dental hygiene

[vbplease]

Hi all,

Got any tips on high-carb, low sugar/acidity foods to fuel ones self on the bike? or other relevant strategies for preventing teeth rot while fuelling?

Yesterdays trip to the dentist was not good. So i need to cut the sugars.

Anything more than 2hrs/60kms, with a little intensity, I desperately need carbs (must be my high metabolism).

[Mr Purple]

Good article on this here:

https://www.bicycling.com/health-nutrit ... -athletes/

I'd say the issue is not so much the sugar in the things you're eating, it's the combination of that with the dehydration and the lack of a rinse. As that article says it's not really even the gel, it's the fact you need to rinse it down with some actual water.

Real food is usually the best bet (banana bread has ridiculous amounts of carbs for example) but if that's not possible separate your carbs and fluid. I personally don't really use the sugar/electrolyte mixes because you're just constantly sipping on them, but a two bottle strategy is the way around that.

Weirdly my dentist picked I was some sort of endurance athlete by the state of my back teeth. Apparently they had less plaque than the front, which is pretty unusual and a product of excess acidity caused by frequent states of dehydration. I've been lucky on a decay front but possibly because I'm crap at eating on the bike, and only have a gel once a fortnight or so, followed by plenty of water.

[foo on patrol]

Carry a biddon with plain water and rinse your mouth after you have had a gel or whatever it is that's full of sugar. Think of it this way.......If you have an expensive set of knives and slice tomato's or citrus fruit, if you don't wash them straight away, the edge will be dulled.

Foo

[Nobody]

Got any tips on high-carb, low sugar/acidity foods to fuel ones self on the bike? or other relevant strategies for preventing teeth rot while fuelling?

Yesterdays trip to the dentist was not good. So i need to cut the sugars.

Unless your on bike performance is more important than the long term health of your teeth, then just water on the bike is the best choice. If you must intake energy, then whole foods are generally better than processed for tooth decay, but harder to carry. I've always had poor teeth in regard to decay compared to others I know. But I haven't needed any new dental work due to decay since I changed to a whole food plant only diet. That has been over 10 years now.

Advice I got from my dentist is to use interdental brushes after eating. The reason being as we age, the gums recede so allowing more food to get stuck between the teeth. I've found the advice to be of benefit.

Anything more than 2hrs/60kms, with a little intensity, I desperately need carbs (must be my high metabolism).

Probably a good idea to get a hemoglobin A1c blood test. This is a reasonable indicator of what your long term blood glucose is, which is a reflection of your insulin sensitivity. If your A1c is higher, then that could be a reason that you're getting those symptoms. A way to reduce your A1c is remove almost all the fat from your diet.

Real food is usually the best bet (banana bread has ridiculous amounts of carbs for example) but if that's not possible separate your carbs and fluid.

"Real food" is good advice. Whole, low fat food is usually going to be the best if possible. However, banana bread is a cake by ingredients and is typically 27% fat by energy intake. Store bought banana bread is very likely to be classed as an ultra-processed food, as even commercial bread is considered to be ultra-processed. If fueling on the bike, then 90%+ carbs is going to be better. Bananas are 91% carbs and only 3% fat.

[Mr Purple]

"Real food" is good advice. Whole, low fat food is usually going to be the best if possible. However, banana bread is a cake by ingredients and is typically 27% fat by energy intake. Store bought banana bread is very likely to be classed as an ultra-processed food, as even commercial bread is considered to be ultra-processed. If fueling on the bike, then 90%+ carbs is going to be better. Bananas are 91% carbs and only 3% fat.

Yes, I am well aware the stuff is trash! Probably won't wreck your teeth like gels though.

Different goals. I'd like to think my goal of nutrition on the bike is to provide myself with a balanced and healthy blend of nutrients, but isn't.

If I'm eating on the bike it's because I've decided to do something outrageously stupid and I'm about to completely run out of sugar and hence motivation to finish the stupid thing I'm doing. Therefore my nutrition choices reflect more 'what can I eat without falling off', 'what fits in the tube top bag' and 'how can I cram as much sugar as possible into my mouth without vomiting everywhere'.

Fortunately I don't need to eat on the bike very often. I start getting a little bit sketchy at about the three hour mark. And my preference is to stop and eat some actual food, but this isn't always achievable.

[g-boaf]

Carry a biddon with plain water and rinse your mouth after you have had a gel or whatever it is that's full of sugar. Think of it this way.......If you have an expensive set of knives and slice tomato's or citrus fruit, if you don't wash them straight away, the edge will be dulled.

Foo

And stay away from the gels if you can. Maybe they are good for some folk but they are a last resort for me if I'm absolutely spent and still got a way to go before the top of a mountain.