Allison's Big Toe

Hi there. Thanks for the questions!

What I’ve read about the GAPS diet is that if you are nursing, it is good to go for the full GAPS diet and not try to do the Intro diet. The full diet should give you all the nutrition you need, even as a runner. I was very nervous also about trying to run and do GAPS, because the running world is fanatic about carbohydrates, but actually I find that I have more athletic endurance when I increase the fats I eat and eliminate starchy carbs. I think I’m training my body to use fat as an energy source instead of carbohydrates. That said, 4 miles is the furthest I’ve ever run on the GAPS diet, but at the end of my most recent race, my fatigue was more due to my sore muscles and reduced cardio ability from not having trained enough, rather than feeling under-fueled.  In fact, had my legs been stronger, I think I could have gone much further after that yogurt breakfast I described in my previous post. I am pretty strict with the diet and don’t eat anything besides what is on the full GAPS list.

The diet in general is going great for me, but it is challenging to find time to cook all the food from scratch. (I salute all the mothers who are trying to do it with kids running around!) It has cleared up my sinus allergies, which is actually a benefit on runs, as I can breathe easier. I do still have quite a bit of belly bloating from the added probiotics, but that doesn’t seem to affect my comfort when I run; I don’t get cramps or anything like that. My cravings for sweet foods and cravings for food in general have pretty much disappeared by now (after 4 months on the diet), and I feel satisfied with what I eat. The first couple months I was ravenous all the time, but it’s gotten a lot better.

Tips for GAPS runners, from my own experience:

1. Give yourself at least a month to work out the full diet routine for yourself before you start running. I found that I was spending so much time cooking, preparing, and thinking about food that I honestly didn’t have another hour of the day available to exercise. I kept up my 10 min. per day morning workout, but that was about it.

2. For the first run on GAPS, go in the afternoon at least four hours after having eaten a nice big lunch of lentils or other allowed beans with veggies and perhaps some ground beef or other fatty meat. (All meats should be grass fed or at least antibiotic free.) I find this type of meal gives me plenty of carbs and sustaining nutrition. If I go running in the morning and don’t eat enough beforehand, I get light-headed (I am low-grade anemic and I think that causes some hypoglycemia?) So for the first run, do it in the afternoon when your body hasn’t been fasting all night just to gauge your reaction.

3. If you feel you need it, eat a spoonful of raw honey or honey with butter right before running, just like you’d take an energy gel.

I can’t really even think of any more. I just eat what the diet recommends and the running works well :) As soon as I try some longer distance runs, I will post about how the diet sustains me. I think I could make it through a half marathon with just honey and maybe some salt stick capsules for fuel and electrolytes. 

UPDATE: I did make it through a pretty grueling trail half marathon on just raw honey and salt stick caps. Read here: http://www.allisonsbigtoe.com/post/7042843854 The GAPS diet really does have plenty of carbs allowed for athletes. When I’m running a lot, I don’t stress over the high carb count in lentils, white beans, split peas, and fruit that I eat. However, if I’m not running a lot, I cut those food items out of the diet completely because I find they cause me to gain weight really fast, especially around the hips and thighs.

Good luck, and please let me know how it goes for you!

Comments, anyone?