ridecamp@endurance.net: Re: tummy troubles

Re: tummy troubles

Beth Glace (lb@nismat.org)
Tue, 22 Jul 1997 12:03:57 +0000

> >Will Spirulina settle a crabby tummy? Of interest here is that
> >several people commented that they knew riders who could eat at the
> >holds, but were miserable once back on the horse. has anyone used
> >Pepto Bismol or Tums or any thing that worked? The runners had
> >Classic Cokes at the runners stations but most said they could not
> >drink it.

> >mailto:greenall@vermontel.com
>
> The riders I've crewed for tend to prefer club soda (and Gu paste or the
> current year's equivalent); whereas I go for Diet Pepsi (maybe cut half and
> half with the sugar version) and yoghurt (kefir or drinkable yogurt is even
> better). The main thing is to have something that produces lots of
> burping, along with an easily digested source of nutrients. (Classic Coke
> is just too heavy a sugar load all at once).
>
> And I have one Tevis rider who every year (at least the 8 years I've crewed
> for her) can be counted on to throw up at Michigan Bluff, declare that she
> feels much better, and then continue on to the finish line!

I also was at the Vermont race and was really interested
to see what the riders and runners ate. Not surprisingly the
runners, especially the faster ones, went for easily digestible
carbohydrate sources and avoided the peanut butter sandwiches etc.
What you can tolerate during exercise is very individual, but in
general the higher the intensity and the more jostling the sport the
more "tummy trouble" you will experience. To be safe avoid anything
that produced gas, such as carbonated drinks etc.
Most people absorb dilute carbohydrate drinks as quickly as water;
if you add solid foods to the drink you are ingesting then you end up
with a concentrated slurry in the stomach which will be digested more
slowly and will be somewhat more likely to cause "distress" such as
nausea or diarrhea or just indigestion. Humans, at 10-30% body fat
have plenty of fat reserves to get through a ride. It is the
carbohydrate stores which are quickly depleted and are therefore
important to replenish during exercise. Numerous studies have shown
carbohydrate intake during endurance events improves performance.
Some further thoughts:
1] Fats and proteins leave the stomach more slowly than carbs and
will delay absorption so eat these sparingly during exercise
especially if you're jumping off and running portions with your
horse.
2] Experiment with fruits during training: the sugar contained in
fruits (fructose) is much more likely to produce diarrhea and nausea.
3] If you drink soda or juice realize that it is about 2x more
concentrated than optimal. It will stay in the digestive tract until
fluid can be pulled from the blood volume to dilute it to the
appropriate level. Not only does this mean that the fluid and
carbs will not be available as quickly for exericise needs, but that
you are actually sacrificing plasma volume which you need to maintain
oxygen delivery to the muscles etc.
Allow the soda to go flat and dilute with water to correct this
problem. Or drink the soda and follow with an equal amount of plain
water. Taking goo or something like that has the same effect if
followed by lots of water.
Always, always try new food and fluids during your training rides;
don't wait until the race to experiment. Pepto Bismol might help
with indigestion but will not speed absorption which is the real
issue.
Beth Glace, M.S.
Sports Nutritionist
lb@nismat.org

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