Pro triathlete Healther Wurtele is the latest athlete turned advocate on the celiac scene. According to a recent article featured published on Triathlete.com, Heather’s new gluten-free diet has propelled her forward in her abilities as an athlete and boosted her above the competition.

“Wurtele used to have chronic, low-level GI issues that detracted from her overall quality of life. It was especially hard because she was an athlete.

‘Given that our bodies are working hard to repair from training, it makes sense to avoid added digestive stress,’ she says. Wurtele found that only when she removed gluten from her diet did her digestion and overall energy levels improve.’”

While the article addresses some of the current myths and misconceptions surrounding the gluten-free diet, Wurtele speaks up.

“A lot of people harp on gluten free as just being another fad and having little scientific evidence to support it. Quantitative measures can be tricky, but qualitatively, if you remove gluten from your diet and feel a heck of a lot better, that’s good enough for me.”

Wurtele admits that managing a gluten-free diet can sometimes be tricky for endurance athletes, but learning to read labels and doing your homework before you shop are some keys to success.

“There are lots of great brown rice, corn and quinoa pastas available. Buy corn instead of wheat tortillas.”

She also advises others like her to seek counsel from a high performance sports nutritionist.

Read more from this article on Triathlete.com website:

http://triathlon.competitor.com/2011/07/nutrition/gluten-free-diets-on-the-rise_35263