Real Food Refueling During Exercise

Published:  01/10/2021

Maria leading a training hike to Camp Muir with the American Lung Association Climb for Clean Air

Carbohydrate is the only fuel that can sustain moderate to high level effort that is required in most sports and athletic endeavors. Carbohydrate is stored in the in skeletal muscle and liver in a form called glycogen. Glycogen can become depleted during continuous exercise lasting at least one hour and during intense intermittent exercise such as brisk hiking on challenging terrain, intense tennis matches or stop and go running.

Diets high in carbohydrate are important for athletes because they maintain glycogen levels in the liver and muscles. Athletes should try to ingest 6 to 10 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight and 12 grams per kilogram during periods of very intense training. During periods of low intensity training that can be decreased to 3 to 5 grams per kilogram. 

Carbohydrate ingestion during exercise can reduce muscle glycogen breakdown. During a long hike, snowshoeing, or intense bike ride, replenishing energy stores is key. Some athletes rely only on sports energy gels that contain quick-digesting sugars to provide a burst of energy and top off glycogen stores as they fatigue during longer efforts.

However, some endurance athletes do not want to consume a gel, a sugary sports drink or a bar packed with synthetic ingredients and prefer real food refueling. Real foods can be just as effective as sports nutrition products. Although sports nutrition products can be a good choice, not to mention convenient, whole foods are a good choice because of the wide variety of nutrients in them, including antioxidants. Antioxidants in food can help reduce oxidative stress, promote recovery and improve performance.

If you do feel that you perform better with a sports beverage, here are some I like:

Recommended sports beverages:

Gatorade Endurance, carbs

Fluid Performance Natural, carbs

Gatorade Thirst Quencher, carbs

GU Hydration Drink, carbs

Hammer HEED, carbs

Accelerade, carbs and whey protein

Powerbar Recovery, carbs and whey protein

Fluids should always be consumed along with solid foods during training to aid in absorption of the carbohydrate. Read more on hydration.

Keep in mind that the real foods will take longer to absorb than a gel, and that the fiber content might be too much during races for those with sensitive stomachs. Some athletes have increased difficulty in digesting and absorbing food at high intensity. It might also take a bit of chewing. So, with all refueling regimens, practice and see what works best.

And utilize these guidelines along with optimal pre-exercise and post-exercise nutrition strategies.

The majority of athletes will perform better when they fuel properly according to these guidelines during workouts lasting longer than 75 minutes.

1:15 to 3 hours: 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour.

3+ hours: 30 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour

Use the table below to calculate how much you might need. The serving size of provides 25-35g of carbohydrate, which is the equivalent of most gels.

Type of food Serving size for 25-30g of carbs
Banana 7 oz. (31 g)
Raisins 2.5 oz box (35g)
Medjool Dates 1.5 dates (35g)
Small pitted dates 5 dates (40g)
Dried apricots 5-6 apricots (30-35g)
Dried pineapple 1.5 rings (30g)
Dried Mango, cut into bite size pieces 40 grams (34g)
Honey 1 Tbsp (28g)
Fig Bars 3 (33g)
Yoplait Original Yogurt Strawberry 2 gm fat 6 oz. (27g)
Boiled Potato 2½ inch diameter, 136 grams (28g)
Baked Sweet Potato 1 cup  (30g)
Homemade Energy Balls  

Maria Faires, RD is a mountaineering fitness and nutrition expert.

Sources


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