Gluten Free Athletes

Team Garmin Cervelo. Photo Fotoreporter Sirott

Novak Djokavic's recent win at Wimbledon has everyone buzzing about the benefits of a gluten free diet for athletes. Team Garmin Cervelo has also been riding the gluten free wave this year and will continue during the current Tour de France.  Before starting purely elizabeth, I worked as a holistic nutrition counselor guiding many endurance athletes on diet and lifestyle choices.  Time and again, I saw the benefits of going gluten free on performance.  Gluten has an inflammatory affect on the body, the last thing an athlete wants to affect them.  My clients saw they had more energy, were able to breath better and recover faster.  But this is not a blanket statement for going gluten free, and these athletes didn't do it alone.

Unlike many who switch to a gluten free diet and simply substitute bread for gluten free bread made of rice flour, potato starch, etc, these athletes incorporated more fruits, veggies, and gluten free whole grains loaded with nutrients. They even took out, or greatly reduced meat (another inflammatory food). A simple diet that frankly is beneficial for anyone.  

Here are a few of my favorite gluten free whole grain options for athletes or non-athletes alike:

brown rice pasta by lunderberg (more fiber then others)

quinoa

amaranth

millet

teff

buckwheat

ofcourse our ancient grain granola cereal  

What's your favorite gluten free grain?