The struggle is real when it comes to getting a healthful meal on the table for dinner. This is true for most everyone, but it can be especially problematic for the time-crunched, health-focused cyclist. Sports dietitian and elite cyclist Lori Nedescu, MS RD CSSD shares insight on the best dinners for cycling-specific situations.
Evening Workouts
Whether it's an after-work group ride or hopping on the trainer at home, many cyclists save workouts for the evening. Scheduling training at the end of the day is great for fitting in workouts or getting in a second session, but it can make eating the right dinner a bit trickier. For this circumstance, it is key to eat a meal that has enough fuel to provide energy to burn but not too much that creates a sluggish, full feeling.
Suggested Dinner
- Kimchi Burritos: Scramble white or sprouted brown rice with kimchi and eggs. Add a dash of soy sauce or aminos and wrap in a whole grain tortilla.
- Alternative: shrimp with linguini
Sleep
Cyclists need to be very mindful about getting adequate, quality sleep to be able to perform at their best. Since dinner is the last meal of the day, you're likely crawling into bed a few hours after eating. Having a large portion of food that contains lots of roughage, protein or unhealthy fats can disrupt digestion, make you feel overly full and compromise your quality of sleep. It is difficult to get deep, restful sleep with a full stomach that is actively trying to digest. Due to this, your sleep will benefit most from a meal that is comforting yet light, with complex carbohydrates, magnesium and healthy fats.
Suggested Dinner
- Coconut dal with ginger and apple: Try this recipe.
- Alternative: salmon with roasted beets and buckwheat
Body Composition
For cyclists aiming to get lighter and leaner, watching intake is key. Dinner is an ideal time to cut back since most of our energy needs arise earlier in the day. Focus on meals that a contain quality protein, complex carbohydrates, healthful fats and plenty of fibrous plant foods. This will help boost satiety while consuming fewer calories overall. The biggest trick is to cut back on any extras, such as rich sauces, processed ingredients and simple carbohydrates.
Suggested Dinner
- Flank steak with harissa-roasted carrots and broccoli: Toss sliced carrots and broccoli florets with olive oil and harissa paste. Roast for approximately 30 minutes until tender/ golden. Serve with grilled, thinly sliced flank steak.
- Alternative: chickpea pea pasta with arugula, figs and balsamic vinaigrette
- Vegetable goulash over grits: Simmer a variety of chunked vegetables in crushed tomatoes with garlic and herbs for 2 hours. Serve over grits. See this full recipe for more.
- Alternative: butternut squash risotto.
Next Day's Big Ride
Cyclists need to consider how each meal could affect their next ride in order to properly fuel the body. If the next morning consists of an endurance effort, 3-plus hours of riding or a long race effort, dinner the night before needs to reflect that. Cook a meal that is loaded with more carbohydrates than fat or protein to supply sufficient energy to burn the next day.
Suggested Dinner
- Vegetable goulash over grits: Simmer a variety of chunked vegetables in crushed tomatoes with garlic and herbs for 2 hours. Serve over grits. See this full recipe for more.
- Alternative: butternut squash risotto
Need to meet more than one of these circumstances? It's doable! But it requires an individual approach to nutrition, performance and goals. To fine-tune your sports nutrition fueling, book a consult with a sports dietitian today.
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