Attention Athletes: Paleo Carbo Loading

Thought it would be timely to breach this subject, yet again, after receiving an email reminder to sign up for the 'Carbo Load Dinner' at the 1/2 Ironman I have this coming weekend.

Just want to offer a reminder to all of you budding, and seasoned endurance athletes out there- you DON'T have to stray from Paleo foods even during Ironman, even during Ultra running, you name it... you can keep PALEO  while training.

The starch of choice is YAMS!  Bake them, puree them, bring them on your century ride, sprinkled with a little salt (indicated for Paleo athletes who sweat!), (toss them with oil and make oven baked 'fries'... keep it playful as always.

The beauty is in the simplicity.  You don't need pasta, bagels and bread to fuel your epic training day or A race.

Give it a try and prove it to yourself!   Here's another peek at my Paleo Yam Oven Baked Fries: 

 

Comments

[Paige]

I had a Sprint Tri this weekend and tried not carbo-loading the night before (carbo loading in the sense of eating starch; I just had my typical Stage V meal with meat, veggies, and fruit). Incidentally, I've had my best race to date, with my best speed in all three disciplines that I've ever done. So my question is this: is carbo-loading the night before the race or any time outside of Stage I really necessary or beneficial?

[Paige]

Also, here's a question I've had for a while...

Is there a way to prepare sweet potatoes into a "gel" form that could, say, be squeezed out of a gel bottle during a race? I'd feel much better taking such a concoction in than taking in grain-derived gels. (PowerBar gel works great, but I'd love to have a Paleo alternative for Sprint/Olympic distances)

[Jill]

I didn't think sweet potatoes were paleo. Or are sweet potatoes somewhat paleo and permissible when preparing for a big race like an Ironman or marathon?
Confused from a paleo newbie.

[Jenny]

Thanks for the reminder! And I see you left the skin on - now why didn't I think of that?

Paige - in an earlier blogpost Nell suggested some ideas for smoothies - one of those used pureed organic pumpkin (with decaf green tea, protein powder etc). I wonder if that would work in place of a gel?

[Nell]

Are you referring to using a smoothie instead of a gel, during a workout? Please clarify and Id be happy to answer!

[Nell]

YAMS are fine for endurance athletes to eat while following The Paleo Diet; and preparing for long training sessions and racing; white potatoes are NOT. The latter is a potent source of anti nutrients (saponins).

[Nell]

Its a great idea; all I can say is try it during a training session and see how it works!
I agree; Id also prefer not to have a grain- derived gel.

Keep me posted!

[Nell]

Generally speaking, I think most people view carb-loading as an opportunity to, the night before a race, stuff their faces with spaghetti and bread! Its far from being an effective way to prep the engine, as you know. Its much better to have small amounts of yam throughout the day for a day or two prior to Ironman, for example. Were talking about a few hundred extra calories over a few days to prep for a day which will be anywhere from 8 or 9 hours on the fast side to upwards of 16- 17 hrs for others.

I am similar to you; if I have a short race the next day, I wont change my diet very much as far as adding starch via yams.

[jcard21]

Many supermarkets label sweet potatoes as "Yams" in the U.S. to differentiate it from white potatoes.

But, they are still sweet potatoes.

I'm guessing you are talking about sweet potatoes in this article, even though you call them yams.

Are you referring to sweet potatoes? Please clarify.

Thanks!

[Nell]

Youre right- in fact I did a blog post about that:

http://stephenson.typepad.com/train_with_nellie/2008/10/is-it-a-yam-or-a-sweet-potato.html

Bottom line- YAMS or SWEET POTATOES - GOOD!

WHITE POTOATES - BAD!!

Thank you for the reminder for me to clarify!

[Paige]

Hey, sorry for my late response.

I'm talking about something that would be a gel-like substance that could be put into a squeeze bottle and easily squeezed out, rather than a smoothie.

If there isn't currently a way out there to do this, then perhaps it's not a bad idea for an entrepreneurial venture?

[Nell]

It is absolutely a great idea!

Nell Stephenson
www.nellstephenson.com
BS EXSC, USC ACSM H/FI

Sent from my iPhone

[Ron]

Nell, great blog...long time reader first time commenter...

One stupid question, how long does it take to aquire the taste of YAMS??

Just kidding, thanks for the info above on the white potatoes.

[Nell]

Gosh-I loved them right away!

How are you preparing them?

If youre an athlete, try my recipe for Yam Baked Fries- even a yam hater will surely be converted! : )

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