Rehydration- What do you use?

So that's two votes for real ale!

In modern parlance I am straightedge, so no real ale... or ale of any sort for me.

As far as drink is concerned, it is the carbohydrate that I am trying to get away from, as even on a ride like last Saturday, I am not burning anything like enough energy to require a constant top up (unlike pro road riders). I too try to avoid the post ride headaches, and I had none of that last week, as I got through about 1.3 litres while riding, plus a ginger beer (yum yum) and a couple of glasses of squash (more correctly cordial) once back at THM's gaff.

I'm going to try my usual powders, but at a lower concentration, plus I'll get another tube of High 5 tabs.

As for gels and carb drinks being tantamount to doping; do you eat food? If you do, then you are getting fibre, carbohydrate, protein, sugars and salts of various sorts, all of which are necessary for healthy living and none of which are performance enhancing drugs. Still, as a non smoking, non drinking father of a straightedge son and a vegan daughter, far be it from me to make comment on what anyone chooses not to eat or drink.

It was free range blackcurrant cordial squeezed between the thighs of local virgins with a hint of ginger. Hence the lack of headaches.

It's still very hot later in the evening for riding at present. :cry:

NeilM":w9bov3ob said:

As for gels and carb drinks being tantamount to doping; do you eat food? If you do, then you are getting fibre, carbohydrate, protein, sugars and salts of various sorts, all of which are necessary for healthy living and none of which are performance enhancing drugs. Still, as a non smoking, non drinking father of a straightedge son and a vegan daughter, far be it from me to make comment on what anyone chooses not to eat or drink.

Click to expand...

The carb drinks, protein shakes, energy gels etc are chemical extractions, with additives. I get what I need from food. It's odd that it is my opinion, as I have no issue with people smoking cigarettes, or other stuff, or drinking, I've done it all in my time. Vegan I just don't understand, I can't see how it's healthy, but that's another conversation.

Pyro Tim":12t1xguo said:

The carb drinks, protein shakes, energy gels etc are chemical extractions, with additives. I get what I need from food. It's odd that it is my opinion, as I have no issue with people smoking cigarettes, or other stuff, or drinking, I've done it all in my time. Vegan I just don't understand, I can't see how it's healthy, but that's another conversation.

Click to expand...

Depends which ones you choose. Bikefood gels are more or less pure honey, they just add some natural lemon. Many bars and gels have only natural ingredients and many are vegetarian or vegan. I don't do protein shakes or recovery drinks, although I have been known to do a decent cod lot or a big wedge of home made cake after a ride. My son did a lot of research on recovery food, and instantly ditched his powders and shakes in favour of fresh milk and nesquik powder (strawberry or chocolate).

My daughter became a vegan after paying her way through university by working at McDonalds. :shock:

At ast a legitimate reason for me to my drink chocolate nesquik! Love it and always have some in cupboard. So a pint of that is as good as it gets yes?

I can never stomach anything other than water while working hard - anything else makes me want to be sick. Afterwards, especially in this heat, I've been really enjoying homemade apple and ginger juice (made with a juicer which I must admit I wasn't in favour of purchasing!) It really does seem to give you a boost when you come home hot and exhausted, and you don't need a lot of it (which is just as well as it fairly goes through the apples.)

While riding, if I think I'll need a bit of energy I'll take salted nuts and/or raisins or other dried fruit. I don't really get on with fancy sports drinks or sugary tablets etc - I just like the taste, feel and after effects of "real" food.

The History Man":ejqr62jg said:

At ast a legitimate reason for me to my drink chocolate nesquik! Love it and always have some in cupboard. So a pint of that is as good as it gets yes?

Click to expand...

Not a bad recovery drink, much better than beer

Pyro Tim":3llkfyf6 said:

NeilM":3llkfyf6 said:

As for gels and carb drinks being tantamount to doping; do you eat food? If you do, then you are getting fibre, carbohydrate, protein, sugars and salts of various sorts, all of which are necessary for healthy living and none of which are performance enhancing drugs. Still, as a non smoking, non drinking father of a straightedge son and a vegan daughter, far be it from me to make comment on what anyone chooses not to eat or drink.

Click to expand...

The carb drinks, protein shakes, energy gels etc are chemical extractions, with additives. I get what I need from food. It's odd that it is my opinion, as I have no issue with people smoking cigarettes, or other stuff, or drinking, I've done it all in my time. Vegan I just don't understand, I can't see how it's healthy, but that's another conversation.

Click to expand...

Things like protein shakes (protein powders are heavily sourced by things like whey, milk and sometimes things like pea) are really just isolating some pretty natural things, really. Yes, there's some additives - but that tends to be for things like taste / flavour, or sweetness. I can see why some would baulk at some supplements, and going back probably around 10 years, the line was a bit blurry for a while - but in general, things like protein powders aren't truly some weird chemicals, as opposed to just being more selective of certain things, mainly from pretty natural sources. That's so people who believe they need additional protein in their diet can do so without having to also take with it a lot of calories from other sources. And convenience.

Even amino acid supplements tend to be sourced from some very mundane, cheap, plentiful protein sources.

Never had much to do with carb / energy type drinks, so never really looked at the contents, so can't truly comment.

But all the same, protein shakes, energy drinks are a world away from doping. Think of supplementation as simply refined / more selective food. Doping is really all about directly manipulating hormones, blood, or body chemistry.

I can understand some people veering away from other supplements - and I get it, but the drinks / shakes tend to be all about either convenience, marketing, or additional source of macronutrients in a convenient "packaging" whilst possibly not having other additional calories from other macronutrients.

Orange flavoured rehydration salts (Dioralyte) and flapjacks...

...drinking Dioralyte whilst flying to your holiday destination also prevents 'Jet Lag'