Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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I will be running my first race since going Paleo this saturday. It is a 50 mile trail run and I am looking for alternatives to pasta for carb loading the day before the race. I figure sweet potatoes would be good, but wouldn't make for much a of a meal by itself.

What other foods can I eat that will ensure my muscle glycogen stores are fully loaded for race day? Also want to limit my fiber intake to limit potty breaks during the run.

Would rice be an acceptable alternative? How would my stomach react to rice if I haven't eaten it in about 8 months?

Thanks!!

flag	asked Oct 12 2011 at 1:15 BearClaw 237●1●7

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I'd be worried about the fiber content in sweet potatoes. White rice I don't see a problem with but I'm not a runner. Maybe do the pasta if you've successfully dome it before. Who cares, it's one meal? – ben61820 Oct 12 2011 at 1:20

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I'd hate for you to have an adverse reaction to the gluten during such a long run, though. I'd stay away. White rice is relatively benign and provides lots of starch. Bananas could be good too! – Farmer's Daughter Oct 12 2011 at 1:58

miked · Answer 1 · 2011-10-12 13:49:36Z UTC

I did a 26-hour relay on my normal high-fat Paleo diet plus a little extra jerky and coconut butter.

I've also done some multiday high intensity crossfit style competition on my normal Paleo diet plus mashed sweet potatoes fried in bacon fat to supplement glycogen.

For something like a 50-miler where you don't get to stop and eat (like I did between legs of the relay, or between WODs) I'd say little snack packets of sweet potato, coconut butter, and maybe a little jerky will be great.

I did make a mistake of over carb loading for an event. I figured that since I had converted to a fat burner all those carbs would be lots of bonus energy, but it was too much and I felt sluggish, retained water, and performed poorly. The best bet for you is to stick to your normal diet plus a little extra carb and MCT (coconut oil/butter) for energy but don't over do it.

cliff · Answer 2 · 2011-10-12 02:08:22Z UTC

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White potatoes and pulp free OJ are your best bet. White rice is suitable but inferior.

answered Oct 12 2011 at 2:08

cliff
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jesuisjuba - paleorepublic.com · Answer 3 · 2011-10-12 13:26:09Z UTC

I hope I don't get spanked by some of these suggestions but if you do all organic I think they're going to be your best choices. I used to race and if I were still doing so these would be on my table, in the fridge, and taken to the meet. I would start introducing things now, don't wait, so if you have any adverse reactions you'll be able to adjust:

white rice, rice cakes, sprouted corn tortillas
cheese (add to the tortillas or on top of the rice cakes)
coconut water
potato chips, veg chips (salt + carb + fat)
almond butter, honey, banana-
Lara or Kind bars, just check the labels
gluten free waffles with berries
3 hours before racing a yogurt and banana (will give you time to digest and not feel full)
sushi/sashimi the night before
dried fruit, nuts
roast chicken, potatoes, hard boiled eggs, avocado (post race)

If you have time to cook today or tomorrow, might be worth making protein balls as an extra:

Good luck, run fast!

Beth-WeightMaven · Answer 4 · 2011-10-12 01:59:55Z UTC

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White rice should be pretty easy on the stomach (it's part of the BRAT recs for dealing with stomach upsets). Why not try some tomorrow and see how you do? If you tolerate it (which I suspect you will), then you should have some confidence on Friday. That said, I'd think potatoes (either sweet or white) would be good as well.

answered Oct 12 2011 at 1:59

Beth-WeightMaven
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BTW, if you've been low-carbing up to this point, you could see some wild blood sugar and weight swings if you carbo-load. The blood sugar because you aren't acclimated to lots of carbs, and the weight because all that glycogen requires a lot of water for storage. – Beth-WeightMaven Oct 12 2011 at 2:03

First Race w/ Paleo: Carb-O load alternatives?

4 Answers