Beetroot juice, grapefruit or homemade rice bars: natural foods are currently triggering a revolution in sports nutrition. Whether as a performance booster or as a replacement for bars, gels and powders offered by the food supplement industry. The US American Dr Allen Lim is regarded as the father of the organic revolution. Five years ago, he had the first professional teams at the Tour de France race the stages on rice cakes - and very successfully too. The reason why Lim provided his athletes with natural foods: they are easier to digest, have a higher water content, and the nutrient density and composition are characterised by ideal biological availability compared to industrial bars. A look at the composition of a classic power bar shows exactly what this is all about: although it contains more calories, the higher water content of natural products makes them easier to digest - meaning that the energy is absorbed more quickly.
Beetroot, grapefruit & co.
Anyone who thinks that high-calorie drinks would be better is experiencing a different problem: the complex carbohydrate mixtures absorb so much water in the intestine that digestive problems often occur. "Practically every professional cyclist I spoke to had experienced digestive pain from the industrialised products. That's why I looked for other ways and created homemade bars made from rice, ham and eggs," reports Lim.
Performance enhancement from the garden of nature
Like Lim, sports scientist Clemens Hesse also wants to break new ground. In addition to the latest training regimes, the trainer from the Olympic training centre in Cologne also focuses on the effects of natural substances in sport. The focus is still on beetroot. "Beetroot juice caused a stir among athletes and coaches in 2009," explains Hesse. He explains that Andrew Jones from the University of Exeter in England carried out a study that showed that half a litre of beetroot juice a day increased performance in endurance sports. As can be read in the analysis, the test subjects lasted an average of 92 seconds longer than in the second study phase, in which the participants drank the same amount of redcurrant juice. Particularly exciting: the participants needed 19 per cent less oxygen with beetroot. But can a natural product almost have a doping-like effect? A performance boost from nature's garden, so to speak? "The idea is not new," says Hesse, "even the Incas in Central America stimulated themselves with coffee and chewed coca leaves. Today, some of these substances are banned for a reason, but you can still find products that legally boost performance and recovery."
Together with Hesse, BIKE took a look at which products have potential in sport. Lim also told us which bar recipes he offers his pros that you can bake yourself in no time at all.
One advantage of industrial food supplements is obvious: easy availability. Not every biker wants to bake their own bars. In the end, as is so often the case, it's all in the mix.
Bio-accelerator
Can natural substances boost performance and regeneration? BIKE had five products analysed by sports scientist Clemens Hesse and uncovered some astonishing results.
Sleeping berry
The sleeping berry is also known as "Ashwaganda" in Ayurvedic medicine. It
is said to increase maximum oxygen uptake when taken for around two months. It also has various effects that are said to improve general well-being.
Studies on Ashwaganda's effectiveness in sport are sparse. The positive effect on oxygen uptake has been proven, but not in combination with training. A blood pressure-lowering effect
is presumably due to the berry's vasodilating effect.
Beetroot
Beetroot juice is said to be able to increase endurance performance by up to 16 per cent in the high-intensity range. The high nitrate content of the beetroot is said to reduce the oxygen demand of the muscles. The nitrate is also said to dilate the blood vessels and thus improve blood flow.
Nitrate is reduced in the body to nitric oxide, among other things. Research results have shown that by consuming beetroot juice, less oxygen was required for the same performance - endurance increased and resting blood pressure decreased.
Turmeric
The substances contained in turmeric are said to improve regeneration after very strenuous exercise and reduce inflammation. In addition, the muscles are said to be literally less destroyed. In addition, the fat metabolism is said to be increased.
The anti-inflammatory effect has been proven and can be significantly increased by combining it with black pepper. The other effects have not yet been sufficiently investigated in humans to be able to make a reliable statement.
Caffeine
The intake of caffeine one hour before the start of training is said to increase the break-off performance during the ergometer test - i.e. intensive rides (races) should be sustained for longer. It is also said to have a fat metabolism-activating, pain-relieving and energising effect.
A dose of 3-4 milligrams of caffeine per kilo of body weight taken at the right time can increase endurance performance and reduce the perceived level of exertion. However
this caffeine effect can vary from person to person.
Grapefruit
The effect of grapefruits is said to be multi-layered: they are said to improve regeneration by replenishing carbohydrate stores more quickly without releasing more insulin. Eaten at the beginning of a meal, they reduce the feeling of hunger.
The appetite-suppressing effect has been proven and is comparable with other bitter foods. The regeneration-promoting effect has so far been proven in diabetics and a carbohydrate-sparing effect at the genetic level and in animal models. Caution when taking with medication!
Fast food: recipes to make yourself
The alternatives to power bars and recovery shakes can be prepared quickly and offer a high vitamin and nutrient density - guaranteed without stomach ache.
250 g paella rice - 250 g dates
200 grams almonds - 3 tablespoons cane sugar
50 grams hazelnuts - a pinch of salt
Cook the paella rice for 20-25 minutes until it becomes soft and sticky. Remove the seeds from the dates. Place the rice, almonds, cane sugar, salt and hazelnuts in a blender. Puree the ingredients until you have a homogeneous, brownish mixture. Spread the mixture out on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Now smooth everything out until the tray is evenly covered. The bar dough should be about one to two centimetres thick. Leave the rice mixture to cool for 60 minutes and then bake for 15 minutes. Once it has cooled again, cut the dough into bar sizes. Then turn the bars over to allow the liquid to evaporate. Keep in the fridge for about a week. Please cover, otherwise they will dry out.
250 g paella rice - 50 g brown rice
250 grams ham (diced)
4 eggs - 50 g nuts (optional)
50 grams cane sugar
Cook the paella rice together with the brown rice for 20-25 minutes until it becomes soft and sticky. Beat the eggs and fry in a pan with a little butter until scrambled. Fry the diced ham with a little butter. Chop the nuts with a knife. Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix with a dough hook for about five minutes.
Spread the mixture evenly on a baking tray lined with baking paper and leave to cool for 60 minutes. Now sprinkle the dough with the cane sugar and bake for 10 minutes at 180 degrees (fan oven). Then leave the bar mixture to cool and cut to size later. Keeps for about four to five days (covered) in the fridge.
100 grams brown rice - 200 grams quark
2 figs - 1 banana - 50 grams blueberries
1 tbsp agave juice - 2 tbsp warm water
The ideal snack before and after training. Cook the brown rice until it is soft. Depending on the type of rice, 20-30 minutes. Stir the quark with the water and agave juice until creamy. Cut the banana and figs into pieces. Put everything on a plate and finally fold in the blueberries. Tip: pre-cook the rice, it will keep covered in the fridge for several days. This will reduce the preparation time to a maximum of ten minutes.
200 grams turkey breast - 150 quinoa
1 pepper - 150 g peas - 1 courgette
2 tbsp turmeric - a pinch of salt and pepper
The perfect meal for the evening after training or a race. Cook the quinoa with a pinch of salt until the grains open up. Fry the turkey breast with a little butter or olive oil. Add a little salt while frying. Wash and dice the peppers. Briefly rinse the peas and dice the courgette. Mix the peppers, courgette cubes and peas together with the quinoa. Then add two tablespoons of turmeric and mix together. Tip: Quinoa can also be replaced with amaranth. If you prefer, you can also mix in beetroot (diced) instead of the peppers.
You can find all the information about the bio-accelerators from nature and recipe suggestions in the PDF download below.
