The Gluten-Free Edge

The Gluten-Free Edge
A Nutrition and Training Guide for Peak Athletic Performance and an Active Gluten-Free Life

From the back cover:

Since the advent of sport, athletes have worked to gain an edge on their competition—to look, feel, and perform their best—through both training and nutrition. Today, science is increasingly showing the negative impact that gluten, a protein in wheat, barley, and rye, can have on health.

For the estimated 30 million Americans with forms of gluten intolerance, such as celiac disease, this all-too-common protein can cause gastrointestinal trouble, inflammation, muscle fatigue, and mental fog that hinder an active lifestyle and negatively impact athletic performance. The solution: a whole-foods, nutrient-dense gluten-free diet.

Others who voluntarily eat gluten-free can also discover an edge they never knew was missing: faster recovery, reduced inflammation, improved digestion, and increased athletic performance.

The Gluten-Free Edge is the first comprehensive resource that includes:

What gluten is and how it negatively impacts health and athletic performance
The myriad benefits of adopting a gluten-free nutrition plan
What to eat during training, competition, and recovery
How to deal with group meals, eating on the road, and getting “glutened”
Insights from prominent athletes already living the gluten-free edge
And 50 simple, high-octane recipes to fuel your performance

Whether you’ve been diagnosed with gluten intolerance or simply want to get ahead of the competition, this book is for you. Your own gluten-free edge is waiting.

Praise for The Gluten-Free Edge

“The Gluten-Free Edge goes beyond simply defining gluten, giving solid recommendations on fueling, recovering, and general health that when put into practice will set an athlete up for superior performance. Any hard-training athlete serious about health and performance should read and incorporate the principles of nutrition found in this book.”
—Robert Kunz, MS, Co-Founder of First Endurance, VP Science and Technology

“If you want to learn more about how to optimize your performance and body composition, then read this book. Seriously.”
—Ryan D. Andrews, MS, MA, RD, CSCS, coach with Precision Nutrition

“[A] comprehensive manual for athletic-minded people who follow a gluten-free diet. Their 384-page guidebook offers cutting-edge nutrition and fitness science, and offers advice about the best foods to fuel performance and speed recovery, as well as 50 simple but savory gluten-free recipes.”
—Competitor

“This book could have been a list of training tips and recipes, but Peter and Melissa take it a step further by incorporating insights from history, science and nutrition. That, combined with striking personal accounts from world-elite athletes, make it an engaging read all the way through. The NFCA is proud to find our Athletes for Awareness among these pages, and we expect this book will inspire more to come!”
—Alice Bast and the team at the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness

“Finally! A book that validates the science behind everything I’ve observed with our athletes: Gluten-free equals improved performance. Whether you show signs of gluten sensitivity or not, if you’re an elite athlete or a daily jogger, get the facts from The Gluten-Free Edge if you want to go faster, get leaner, and have the energy to go the distance. You will be blown away by the facts in this book—and once you read it you’ll never want to go back to eating, feeling and underperforming the way you did before. A must read for all athletes!”
—Miriam G. Zacharias, PhD, MS, Vice President of the National Association of Nutrition Professionals

“Nutritional needs are forefront in the minds of athletes, including trail runners. This well-written and thoroughly researched book demystifies gluten and provides a realistic approach to food as it relates to and assists with performance.”
—Nancy Hobbs, Executive Director, American Trail Running Association

“The Gluten-Free Edge is a great book for both the weekend warrior and the professional. Even as an ultra-endurance swimmer and 50-year-old competitive athlete, I found much to learn. The authors help you navigate a complicated subject with simple and personal stories that everyone can understand.”
—Bruce Gordon, marathon swimmer and the first person to swim the 18 miles across Lake Coeur d’Alene

“The Gluten-Free Edge provides very powerful personal stories and lessons for anyone contemplating the shift toward a gluten-free lifestyle. Great insights for athletes and non-athletes alike, especially those suffering from celiac disease or undiagnosed gluten intolerance.”
—Seth Bronheim, MS, RD, CDN, Director of Nutrition and Fitness, Generation UCAN