Q:hey, i am excited to find your blog because i am a runner also attempting the GAPS diet. I am also breastfeeding a toddler and older baby, so I have been nervous about getting off carbs. I have been grain free for awhile, but have been eating alot of potatoes. How is it going for you, and how are you feeling on runs? Do you have any tips specific to GAPS runners?
Anonymous
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?
Year 2011 Resolutions
Is January 23rd too late for a New Year’s Resolution blog post? I don’t think so! Well, here goes. Even though my job and relationship status stayed the same (love my husband and teaching high school English and Spanish), 2010 was a huge year for me, personally. Some of the highlights:
1. I transitioned into ChiRunning in the winter/spring
2. I transitioned into minimalist/barefoot running in the summer/fall and bought my first pairs of Vibram FiveFinger shoes.
3. In June, at the suggestion of my wonderful, supportive husband, I started this blog, AllisonsBigToe.com. In learning to navagate the social media world, I inspired others and have also been truly inspired myself by all your blog posts and tweets on subjects that interest me.
4. In April and October, I ran half marathons without injury, the furthest distance I have ever accomplished.
5. In November through the end of the year, I transitioned my diet and lifestyle to the Gut and Psychology Syndrome nutritional program (which encompasses a grain-free diet and detoxification).
2010 was a year of self-discovery, research, and healing.
This year, 2011, I resolve to surge forward and seamlessly blend my athletic form and healthy lifestyle to make my body an efficient machine. I want to be able to say at the end of the year: “I don’t suffer from any health problems at all, and I have more energy and look more beautiful than ever before.” In March I will turn 29 years old, and I want the last year of my 20’s to be the year in which I set my body up for a lifetime of good health. I want to create a health and fitness routine that will significantly reduce my chance of getting cancer or other terminal illness in the future. This involves continuing to make changes in almost every aspect of my life, including but not limited to: sleeping habits, how I brush my teeth, sunlight intake, what cleaning products I use on my body and in my home, what, when, and how I eat, and how and when I exercise (including warm-up and cool-down practices).
So, all that said, last night I took the plunge and registered for the 4 mile Goleta Superbowl XLIV Run! It’s a plunge because I’ve run maybe twice in the last two months, because I just recovered from a flu that had me in bed for 5 days straight with a fever, and because this will be the first formal race that I’ll run on a grain-free diet. But I did this Superbowl run with my husband and friends last year, and it was really fun; the course takes a nice loop through the streets of Goleta (city near Santa Barbara) and then through Lake Los Carneros Park. I also want to try out the course in my Vibram FiveFingers, because last year at this time I wasn’t yet enlightened about the benefits of barefoot running :)
Thankfully, even though I haven’t been running recently, I did keep up my 10 minutes a day morning workout throughout the holidays, and this helped me to build some muscle strength. This morning I felt strong enough and decided it was time to start running again.
After slurping a spoonful of raw honey and doing my ChiRunning body looseners, I ran about 2 miles, maybe a little bit more; I didn’t take my Garmin with me. My first impression: tiring! Today is very windy, hot, and dry; a type of weather we usually get in Southern California around October, not the end of January, and it made for a difficult transition back in to running for me. Having to battle the wind back was not very fun. At the top of a hill after about a mile and a half I stopped and walked for a bit because I could feel my heartrate was too high. Then I ran the rest of the way home on slightly wobbly legs. I guess I can’t expect too much considering a week ago today I couldn’t climb a flight of stairs without stopping twice (darn that flu virus!). I plan to run twice more this week, and then attempt the 4 mile distance next weekend, just to make sure I’ll be able to run it the weekend after without stopping. I have confidence it will all go well, and then I can spend the rest of the day being lazy and watching the one football game a year I ever see.
Here’s to an awesome year 2011!
Comments?
“A Reversal On Carbs”
The article above was front page news of the Los Angeles Times Health section on Monday. LOVE that this type of message is getting more attention among the mainstream. Finally people are waking up and realizing, after over 50 years of brainwashing by the media and grain industries, that fat does not make you fat. The research presented in the article goes right along with the philosophy behind the Gut and Psychology Syndrome Diet, which I am doing right now (all the homemade food means I have MUCH less time for blogging!).
I’ll admit that the newspaper article still gives a lot of misguided advice: “Substitute sugar-free beverages for sugary soft drinks and juice” was just one of them. Apparently the data here isn’t well enough known, and people still think Diet Coke is better for them than fresh-pressed apple juice. Hmm…
But why am I writing about this on a running blog?! Well, because an excess of carbohydrates is something I’ve come to realize was affecting my health (and running ability) negatively, especially because athletes are often told to “load up” to maintain endurance. Now, I cut out refined sugar, white flour, and processed sweets many years ago. It’s the “healthy” carbs such as whole wheat pasta, oatmeal, and brown rice that I was living on and convinced was good for me and my athletics. I’ve come to understand, specifically through this book, that I’d do much better to increase my natural whole fat intake (saturated animal fats first, then some vegetable fats) and eliminate starchy veggies and grains. I would re-program my body to burn fat, not carbs. The LA times article puts it in a good way: “‘Carbohydrates are a metabolic bully,’ Phinney says. ‘They cut in front of fat as a fuel source and insist on being burned first. What isn’t burned gets stored as fat, and doesn’t come out of storage as long as carbs are available. And in the average American diet, they always are.’”
For running, I eat low starch veggies like butternut squash, dates, bananas, chia seeds (major protein here too), etc. I find these foods to be supremely energy giving. Raw honey can replace all those goo gels, and no potatoes, yams, or grains for me now. Not all carbs are the same! Find ones that are easily digested monosacchrides, and you’ll be good to go for miles :)
Now runners, what do you have to say about all this? Paleo runners, what’s your experience? What foods do you eat for endurance?
My Week-Long Juice Cleanse/Detox
Why Did I Do a Juice Cleanse / Detox?
I’ve been a healthy eater (organic foods, whole grains, no processed food or preservatives, a good amount of fruits and vegetables) for at least three years now. I knew I wasn’t putting in a lot of “toxic” substances to my body, especially because I also switched to natural shampoos, soaps, and sunscreen. But, my husband, who got me started on all this healthy eating, did some research and decided to do a juice cleanse himself. He liked the renewed energy it gave him. Based on my husband’s experiences, I set out to do a seven-day juice cleanse of my own.
I hoped that when I re-introduced food into my diet, I could choose to eat foods that would eliminate a variety of frustrating health issues I’ve had for many years:
- chronic yeast infections (Candida) that come from eating too many carbs and sugar
- gas / bloating at times
- allergies that persist throughout the year, regardless of season
- iron (hemoglobin) deficiency / anemia
Also, I hoped the juice cleanse would jump start my running and get me on a diet to make me more efficient in that area.
Types of Juice I Drank
It’s best to make all juices at home with a juicer, but I just didn’t have time, as I was working full time over the course of this juice cleanse. So, here’s what I did:
Homemade in juicer: spinach, chard, beets, carrots
Bought at Trader Joe’s in the refrigerated section: Very Green Juice Blend, Watermelon, Orange, Essential Greens Veggie Juice
Bought at TJ’s in non-refrigerated section: Garden Patch, Organic Apple Cranberry
How Much Juice I Drank
All day: ginger tea (tumeric, ginger extract, sometimes chamomile and/or raw honey)
Morning before work: Glass of Very Green Juice Blend or other fruit juice, and another glass of a mixture of carrots/chard/spinach/beets (process shown in video above)
Brought to work: three 16 oz. bottles. First had watermelon, orange, and apple/cranberry. Second had Garden Patch and Essential Greens. Third had carrot and Essential Greens. I put the bottles in a little cooler with ice packs.
Afternoon/Evening: usually 3-4 more big glasses of a combination of any of the above juices.
How I Felt During the Cleanse
Ok, full disclosure. I did a lot of research and decided to start the cleanse with a laxative called Magnesium Citrate oral solution which had been recommended by my physician. It’s what they give patients before a colonoscopy to clean them out. I drank the 10oz. bottle on Saturday morning, then just drank ginger tea the rest of the day to keep me hydrated.
On Sunday morning, I started the juice cleanse. I was quite hungry and a little weak Sunday because I hadn’t eaten anything the day before. However, Monday and Tuesday I felt a lot more energy. It was a very strange feeling to be hungry and tired in the body, but remarkably clear-headed and alert in the mind. My constant stuffy nose which I had always attributed to allergies went away, and I could breathe clearly. I started to develop a white coating on my tongue and teeth and a yucky taste in my mouth, which I learned was a result of the toxins being released from my body. Wednesday through Friday I marveled that even though I was hungry a lot, I didn’t get the headaches that usually came with the hunger. My body felt calm and relaxed.
I didn’t run during the juicing week because I didn’t feel I had enough calories for it, especially because my job as a high school teacher is quite exhausting anyway.
Results and Running
I wanted to know what foods I should re-introduce to my diet when I broke my juice fast, so I did a lot of research and found the following great resources:
GAPS diet
Raw Milk
Coconut Oil and Flour (found at my local health-food store)
Chia Seeds
I’m now trying to follow the full GAPS diet as best I can and bought the GAPS guide. The biggest step when re-introducing food was to cut out all cereal grains and sugar (only allowed is raw honey), and eat a lot of yogurt and raw or fermented dairy. Also, not to eat fruits at the same time you eat other foods, as they have different digestive processes. I’ve baked with coconut flour to varying degrees of success and am looking forward to trying almond flour. UPDATE: Made banana bread today with almond flour/meal and it was awesome!! Recipe called “Banana Macadamia Bread” from Kendall Conrad’s “Eat Well Feel Well” SDC cookbook, which I modified to use almond meal instead of the macadamias. I really recommend the cookbook, even for the paleo diet!
I ran two times last week, the first 3.5 miles and the second 4.5, eating a date and a little banana about an hour before. I also ate chia seeds during the day in yogurt or fruit juice. That seemed to give me enough carbs for energy.
So far I’ve been off the juice diet for a full week and love my new eating habits. My allergies are all but gone, which helps in my running. I used to have to carry tissues with me on every run, but now I hardly need them.
Other resourses on Juice Fasting here.
Have you ever tried a juice or other cleanse? Comments?
