Is Gluten Free the way to be?

Since becoming gluten-free in February 2010, I've had many requests for more information and my personal insight on the details of this healthy way of living. For many years I suffered from the "typical" gluten intolerance symptoms (bloating, gas, frequent BM's, afternoon fatigue and stomach pain after races or hard workouts). Within a week of going gluten-free most of my symptoms went away and I was feeling the best I've felt in years. Training was going better, I was sleeping fantastic, and my energy levels were at an all time high - best of all I was dropping pounds like crazy, eventually losing more than 15 pounds. I was sold!

What is gluten you might be asking? Gluten (from Latin gluten "glue") is a protein composite that appears in foods processed from wheat and related species, including barley and rye. It gives elasticity to dough, helping it to rise and to keep its shape, and often giving the final product a chewy texture. So...basically all my favorite foods and most of the foods making up my diet at the time. I was used to eating lots of pasta, pizza and other gluten enriched foods.

So how can I train for triathlons and have such a low carb diet? That's the question I asked and was actually having trouble adapting to. I had yet to learn much about carb rich gluten-free alternatives, so I basically was eating what looked to be an Adkins diet and any training over 60 minutes was very difficult. I found out later that it was more my body getting used to a new fuel rather than not eating enough carbs. Nonetheless, I (meaning my wife) needed to learn more about cooking gluten-free and I needed to learn a different carb source. I quickly found that fresh fruits and rice dishes with fresh veges and lean chicken provided me with plenty of energy for the longer workouts.

Since this now was a "family" issue, because you can't just cook(or shop)for one person, we embraced the gluten-free lifestyle to include the total elimination of gluten food from our pantry. This included all snacks, cereals, cookies and most importantly the flour we backed and cooked with. There are many great books out there on gluten-free cooking and plenty of great gluten-free areas in grocery stores. Our favorites include Raisin Rack, Trader Joes and even many of the big box stores now carry or have gluten-free areas in their stores.

Now almost a full year into our new lifestyle and it's no longer a chore to put together meals or find a gluten-free snack at the Kurek household. Jennifer recently made gluten-free Christmas cookies that are awesome and I even had Pumpkin Pie for Thanksgiving dinner.

With the recent surge in folks finding out they too are gluten intolerant (which I believe is a results of years of eating foods that are saturated with gluten) there is loads of great information online to help you get started. I encourage everyone to give it a try. Go online and learn more about it and you'll soon find out why eliminating gluten from your diet is the way to be!

Bring it!

HFP Man