What sports dietitians wish athletes knew (and aim to teach them!)

Every fall, I work with athletes brand new to me - whether at the college I consult with, the young Olympic hopefuls I work with or in my personal practice of athletes both young and seasoned. And while there are so many different things I teach depending on the need, at the core there are a few things I wish my athletes knew, that I aim to teach my athletes and that I hope my athletes truly believe.

1. There is no one-size fits all
I, too, wish that nutrition was black and white. I wish I could recommend one pre-workout snack and have it work amazingly for every athlete. That simply is not the case. So, when I recommend 6 different pre-workout fueling options, I hope you understand that we are simply trying to find the best one that works for YOU. And just because Suzie down the street eats this or doesn't eat that, this doesn't mean it is the right choice for you. Lets find that right choice together, for your body type, goals, phase of training, food preferences, medical history, gender and age using as much of the science as possible.

How to be a professional triathlete with celiac - tips and tricks

This week, I am so excited to interview my good friend and professional triathlete, Robin Pomeroy. I met Robin many years ago when she first started triathlon. She has since developed into an amazing triathlete. What makes Robin so impressive is that she juggles her training while fueling gluten-free. Robin was diagnosed with celiac in 2004. Here are her thoughts on living, training and competing gluten-free and what she thinks about the whole "gluten-free diet" fad. 

First, tell me about yourself.

I aspire to take triathlon to the highest level I am capable of. I have a background in competitive swimming, bike racing, and running. I enjoy putting all three sports together now to compete in triathlon. I love the Olympic distance race, but have started racing the half distance this year as well. The two distances are unique and very different to train for, but I enjoy both.

I continue to work as well, and absolutely enjoy my career outside of racing. It is hard to juggle the demands of work and triathlon sometimes, but it keeps me continuously occupied. I thrive on a busy schedule; however, it’s important to keep a healthy balance of everything.

2015 marks my first year competing as a professional. I have launched a website, so you can follow me here: www.robinpomeroy.com, or at either of my social media accounts: Facebook or Twitter 

Tell me a little about how you were first diagnosed with celiac?

I found out I had Celiac about 10 years ago in 2004/2005. I was a serious high school and collegiate runner who suffered a femoral neck stress fracture that was 80% of the way across the bone - almost causing me to have a hip replacement. Thankfully, it was caught and I had an emergency surgery to pin it up. About a year later, I fractured the other femoral neck, but did not need surgery for this one. Between these fractures, I had blood work and other tests done that revealed some major deficiencies. I was anemic, amenorrheic, osteopenic, and low in many other vitamins and minerals. The combination of these deficiencies and the serious fracture(s) I had led my primary care doctor to refer me to a gastroenterologist, who in turn wanted to test for Celiac Disease. I am thankful that my doctors were insightful enough to test for Celiac Disease because it was not as commonly diagnosed in the U.S. back in 2004.