June 06, 2007

News Article in 'Snap Whistler'



A short recap of the MOMAR Squamish race last month and with a few cool shots of Todd and I throughout the event.
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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gary,

What foods do you rely on to fill your carb needs, being that you are celiac and an ultra-athlete?

When you compete in other countries, is it a problem finding GF foods? Is this especially true in the USA?

Thanks,

Sally Young, freelance, Running Tiimes Mag

Gary Robbins said...

Hi Sally, how in the world did you find my blog!?
Please e-mail me directly so that I can give you a proper and detailed response.
robbins_gary@yahoo.ca
Thanks,
GR

garobbins said...

Hi Sally,

In response to your question about Celiac friendly foods and racing internationally:

There was definitely a very frustrating learning curve as to what I could and could not consume, but after quite a bit of research and trial and error it has become a 'normal' diet for me and not something I generally have to stess over any more (The Gluten Free Bible was a great resource).

Some great race foods that are Gluten Free include the Carbo-Pro line up of mixes and fluids along with Nuun for electrolytes. Some of the bars I consume regularly are brands such as Honey Stinger, Elev8me, and Oskri, which I can all find at my local grocery store.

I have found that G.F. foods in the States are not only easier to locate but also significantly cheaper than here in Canada. Stores such as Trader Joes are a prime example of great options south of the Canadian border.

Recently we raced in Mexico, which was an absolute treat. All I had to do was ask for corn tortillas or tacos instead of wheat and everything else on the menu was natuarlly G.F!!

I've read that in countries such as Sweden, Celiac Disease is so common that McDonald's even serves G.F. burgers! Not that you would find me in there, just something that made me realize how far behind we are in N.A. with this.

Estimates are as high as one in every 250 people who suffer from Celiac disease. The scary part is that the average diagnosis time is 9 years! Which is exactly how long it took me to properly diagnose. The medical industry was of no assistance whatsoever. There is a very simple blood test you can get from a naturopath that can help someone figure out if their issues are due to the diet. The test encompasses 90 common allergies and I would recommend it to just about everyone. I wish I had done it 9 years ago!

However, I have even noticed in the last seven months, that, at least locally here in Squamish, G.F. options are becoming more prominent. I have friends who are not tecnically allergic to these foods but choose the G.F. diet because of the health benefits they notice from it.

I hope this helps, and please do not hesitate to contact me again should you have any further questions...now I have a question for you...how the heck did you come across my blog?!

GR