Nutrition

With the right populations of bacteria in your system, you’ll be a healthier cyclist

Add bugs to your guts to boost your performance

Even if you aren’t on a group ride, you’re definitely not riding alone. Trillions of bacteria call your digestive tract home. They make up what has become known as the human microbiome. Throughout the past decade, a bounty of research has demonstrated that the makeup of our microbiome can have profound effects on health and exercise performance.

The critters in our gut appear to influence everything from brain functioning to heart health, even body weight. If you have too many of the wrong bugs, it might be more challenging to maintain race weight. A recent study even found that consuming certain bacteria known as probiotics can help shield athletes from developing upper respiratory tract infections – a useful benefit when you consider that hard training can leave you more vulnerable to coming down with the sniffles.

Science has shown that our microbiome is affected greatly by what we eat. To fertilize your gut with beneficial bacteria, you would be wise to eat more not-so-fresh fermented edibles. Fermentation is a process in which bacteria are infused into foods and drinks either directly by humans or i ndirectly through natural processes that can serve as preservatives. Time to welcome these slightly rotten foods into your kitchen.