Health+Nutrition

Though champions of local eating usually promote the benefits for the local economy and the environment, basing your diet on foods produced close to home has nutritional benefits for cyclists. Focusing on local foods means eating more fresh produce and less processed foods, but also brings other less obvious benefits like increased nutrient quality and variety. With training comes certain nutritional needs for cyclists, but the concept of eating can be beneficial.

How cyclists can benefit

There’s no question nutrition is part of being a successful athlete. What we often forget, said registered dietitian Noelle Martin, is that relying solely on sports foods like bars, gels and shakes could compromise performance. “I think sometimes athletes will just turn to all of these and forget the fact that they still need a general healthy diet,” she said. With the shift towards a local diet, the most important aspect will be produce. Though the local food movement promotes eating local dairy, grains and meat products as well, fruits and vegetables have the largest impact, Martin said.

Choosing to eat more local produce will help you cut back on processed foods, reducing your intake of trans fats and preservatives. The nutritional quality of local produce is often superior. With more time to ripen in the soil, Martin said locally-grown fruits and vegetables typically have better mineral, vitamin and antioxidant levels than produce shipped from elsewhere that is often picked early to ripen during transportation.

What cyclists need to consider

While eating more local foods seems easy in practice, everyone shifting towards local eating needs to take a few things into consideration. To be successful, you’ll need to commit more time to shopping and preparation. You may need to put in extra effort to learn what’s available at any given time and how to prepare it. Being open to new foods is also helpful.

As an athlete, it’s important to balance whole foods with energy snacks and gels cyclists rely on while riding. Although there’s nothing wrong with using these products, they have their time and place. “If [cyclists] can have a foundation of a general healthy diet and then just use the sports foods for times of true training and competition, they can have a much better balance in their diet,” said Martin adding that the convenience of gels and bars makes them ideal for actual training and competition.

Simple steps

If you’re ready to go local, remember to think big picture - it’s not realistic to make all of your choices local, nor is it realistic to swear off pre-packaged energy bars. In the long run, simple steps like heading to your farmer’s market after your Saturday morning ride are better than dietary overhauls. Planning ahead and embracing leftovers are easy ways to cut back on the extra time required of local eaters. Simply adding a handful of the local berries available in early summer to your recovery smoothie, using fresh asparagus in your next egg white omelette or replacing the jar of spaghetti sauce you’re used to with roasted local tomatoes are quick ways to up your intake of local foods.

Ready to eat more local foods? Here’s a fast and delicious way to get some local produce in your next recovery shake:

100g yogurt (plain or flavoured)

1 cup milk

1 scoop protein powder (optional)

1/2 cup fresh, local berries

Combine the ingredients and blend until smooth. Experiment with whatever berries are available. When the seasons change, try peaches or other local fruit or look for frozen local berries at your grocery store.

When she’s not riding her bike, Cheryl Madliger can be found leading group fitness classes, freelance writing or trying out new recipes. She’s a kinesiology student at the University of Western Ontario.