While the attached "easy and healthy" lunch ideas might not be for everyone, there may be some ideas in here to make sure you are getting some proper nutrition 

@Jules have to disagree that you can’t “feel” nutrition. You might not be able to feel a specific deficiency but you can definitely feel when you’ve gotten good healthy and sufficient nutrition in your recovery vs when you haven’t. 

We’ll have to agree to disagree; you cannot feel vitamins, minerals, etc. you feel calories, salt and fat - that’s about it. Of course you can feel a heavy thanksgiving dinner vs a salad, but that’s not “nutrition” per se.

Agreed you can’t feel a specific vitamin or mineral per se but if your diet is devoid of essential vitamins and minerals (or any specific one) you’re going to notice something is off and you don’t feel quite right and taken to the extreme, you can have nasty symptoms as a result of the deficiency (for example, I wasn’t getting enough b-12 when I was younger and had sporadic numbness in my arms and legs as a result).

That said, the price of AG or similar products is too crazy- I'll wake up 10 minutes earlier or force a break in my day, buy more spinach/kale/leafy greens/fruit etc. and put my blender to more use

Not in one meal, and that was my point. Yeah, you're going to feel the scurvy when it sets in, but that takes a very, very long period of malnutrition. B12 deficiency symptoms similarly take a long time to develop.

The reason you cannot "feel" your nutrition is because the placebo effect is far stronger (by orders of magnitude) than the actual effects of short term nutrition. You "feel right" or "feel off" because you know what you ate and you *think* it was good or bad for you.

Ask JP to tell you about the bacon craze on your next long ride

I worked on a branding project for a new Athletic Greens funded brand. To be sure, the supplement industry is the wild west of health benefit claims! 

Manage your weight over winter, eat protein before carbs at breakfast... https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/oby.23578
"Those who consumed lower amounts of protein in their first meal of the day went on to increase their overall food intake in subsequent meals, whereas those who received the recommended amount of protein did not – and, in fact, declined their food intake throughout the day."

I recall reading that diabetics are recommended to do same... something about starting with protein in the morning triggers your body to manage insulin better. Something. Something.

Interesting

Careful with that stuff; there is also evidence that extra protein actually works against your body's ability to modulate insulin.

Jules said:

Careful with that stuff; there is also evidence that extra protein actually works against your body's ability to modulate insulin.

Jules, are you referencing Keto mania? Just eat your eggs and soldiers already. 

... correction: eggs and no soldiers

I cannot honestly remember where i read it or even why I remembered it...

Working with a mental health digital therapeutics company. They have a great Slack channel. Shared this fascinating podcast on ketones and effect on MH: https://hubermanlab.com/dr-chris-palmer-diet-nutrition-for-mental-health/

Dr. Namrita Brooke on Hydration in hot and humid conditions
https://www.joinbasecamp.com/post/hydration-in-hot-and-humid-conditions

I picked up a trial pack of the LMNT offer for salty drinks , through the feed , interesting flavors, Im not sure id order again as i cant work out if they are refreshing or make me feel more thirsty 

I gravitate towards the 'watermelon salt' and sometimes the 'orange salt' the rest of the flavors were mostly a pass.

LMNT became a staple for me during last year's CX season.

Lately, for long rides, I might bring one bottle w/ nuun, and another with LMNT. I like their individual packets, if I remember I'll bring one of them on those long rides for refueling. 

Another benefit of home-made rice cakes

"Cooling starchy foods can cause some changes to their structure that may benefit your health"

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/08/well/eat/resistant-starch-pasta-rice-leftovers.html

mugwump said:

Another benefit of home-made rice cakes

"Cooling starchy foods can cause some changes to their structure that may benefit your health"

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/08/well/eat/resistant-starch-pasta-rice-leftovers.html

I saw that - forwarded to me by my mom of all people - apparently it improves the glycemic index by about 50%.

Has anybody tried Stryker products , bars gels etc ?

Drink to thirst, period.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5csxwqQREWhcMnhWpljRVr?si=ksXZUgvsRQaNp601L_OLvA

Has anyone else tried the Maurten gels?

the one I had was more like broken-up Jello then a syrupy gel.  Is this what it's suppoed to be like?

Yea.  They have a pretty bland, plain taste vs other gels.  Their whole thing is the hydrogen bits that give it that texture.  Personally, I like them but I know the texture can be polarizing.

Yes , the texture is not something it could handle 

Sounds like the precision fuel gels, too. I like those as well, mostly because they have a 90g pouch that’s good for long stretches or climbs where fiddling with a small packet isn’t ideal.

I’ve used the high carb drink mix , which is also really bland , which might be good if you have drink 4 of these during Flanders , but personally I’d like a bit a flavor , tricks my brain that I’m getting a treat 

I like "consumer reports" @Bruce van-Schalkwyk but wow do I ever miss "poet Bruce" your daily musings on the poetry of early morning laps left me feeling like I'd done two workouts instead of one!

NYT infographic team is par excellence... but protein recommendation has been roughy 1gram/kg of bodyweight for ages. Can't say this is exactly ground breaking...

A water bottle filled with gels.... oof

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/im-filling-a-600ml-drink-bottle-with-gels-cameron-wurf-breaks-down-his-ironman-texas-world-record-nutrition-plan/