Thursday, January 01, 1998

Food - what to eat at competitions - Glenda R. Snodgrass

Submitted by Glenda R. Snodgrass - grs@TheNetEffect.com

Okay, gang, here are the ridefood recommendations I received. Thanks
to all who wrote in! I picked up some great ideas in compiling this
list; hope it helps others too.

(Remember, I`m an historian & computer nerd, not a nutritionist, and I`m just repeating what I was told, so usual disclaimers apply )

First, food tips:

1 - Eat whatever you usually eat, i.e. if you typically have bacon &

eggs for breakfast, don`t have cold cereal & milk before the ride.
If you never snack at home, start snacking a week or so before
the ride. Nothing upsets a tummy like the unusual.

2 - Follow the same rules you use for your horse -- try it on a training
ride first! Especially things like Power Bars, Gu, etc., which are
not "normal foods."

3 - Pay special attention to sweet & salty -- if you`re not used to
eating sugary foods, the Gu and such may make you really sick,
or give you a sugar high or headache. Salty foods will make you
thirsty, so make sure you have plenty of water along.

4 - Make sure you drink plenty of water at all times, but especially
when eating salted nuts and things like Power Bars and Gu. It`s
usually best to avoid fizzy drinks, as the gas can cause serious
upset and even severe pain in certain cases.

5 - Think about packaging: plastic wrappers and such need to be
brought out. Two sandwiches stuffed into one Ziploc-type bag
means less trash, plus you can put other waste into the bag to
carry out.


Night Before Ride

NO "hotter than fire" enchiladas! instead, try:

pasta w/salad & bread
pizza
BBQ
chili
steaks & baked potato


Morning Before Ride

pop tarts
cold milk
instant oatmeal or other hot cereal
cold cereal w/milk
yogurt
fresh fruit (bananas, melon)
pancakes
scrambled eggs
grilled bagel w/butter or cream cheese
chocolate-flavored Instant Breakfast made with warm milk (add 1 tsp
instant coffee for cappucino taste and caffeine boost)
toast with honey or Vegemite
muffins

During Ride/Vet Checks

"meal in a can" like Ensure, SlimFast, Carnation Breakfast Drink, etc.
pop tarts
applesauce mixed with mandarin oranges
granola bar
oranges & grapefruit are easy to carry, but leave sticky hands
Balance complete nutritional food bar - cheaper at Wal-Mart
beef jerky
licorice
peanuts/cashews/honey-roasted peanuts (salt helps in `lyting yourself)
Gu
Power Gel
(note: REI carries a nifty little goo bottle & holster that you can
velcro to the saddle pommel -- holds several goo packets, so no
wrappers to mess with on the trail)
Power Bar (hard to eat, especially when cold)
Cliff bar (espress-chocolate cookie, peanut butter, chocolate chip
peanut)
carrots
apples
peanut butter & jelly sandwich
peanut butter & honey sandwich
saltine crackers & cheese
Ritz crackers w/peanut butter (Ritz bits won`t crumble in the
cantle bag)
Thermo-T
Cytomax
fruit cup
raisins, other dried fruit
tortillas
Fruit Dinosaurs
cinnamon raisin bagels w/strawberry cream cheese -- fits nicely in
an EasyBoot! (but wrap it in plastic to avoid hoof taste - YUK)
pasta salad
cheese sandwich
Melba toast
hard sourdough pretzels go well in a fannypack
cookies
M&Ms

potato chips, Fritos, Cheetos (high in potassium)
cantelope
watermelon
grapes (you can freeze these to carry on the trail)
trailmix
Cheerios
Rice Krispy Treats
mints/hard candies are good for dry throat


If you can keep things chilled:
tuna salad sandwich
yogurt
pasta salad (no high-fat sauces, as they stick to the roof of your
mouth when cold)
chilled fruit


Drinks
LOTS of water
Gatorade and other `lyte drinks
homemade `lyte drink (Kool-Aid w/60% recommended sugar and add
about 3/4 tsp horse electrolytes for 1/2 gallon of drink)
Mannatech energy drink
UltraFuel (especially grape flavor doesn`t taste salty)
Kool-Aid
lemonade
cold milk
juice
hot soup in a thermos
hot chocolate mix & other powdered drink mixes

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