Can We Athletes Just Eat Whatever We Want?

I can't even begin to count the number of occasions in which I've been approached by someone who says, "Oh, you're an endurance athlete?  You can just eat whatever you want, then, right?"

A) Well, yes, BUT everything I WANT to eat is within the realm of The Paleo Diet!  No, I do not secretly think about eating a cheese laden plate of nachos or fried bits of former-food.   

B) For those athletes who may not follow The Paleo Diet, I'd suggest keeping in mind the idea that you are what you eat, and you're only going to get out what you put in.  

If you're expending tens of thousands of KCals/week, yes, you probably can eat more junk than your sedentary counterpart, but why would you do that to your body?

You're providing your body with exercise and the stimuli to respond by getting stronger/faster/leaner… so why insult it after the fact with items like bagels, pastas, peanut butter, energy gels/drinks/bars filled with wheat products and artificial sugars (the list goes on)?

You might be reading this and thinking, "Well, I am an athlete, and I do eat those foods, but I'm performing well and racing at the top of my game."   If that's the case, I'd ask you this:  How much better do you think you COULD be if you ate real food?

Just something to chew on…

Happy & Healthy Training!