Can endurance athletes live a paleo/primal lifestyle, eating whole foods and eliminating grains? They can steer in the general direction of a Paleo diet even though they need more carbohydrate than the average person. Here are two endurance athletes talking about what they eat and why.
Longtime professional triathlete Jonas Colting says he eats “some carefully chosen processed carbs,” though not at the high loads recommended by mainstream nutritionists. And he steers “way clear” of sports bars, powders, gels, and drinks.
Seattle ultrarunner Jess Mullen talked with me last fall about what she ate before and during a 100-mile run that took place shortly after she “went Paleo” with her diet, and how this was different from what she would have eaten months earlier for a race. (Before paleo, prerace: cereal or muffin and a banana. After paleo, prerace: turkey, nuts, and a banana.)
