Don't Knock It 'til You Try It

September 23, 2016

It’s a crazy culinary world we live in. With potato chip flavors ranging from “Chinese Szechuan Chicken” to “Biscuits and Gravy” — you can safely say that the sky is the limit when it comes to what you decide to shovel into your mouth on any given day.

Sports nutrition is no different, but before you go and poo poo some of the more unique options available, I would urge you to at least give them a fighting chance. 

Clif Organic Energy Foods

Nothing like some good ol’ fashion comfort foods to help you through your ride: Clif Bar’s Organic Energy Food comes in favors such as Sweet Potato, Pizza Margherita, and Banana Mango with Coconut. These probably don’t sound the most appealing for rides, but it’s funny what you start to crave after a few hours in the saddle. For you early birds, Clif has recently released a few breakfast flavors: Apple Cinammon oatmeal, and Banana Maple oatmeal.

Pickle Juice

I’ve been known to hit up some pickle juice on hot days, but until recently, I haven’t seen it packaged for athletes. The Pickle Juice Company offers up their pickle juice in sizes ranging from 2.5oz shots to a 55-gallon drum. I’m not even kidding, do yourself a favor and check it out.

Aimed at preventing muscle cramps, pickle juice is packed with electrolytes. Their product is 100% natural, and 100% what your body craves on a hot day (the latter claim is not scientifically proven ... yet.). It’s also sugar free, caffeine free, GMO free, gluten free, and non-carbonated. Unfortunately, the pickle juice itself isn’t free, but you can grab a 6-pack of 8 ounce bottles for $10 if you want to try it out.

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TOURING GEAR & TIPS is written by Joshua Tack of Adventure Cycling’s member services department. It appears once each month, highlighting technical aspects of bicycle touring and offering advice to help better prepare you for the journey ahead. Look for Josh’s “Fine Tuned” column in Adventure Cyclist magazine as well.

 

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