What Does an Ultra-Cyclist Eat For Dinner?

We want our food to taste good, make us feel full and nourished, and we want it to be easy to prepare. No fuss.

But food can do so much more.

I enjoy managing Joe’s performance nutrition because I know just how powerful food can be when it comes to training, recovering, and adapting. And it’s not just about what an ultra-cyclist eats on the bike. What an ultra-cyclist eats day to day really counts.

Think about it like this. Food provides the energy and nutrients your body needs for everything from producing energy and repairing tissue to maintaining the cells and systems that keep you healthy.

Think of nutrition like a bank balance

I like to think of it as a bank balance. Every day, you have the opportunity to make quality deposits through the food you eat. Those deposits help your body meet the demands of training, adapt to the work you’re doing, and recover afterwards.

If you’re consistently putting less in than your body needs, you begin to run a deficit. And if that deficit continues, it can compromise your health, recovery and performance.

You wouldn’t expect to keep withdrawing money from a bank account without making deposits. Your body works hard for you every day, so give it the nutritional support it needs in return.

I made this casserole the other night. It’s easy, tastes great and is cooked in one pot. Fantastic!

More importantly, let’s look at five ways the ingredients in this meal contribute to the bigger picture of performance nutrition.

Moroccan Red Lentil and Beef Casserole

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 12 oz lean beef cubes
• 1 onion
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 tsp each of paprika, turmeric and cumin
• ¼ tsp ginger
• ⅛ tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 large sweet potato or 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
• 4 oz red lentils
• 400 g can chopped tomatoes
• 450 ml vegetable stock
• Salt to season

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C, 150°C fan or 325°F.
2. Heat the oil in a large, flameproof casserole dish. Add the beef and cook until browned all over.
3. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add the spices and tomato purée and cook for another minute, stirring well.
5. Add the remaining ingredients. Season with salt and bring to the boil.
6. Cover with a lid and transfer to the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the beef and vegetables are tender and the lentils are cooked.

Five things this tasty meal brings to the table

1. Spices: more than just flavour

Turmeric, ginger, cumin, paprika and cinnamon do a wonderful job of bringing this dish to life. They also contain a range of biologically active plant compounds, including some with antioxidant properties.

Our bodies naturally produce free radicals during normal cellular activity. Exercise increases the demands placed on our energy-producing systems, and this can increase the production of reactive compounds. Our bodies have their own antioxidant defence systems to help maintain a healthy balance.

The foods we eat contribute to that overall picture. Spices, alongside vegetables, fruit and other plant foods, help us include a wider variety of beneficial compounds in our daily diet.

Turmeric and ginger have also attracted considerable interest in their potential anti-inflammatory effects. 

But here’s the thing: we don’t need to turn every ingredient into a miracle food. Including a variety of spices in meals we enjoy is a simple way to add flavour and nutritional diversity to our everyday eating.

And anything that makes nourishing food more enjoyable is a good thing in my book!

2. Garlic and onion: small ingredients, valuable contributions

Garlic and onion bring plenty of flavour to this casserole, but they also contain sulphur-containing compounds that have been studied for their potential health benefits.

Garlic produces a compound called allicin when it is chopped or crushed. Research into garlic preparations suggests potential benefits for cardiovascular health.

Both garlic and onion also contribute to the variety of plant compounds in our diet.

Neither ingredient needs to carry the weight of the world’s health expectations. Their value is in being part of a varied, balanced diet that we can maintain over the long term.

And let’s be honest, a casserole wouldn’t be quite the same without them!

3. Sweet potatoes: carbohydrate with added benefits

Sweet potatoes are Joe’s favourite, so they’re a regular feature in our kitchen.

Their orange flesh is rich in beta-carotene, which the body can convert into vitamin A. They also provide vitamin C, potassium and other nutrients that contribute to normal physiological function.

Potassium is an important electrolyte involved in muscle contraction, nerve signalling and fluid balance. Vitamin C supports normal immune function and collagen formation, while vitamin A has a role in immune function and maintaining normal vision.

Sweet potatoes also supply carbohydrate, which is particularly important for athletes. Carbohydrate helps replenish the glycogen stores that working muscles draw on during training and racing.

The amount and timing of carbohydrate you need will depend on your training load, the intensity and duration of your sessions, and how well you’re recovering.

You don’t need to label a food as either good or bad based on its glycaemic index. The more useful question is how it fits into your overall nutrition and the demands you’re asking your body to meet.

And if you prefer ordinary potatoes, they’re a perfectly good option too. The best choice is one you enjoy and will happily eat.

4. Beef: protein, iron and vitamin B12

Beef brings three important nutritional contributions to this casserole: protein, iron and vitamin B12.

Let’s start with protein. It provides the amino acids your body uses to repair and maintain tissues, including muscle. Athletes need to pay particular attention to their daily protein intake because training increases the demands placed on the body.

Beef supplies all the essential amino acids, making it a source of complete protein.

It also provides haem iron, the form of iron found in animal foods that is generally more readily absorbed than non-haem iron from plant foods. Iron is needed to make haemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen around the body. It’s also involved in energy metabolism.

Vitamin B12 is essential for normal red blood cell formation and neurological function.

For endurance athletes, maintaining adequate iron and vitamin B12 status matters. If you’re deficient in either, it can affect your health and ability to perform. 

Choose lean beef where possible.

5. Tomatoes: a little more than a sauce

Tinned tomatoes are a convenient kitchen staple, and they’re doing more than adding colour and moisture to this dish.

They contain lycopene, a carotenoid responsible for much of the red colour in tomatoes. Lycopene has antioxidant properties and has been studied for its potential role in health.

Interestingly, processing and cooking can make lycopene more available for absorption than it is in fresh, uncooked tomatoes. The olive oil in this recipe also helps because lycopene is fat-soluble.

Research into lycopene and long-term health continues.

What we can say is that tomatoes contribute useful plant compounds to our diet, and tinned tomatoes make it easy to include them regularly.

They’re inexpensive, convenient and available all year round. What’s not to like?

Your performance is fuelled by your food

This casserole isn’t a magic performance meal. No single recipe is.

Its value lies in the combination of ingredients: protein from the beef and lentils, carbohydrate from the potatoes and lentils, and a range of vitamins, minerals and plant compounds from the vegetables, tomatoes and spices.

It’s also a reminder that good nutrition doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. A simple meal, prepared with everyday ingredients, can make a meaningful contribution to the nutritional foundations that support your training and recovery.

Of course, what you eat during exercise matters too. When you’re training hard or racing for hours, your body has specific demands for carbohydrate, fluid and, when appropriate, electrolytes. Those needs deserve their own attention.

But race-day fuelling sits on top of the everyday nutrition that supports your health, training and recovery.

Think back to that bank balance. Make quality deposits every day. Give your body the energy and nutrients it needs to meet the demands you place on it, and don’t leave yourself continually trying to recover from a deficit.

Your food choices help shape your capacity to perform. Choose wisely, eat well and give your body the support it deserves.

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Good performance nutrition isn’t just about what you eat during training or on race day. It’s about nourishing the whole athlete, day in and day out, to support your health, energy, training, recovery and performance.

At Nutrition with Jill I help athletes make sense of their nutritional needs and build a personalised approach that works with their sport, their goals and their life beyond training.

Book a call and find out how to make your nutrition work harder on your behalf.