Jeff for having me.

Jeff Barber 45:29
Well, you can find more information, connect with Alex and check out her resources online at Alex larsonnutrition.com and we’ll have that link in the show notes. That’s all we’ve got this week. We’ll talk to you again. You again next week. Bye.

Conversation transcribed by Otter.ai and lightly edited for clarity.

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