Going for Gold? How the Paleo Diet Helps Endurance Athletes

The Paleo Diet has become more and more popular among wellness experts and enthusiasts, but a diet devoid in carbs and dairy products doesn’t seem suitable to the well-being of a runner or endurance athlete. However, when Iron-man athlete Nell Stephenson contracted a parasite and developed a gluten-intolerance and stomach problems, she decided to try eating like a caveman and ‘felt better in three days.’ So how can the Paleo diet still serve those who traditionally carbo-load for a better performance?

Paleo prescribes a diet of just lean protein, healthy fat, and fresh fruits and vegetables, which most athletes would also accommodate in their diets. However, dairy, grains, legumes, and refined and processed food are completely avoided as part of the ancient eating regime, and many fitness fans still rely heavily on grains, processed sugars and lots of starches. Yet according to Joe Friel, US Olympic triathlon coach and co-author of The Paleo Diet for Athletes, you can go for gold and still benefit from the Paleo diet, with just a few simple adjustments.

Friel comments, ‘[Paleo offers] better long-term recovery, due to greater micro-nutrient content [than a standard high-starch and sugar diet], allowing the athlete to train with a greater stress load.’ He explains that the trick is to divide your diet into stages, following the basic Paleo diet during most of your meals, but changing the rules during and immediately after workouts. Roughly two hours before your long or hard workout or race, you should consume food with a low to moderate glycaemic index and low fibre content.

But if you’re switching back and forth between diet plans, what’s the point in going prehistoric in the first place? Friel notes that, as opposed to the high-starch and sugar diet you may be on right now, the Paleo diet has several effects:

1. More vitamins and minerals. This helps to keep your immune system strong, which means there’s less of a chance of illness getting in the way of your training regime.

2. Increased fat oxidation. This is extremely beneficial in long-event endurance.

3. Balanced pH levels, which increase your speed.

4. Better retained and recovered muscles. This helps your performance as well as your physique.

Don’t believe him? Ask Stephenson! Since the Paleo diet has changed her life, the Iron-man athlete, trainer and nutritional coach has started a popular Paleo informational blog, Paleoista, and has come out with a book of the same name. As she simply states, ‘My body is functioning optimally.’