Alternatives to Recovery Drinks

Nutrition
1

Looking at different options for sports nutrition and seemingly a lot stuff geared for post-ride protein/carb replenishment are drink mixes.

So I have a weird tick: I have an aversion to thick drinks. With that being said what are good alternatives to recovery drinks either it be bars or anything marketed for sports nutrition or simply something I could buy at a grocery store?

2

Chocolate milk. I sometimes use whole milk with some Hersey chocolate ā€˜syrupā€™ (at least when the kiddos havenā€™t finished it off, first). :rofl:

5 Likes
3

You can change the ratio of liquid to powder to get a thinner drink. I do it all the time.

3 Likes
4

Any sort of real food with some protein and carbs will do. Turkey sandwiches are great.

2 Likes
5

I donā€™t understand Recovery drinks. Cut up some fruit in a bowl, add raw traditional oats like you would to a bowl of cereal, pour some milk in it.

More carbs and protein than you need. Itā€™s cheap as chips, itā€™s real food and it tastes good.

4 Likes
6

Burrito and a glass of milk is my favorite afternoon recovery meal if dinner is hours away. If Iā€™m out of burritos, then its cereal, blueberries, and milk. If no blueberries then strawberries or bananas.

7

A meal. A proper meal.

Ideally, something that was prepared and cooked the day before.

Fall off the bike. Throw the food in the oven. Get a shower. Take food out of the oven. Eat.

Failing that - toast. Or a bagel. Or granola with milk and cereal.

8

If your preferred ā€˜real foodā€™ option isnā€™t giving you the ideal amount of protein you can also add a scoop of unflavoured protein powder to quite a lot of dishes. Changes flavour profile a bit and might not be palatable to everyone, but Iā€™ve had acceptable results in several situations (oatmeal, vegetarian pasta sauces, soups, etc.)

9

A few things I use regularly (that arenā€™t my roommateā€™s leftover pizza or half a jar of pickles :shushing_face:)

  • yogurt or cereal with whatever fruit I have in the fridge
  • toasted cheese and whatever sandwiches
  • oatmeal with protein powder
  • latte and a banana (or a baked good if Iā€™m feeling frisky)
  • rice with a fried egg (I usually make rice for an army, but the little microwave packets are convenient too)
  • pita bread and hummus
10

Whats not to understand about chocolate milk?! Nectar of the gods.

1 Like
11

I like to have a meal waiting for me- some grilled chicken with rice and veggies is my go to. I can pack that in cooler when I am riding away from home. If I donā€™t have that I pack a good protein bar - Clif, Rx or whatever I pick up at the grocery store.

12

I use orgain grass fed whey protein and depending on what i mix it with the consistency is not all that thick. Water would probably get you the loosest consistency but I find almond ā€œmilkā€ (which isnā€™t far off from water) yields similar results. It got real thick when I used fair life chocolate milk to mix, almost like a milk shake and rather decadent. If you want additional carbs pair with a banana. Itā€™s been said that recovery shakes arenā€™t all that necessary unless weā€™re doing double days but I find I recover better in general if I get a post ride protein shake in. Real food takes care of the rest.