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Contrary to popular belief, the way to prepare for a big race or hard ride is to not carbo load.  There’s nothing worse than to introduce a ton of processed carbs full of strange chemicals (a la pasta) the night before you’re to put your body through some hard times in the saddle.

I’ve been guilty of it, I used to eat a ton of carbs before a race in hopes to have energy galore but in return it just made me feel tired and sluggish.  Not to mention all those carbs you loaded have got to come out sooner or later and inevitably it’s during your race.  So make sure you have some wipes handy.

As I’ve moved into clean eating, learning to take care of my body and use food for fuel instead of taste, I’ve been particular when it comes to the carbo load.  I talked to my nutritionist, Kelli about when a big race is coming up and what to eat. Her advice was to simply add in a sweet potato for dinner before the race.

When it comes to nutrient-dense carb sources, you don’t have to look much further than sweet potatoes. In fact, sweet potatoes are great for carb-loading and training fuel.  They provide a vast array of antioxidants including beta-carotene that fight the free radical build-up in athletes, anti-inflammatory nutrients to keep you rolling, and whole-food carbohydrates that promote steady blood sugars and even-keeled energy. – Kelli Jennings

I always cross reference things people tell me so I decided to dig a little deeper and see if I could find out anything else about the magical power of a sweet potato.

Carbo load crap

• Care2.com remarks they are high in vitamin B6 which helps chemical homocysteine blah blah blah science science…not interested not really going to help me on a proper carbo load.  They also say it’s high in Vitamin C which helps blah blah blah science science not interested.  It contains Vitamin D which is good for your immune system blah blah blah take a vitamin instead.  Sweet taters contain iron too which reduces stress and metabolizing of protein.Okay, that’s interesting…I think.  If I understand, the way protein is broken down and introduced into your body is important.  Want to know more about that sciencey stuff? Click here and read all about it at the Ex-Lance Website.
• WHFoods.com had some interesting stuff to say as well.  They state that sweet potatoes can sometimes be purple.  Boy, that’s going to help me and my carbo load.  They also have antioxidants but you know what, everyone is saying that shit now.  Hell, I’m waiting for people to say Snickers contains antioxidants.  Does anyone even know what an antioxidant is and what it even does to your body?  Honestly, I don’t but “THEY” tell me it’s good for you.
• Naturalnews.com raves about them too…that is if you can get through the 9,353,245 ads they have on their site.  They say it has superior fiber content which means it’s a slow burning food that slowly releases calories and carbs in your body.  Okay, that’s some actual good stuff that I need to know about me and my performance on a bike.  They also say it’s rich in beta-carotene which means if you eat enough of it, you glow and be able to see in the dark.
• Howstuffworks.com says that because they are slow burning they’ll keep you full for hours.  Ha, I call BS on that – I had a sweet potato last night and guess what? 30 minutes later and I was hungry again.  Slow burning my ass…I mean I’m sure it’s better than a Reeses Butter Cup in regards to slow burning, but whatevs – that must be one huge sweet tater they are eating for it to sit in your stomach for a long time.
• And last but not least, the Huffington Post says that sweet potatoes are good for your skin… they also go on to say Obama is god and Mitt Romney is evil.

In all seriousness, sweet potatoes have some decent slow-burning carbs in them that does a decent job of fueling you for the next day.  So bake you up one and woof that thing down the night before or if you’re slowly loading carbs for the week.

Carbo load Correctly

If you’re like me, you’re on the go 24/7 and dont’ have time to bake a sweet potato so I actually buy the organic baby food rather than deal with the actual peeling, baking and tapping my fingers waiting for it to come out of the stove or microwave.  There’s no need to nuke it, there’s no preservatives in it (at least I hope) and you can down it pretty quickly if in a pinch.  I put these in my green smoothies sometimes or pop them in my recovery shake if I need the carbs.

Lastly, remember introducing foods foreign to your diet a few days before a race?  Not smart.  The last thing you want to do is have some bad reaction to a carbo load someone suggested (like me).  Try this during training or the off season.  Also, there’s no magic bullet so what works for me may not work for you.

But that’s why I’m on the podium and you’re not.  At least that’s how I see it in my head!

Disclaimer: I’m not a nutritionist, I’m not a doctor and I’m sure as hell not a dietician – so you should not take anything in this post as gospel truth or fact.  Do you’re own homework!