Life In The Saddle

Dietary fibre is not something often talked about in sports nutrition; but it should be. Nine out of ten people do not get their recommended 30 grams of fibre each day; a problem that is often responsible for minor stomach discomforts, but also for more serious issues such as bowel cancer. In this blog post, I look at the importance of fibre—in partnership with the  #RyvitaFibreFit challenge. Fibre is a nutrient that exists in two forms – soluble and insoluble – you can only get it from plant sources; you will not find it in meat, fish, or dairy. Insoluble fibre is not digestible and passes through the body. Plant sources such as nuts and seeds are useful sources of insoluble fibre. Soluble fibre is digestible. Soluble fibre is found in rye, oats, and barley; along with fruits and vegetables. A healthy diet should include both types of fibre. The government recommends an adult should eat 30 grams of dietary fibre a day—but most adults are eating much less than this. Fibre i...

A year or so ago, I reviewed the Skratch Labs Exercise Hydration Mix here on Life In The Saddle. I was impressed by its subtle flavour, natural ingredients, and how effective it was at warding off cramps. In the last month, I have been testing out recipes from their 'solid fuel' solution: the recipes in the Skratch Labs Feed Zone Portables Cookbook. The Feed Zone Portables Cookbook is a collection of recipes for snacks, breakfasts, lunches, and light meals, which you could take with you on any of your outdoor adventures. From rice cakes to panini rolls, and cookies to granola—this is a collection designed for easy transportation and easy consumption. The book is most definitely written for the American reader—with quite a few Americanisms like "grit" and "put it out for 10"; as well as using a lot of ingredients that are far cheaper in the States than they are this side of the Atlantic (such as maple syrup and blueberries). Yet, being selective about ...

I'm generally moving away from using sports drinks; their high sugar content, acidic nature and synthetic feel, no longer have an appeal for my style of endurance riding (read my blog post on ' Fuelling on Fat and Protein '). This said, hydration remains a priority for me; and we all know that water alone is not enough to hydrate your body properly. As a result, I'm always on the lookout for hydration solutions; mixes that offer a low-sugar, natural and electrolyte supplementing drink, but without the sugary calories of most. Skratch Labs Exercise Hydration Mix seems to tick all of these boxes, and so I was keen to test it out… Skratch Labs are an American company, founded on the principals of simple, natural and effective sports nutrition. Their products are made using real, natural ingredients; with no artificial colours or preservatives. There are no E-numbers or 15 letter word ingredients in their product; just the essentials, to keep your body firing on all cyl...