Eating for Athletes: A Pro Cyclist and Celebrity Nutritionist Share Their Tips

Figuring out the best things to eat before, after (and even during) a big workout can be tricky. You need enough fuel to keep you going, but you don’t want to take in more than necessary because it’ll weigh you down. And, of course, you don’t want to have to stop mid-run to find a bathroom, so whatever you’re eating, you want to make sure it feels good, too.

Now, while it’s helpful for everyone to have a solid nutrition plan, it goes from helpful to imperative for professional athletes like world champion cyclist Lucy Garner. Garner has been a professional cyclist since 2012 and, after winning back to back World Championships road races as a junior, is currently working toward earning another title at the highest level with the seniors.

And she knows that, to do that, she’s got to be on point with her nutrition, which is where celebrity nutritionist Brooke Alpert comes in. She and Lucy were in Amsterdam with Culturelle for a day to dish about fitness, training and probiotics, and took a few minutes to answer some of our nutrition questions (on video!). And we loved their answers. Preach on the hydration!

Have you ever had a race or athletic event where your nutrition was way off? I’ll admit that I’ve bonked. Hard. (Although I don’t think it’s possible to bonk softly …) —Kristen