These Healthy Diet Guidelines
Make Nutrition Simple
The healthy diet guidelines listed here should be followed by everyone. Cyclists will benefit from increased performance on the bike, improved recovery after exercise, and a more balanced level of overall fitness.
A healthy diet emphasizes fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products, while including lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts. Saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, sodium, and sugar should be kept to a minimum or avoided.
The following healthy diet guidelines are for a 2000 calorie per day diet. As avid cyclists, we may actually need up to 4000 calories depending on training load. Check here for a general estimate of your specific caloric needs.
Your calories should come from these sources...
A large part of your diet should consist of fruits and vegetables. Most people, including athletes and cyclists, do not eat enough whole fruits and vegetables. You should be getting at least 2.5 cups of vegetables daily from a variety of sources such as dark green and orange vegetables, dry beans, and peas. 2 cups of fruit is required daily also from a variety of sources. Try to eat your fruit whole instead of from juice which can contain a good amount of added sugar.
Read more about raw food health.
Grains include bread, cereal, crackers, rice, and pasta. You should be consuming at least 6 ounces of grains daily, half of that coming from whole grain sources such as whole wheat, brown rice, oats, and whole grain corn.
Meat and fish are primary sources of protein which is important for recovery. Fish contains highly beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and should be consumed at least twice a week. Personally, I also take a fish oil supplement. Lean meat and poultry are also good sources, just watch the fat. It’s typically best to bake, broil, or grill your meat for reduced fat. Also look to beans, peas, nuts, and seeds for protein.
Milk and dairy provide a good dose of calcium required for healthy strong bones. Choose low-fat sources such as fat-free milk or low-fat yogurt or cheese. Healthy diet guidelines say to consume 3 cups of milk and dairy daily.
20-35% of you daily calories should come from fat. Try to get as much poly- and monounsaturated fat from sources such as fish, nuts, and vegetable oils. Limit your consumption of saturated fat to less than 10% of total calories and keep your cholesterol intake less than 300mg per day.
Sugar is a common form of carbohydrate and should come primarily from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Pay careful attention to ingredient lists since many foods have added sugar and sweeteners that contribute calories with hardly any nutrients.
Sodium & potassium are necessary to maintain electrolyte levels and balance. Healthy diet guidelines say to limit your sodium to no more than 2300mg (approximately 1 teaspoon) daily. Most salt comes from processed foods, not the salt shaker, so again pay special attention to nutrition labels. Also try to eat foods high in potassium which has been shown to counter some of the effect of sodium on blood pressure.
It is OK to consume moderate amounts of alcohol, although it will be counter-productive for cyclists competing at an elite level. Moderate intake has been defined as one drink a day for women and two a day for men. (Sorry ladies!)
One of the simplest methods of eating healthier is to eat smaller meals more frequently. Eat six small meals a day instead of three large meals. This will stimulate your metabolism more often to burn more calories and allow the body to make more efficient use of nutrients.
Choosing a healthy diet is actually pretty simple. Following these healthy diet guidelines may be one of the most effective means of easily improving cycling performance.
If you're looking to lose weight and improve your fitness and would like more information about how a healthy diet can help with your weight loss and exercise program, you may find weight loss for busy people useful.
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