The Gluten-Free Edge: A Nutrition and Training Guide for Peak Athletic Performance and an Active Gluten-Free Life

by Peter Bronski, Melissa McLean Jory, Amy Yoder Begley (Foreword by)

Overview

Since the advent of sport, athletes have worked to gain an edge on their competition—to look, feel, and perform their best—through both training and nutrition. Today, science is increasingly showing the negative impact that gluten, a protein in wheat, barley, and rye, can have on health.

For the estimated 30 million Americans with forms of gluten intolerance, such as celiac disease, this all-too-common protein can cause gastrointestinal trouble, inflammation, muscle fatigue, and mental fog that hinder an active lifestyle and negatively impact athletic performance. The solution: a whole-foods, nutrient-dense gluten-free diet.

Others who voluntarily eat gluten-free can also discover an edge they never knew was missing: faster recovery, reduced inflammation, improved digestion, and increased athletic performance.

The Gluten-Free Edge is the first comprehensive resource that includes:
• What gluten is and how it negatively impacts health and athletic performance
• The myriad benefits of adopting a gluten-free nutrition plan
• What to eat during training, competition, and recovery
• How to deal with group meals, eating on the road, and getting “glutened”
• Insights from prominent athletes already living the gluten-free edge
• And 50 simple, high-octane recipes to fuel your performance

Whether you’ve been diagnosed with gluten intolerance or simply want to get ahead of the competition, this book is for you. Your own gluten-free edge is waiting.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781615190522
Publisher:	The Experiment
Publication date:	07/17/2012
Series:	No Gluten, No Problem
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.82(h) x 1.04(d)

About the Author

Amy Yoder Begley is an American middle and long distance runner. In 2006, she was diagnosed with celiac disease, but she still went on to represent the United States in the 10,000-meter event at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She currently lives in Oregon with her husband.

Husband-and-wife team Kelli and Peter Bronski are coauthors of the popular all-purpose cookbook Artisanal Gluten-Free Cooking and Artisanal Gluten-Free Cupcakes, and cofounders of the acclaimed blog No Gluten, No Problem. Kelli is a graduate of Cornell University’s prestigious School of Hotel Administration and a lifelong baker and cook. Peter is a celiac community advocate, endurance athlete, and coauthor of The Gluten-Free Edge. They live in Colorado with their three children.

Melissa McLean Jory, MNT, is a nutrition therapist, with a degree in exercise science and a certified yoga teacher, and has a personal interest and expertise in celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, and holistic health. She enjoys hiking, backpacking, telemark skiing, and yoga as part of what she considers her “freedom from disease” way of living. She takes her wholesome gluten-free lifestyle on the road, on the trail, or into the mountains and has found there’s no reason you can’t live an active (even rather extreme) lifestyle once you learn the necessary steps to clean out your body, start yourself on a healing path, and regain your energy and wellbeing. This is her first book.

Table of Contents

Foreword Amy Yoder Begley ix

Introduction 1

Pete's Story 8

Melissa's Story 13

1 G Is for Gluten 19

2 Why All Athletes Should Care About Gluten 35

3 Get Your Motor Running: How the Body Stores and Uses Energy 69

4 Fueling the Engine: The Food Foundation 79

5 Special Considerations 116

6 High Octane: Gluten-Free for Maximum Performance 134

7 Channel Your Inner Camel: The Importance of Proper Hydration 163

8 Getting Personal: Sport-, Gender-, and Age-Specific Advice 183

9 Time for a Tune-up 218

10 No Train, No Gain: Training and Exercise Strategies to Complement Nutrition 228

11 On Your Mark, Get Set, Cook! Flavorful, Nutrient-Dense Recipes 247

Breakfasts 253

Smoothies 261

On the Go: Snacks and Trial Food 264

Salads and Savory Dips 272

Lunches and Dinners 279

Desserts 307

Metric Conversion Charts 311

Glossary 313

Notes 325

Photo Acknowledgments 358

Acknowledgments 359

Index 362

About the Authors 372

Editorial Reviews

Along with great nutritional advice, this book includes personal stories from top-level athletes—many of them female—who had to go gluten-free for health reasons. It is an encouraging title for readers who may have given up exercise and other athletic goals after suffering prior to diagnosis and adoption of a gluten-free lifestyle.”
—Library Journal

“The Gluten-Free Edge goes beyond simply defining gluten, giving solid recommendations on fueling, recovering, and general health that when put into practice will set an athlete up for superior performance. Any hard-training athlete serious about health and performance should read and incorporate the principles of nutrition found in this book.”
—Robert Kunz, MS, Co-Founder of First Endurance, VP Science and Technology

“If you want to learn more about how to optimize your performance and body composition, then read this book.  Seriously.”
—Ryan D. Andrews, MS, MA, RD, CSCS, coach with Precision Nutrition

“[A] comprehensive manual for athletic-minded people who follow a gluten-free diet. Their 384-page guidebook offers cutting-edge nutrition and fitness science, and offers advice about the best foods to fuel performance and speed recovery, as well as 50 simple but savory gluten-free recipes."
—Competitor

“This book could have been a list of training tips and recipes, but Peter and Melissa take it a step further by incorporating insights from history, science and nutrition. That, combined with striking personal accounts from world-elite athletes, make it an engaging read all the way through. The NFCA is proud to find our Athletes for Awareness among these pages, and we expect this book will inspire more to come!”
—Alice Bast and the team at the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness

“Finally! A book that validates the science behind everything I've observed with our athletes:  Gluten-free equals improved performance. Whether you show signs of gluten sensitivity or not, if you’re an elite athlete or a daily jogger, get the facts from The Gluten-Free Edge if you want to go faster, get leaner, and have the energy to go the distance. You will be blown away by the facts in this book—and once you read it you’ll never want to go back to eating, feeling and underperforming the way you did before. A must read for all athletes!”
—Miriam G. Zacharias, PhD, MS, Vice President of the National Association of Nutrition Professionals

“Nutritional needs are forefront in the minds of athletes, including trail runners. This well-written and thoroughly researched book demystifies gluten and provides a realistic approach to food as it relates to and assists with performance.”
—Nancy Hobbs, Executive Director, American Trail Running Association

“The Gluten-Free Edge is a great book for both the weekend warrior and the professional. Even as an ultra-endurance swimmer and 50-year-old competitive athlete, I found much to learn. The authors help you navigate a complicated subject with simple and personal stories that everyone can understand.”
—Bruce Gordon, marathon swimmer and the first person to swim the 18 miles across Lake Coeur d’Alene

“The Gluten-Free Edge provides very powerful personal stories and lessons for anyone contemplating the shift toward a gluten-free lifestyle. Great insights for athletes and non-athletes alike, especially those suffering from celiac disease or undiagnosed gluten intolerance.”
—Seth Bronheim, MS, RD, CDN, Director of Nutrition and Fitness, Generation UCAN www.generationucan.com (Gluten-Free Sports Nutrition)

From the Publisher

"The Gluten-Free Edge is a great book for both the weekend warrior and the professional. Even as an ultra-endurance swimmer and 50-year-old competitive athlete, I found much to learn. The authors help you navigate a complicated subject with simple and personal stories that everyone can understand."

Bruce Gordon

"Finally! A book that validates the science behind everything I’ve observed with our athletes: Gluten-free equals improved performance. Whether you show signs of gluten sensitivity or not, if you’re an elite athlete or a daily jogger, get the facts from The Gluten-Free Edge if you want to go faster, get leaner, and have the energy to go the distance. You will be blown away by the facts in this book—and once you read it you’ll never want to go back to eating, feeling and underperforming the way you did before. A must read for all athletes!"

Miriam G. Zacharias

"Nutritional needs are forefront in the minds of athletes, including trail runners. This well-written and thoroughly researched book demystifies gluten and provides a realistic approach to food as it relates to and assists with performance."

Nancy Hobbs

"The Gluten-Free Edge provides very powerful personal stories and lessons for anyone contemplating the shift toward a gluten-free lifestyle. Great insights for athletes and non-athletes alike, especially those suffering from celiac disease or undiagnosed gluten intolerance."

Seth Bronheim

"This book could have been a list of training tips and recipes, but Peter and Melissa take it a step further by incorporating insights from history, science and nutrition. That, combined with striking personal accounts from world-elite athletes, make it an engaging read all the way through. The NFCA is proud to find our Athletes for Awareness among these pages, and we expect this book will inspire more to come!"

Alice Bast and the team at the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness

"[A] comprehensive manual for athletic-minded people who follow a gluten-free diet. Their 384-page guidebook offers cutting-edge nutrition and fitness science, and offers advice about the best foods to fuel performance and speed recovery, as well as 50 simple but savory gluten-free recipes."

Competitor

"If you want to learn more about how to optimize your performance and body composition, then read this book. Seriously."

Ryan D. Andrews

"The Gluten-Free Edge goes beyond simply defining gluten, giving solid recommendations on fueling, recovering, and general health that when put into practice will set an athlete up for superior performance. Any hard-training athlete serious about health and performance should read and incorporate the principles of nutrition found in this book."

Robert Kunz