IRON OUT TRAINING FATIGUE WITH RED MEAT
Sports nutritionist Will Girling extols the virtues of red meat for riding and recovery
It may seem unusual to say that you should consider eating more red meat, but iron deficiency can be common in cyclists after winter, due to months of hard indoor turbo training sessions.
Some symptoms of iron deficiency include chronic fatigue, frequent injuries, loss of endurance and power, recurring illness, loss of appetite, and loss of interest in exercise. When you’re looking to enjoy long weekend rides or training for a sportive, all are detrimental to your progress.
Iron transports oxygen in the blood and muscles, creates red blood cells, is involved in the electron transport system, which controls the release of energy from cells, and is essential for a healthy immune system.
As we’ve mentioned, prolonged high demand for iron as a result of heavy training can result in a deficiency. Other causes include blood loss, heavy sweating and a general lack of iron in the diet, which is where red meat comes in.
Women aged 19-50 typically need 15mg of iron a day and men aged 19-plus need 8mg. If you’re training heavily, or vegetarian or vegan, you may need more.
Taking on more than the essential amount of iron will not help performance and over-consumption of supplements can cause issues. Focus on staying in the healthy ranges and get retested if you have previously been found to be deficient.
Typical amounts of iron can be found in: • Rib-eye steak (10oz, 281g) provides 41% of your daily value (DV). • A serving of lamb roast (3oz, 85g) provides 13%. • Lamb chop (4oz, 155g) provides 10%.