Once upon a time I used to eat lbs of spaghetti with nearly an entire loaf of sourdough bread before a half marathon. These days, the breads don’t sit well in my gut (womp womp) which meant I had to come up with other options the day before my recent race.
Bare with me on these photos, I lazily used my iPhone. (Except the last two.)
Breakfast – Wheat free vegan berry muffin from TJ’s (ohh SWOON) and strawberries.
70% of the way through my breakfast I decided to snap a photo.
Lunch – A huge bed of steamed kale (which you can barely see) topped with tofu, carrots, yellow bell pepper, and half of an avocado. With a mango chili sauce and cayenne pepper.
Pre Dinner Snack – Apple (no need to photograph this, if you don’t know what an apple looks like please find the closest kindergarten classroom.)
Dinner – A medium sized sweet potato (hidden under the mix) topped with lentils, cucumber, tomato, salsa, and cayenne. Plus 2-3 servings of black bean quinoa chips.
Post Dinner Snacking – Figs and almond butter, a (large) handful of chocolate chips, a few bites of fresh fruit, and a few bites of some vanilla coconut milk ice cream.
So there you have it, a day full of food to power me through 13.1 miles. If you read my recap you’ll know the race didn’t quite go as planned, but I wasn’t hungry once. All problems were definitely caused my lack of pre race expulsion and lack of training.
When I ran the Seattle Half Marathon last December, I remember getting ravenous around mile 9, I made sure that didn’t happen this time. I didn’t even need the ALT bar I brought with me. I hope I made some squirrels day by tossing it into the woods.
Post race I skipped the sugar bombs I bought from the bakery and face planted a salad.
I don’t even know who I am anymore.
Q: What’s your go to carb loading meal?
Blissfulbritt 
44 thoughts on “Gluten & Dairy Free Carb Loading”
Laura @ the gluten-free treadmill
This is a great and informative post. I think people forget there are other sorts of carbs in the world! My favorite ore-race meal is a stir-fry with a ton of brown rice!
Brittany
I actually eat this everyday, but I wanted to share JUST for that reason. People don’t realize there are non “traditional” carbs out there!
CultFit
I used to load up on carbs the days leading up to an event, not anymore. If anything, I’ll have a few extra peanut butter and jelly sandwiches the day before. 🙂 Awesome pics by the way!!!
Heather @ HeatherRunsFast.com
All those meals look yummy to me! Can’t believe you can handle cayenne before a race. I’d be worried the spiciness would upset my tummy. I think people take the terms “carb loading” to the extreme. Whether your GF or not, eating a huge bowl of pasta AND a loaf of bread is way too many carbs at one meal. You did the perfect job of spacing them out throughout the day in a variety of foods. Kudos to you my lady!
Davida @The Healthy Maven
Please include a photo of your apple from now on and indicate the color and type. JKJKJKJKJK I eat everyday like I’m carbo-loading for a race, because life is an effing marathon <–super eloquent!
Brittany
HAHA best comment on this post. TRUTH!
The vegan 8
Haha I laughed out loud at the squirrel picture!! I prefer gluten free as well. I’m not 100% gluten-free, but I know it’s usually healthier to cut out the overly modified wheat these days. Can I tell you something funny…and a little embarrassing?? When I first started following your blog, for the longest time I thought you were British because your blog name is Blisssful Britt, LOL!! I eventually figured out you live here in the states! I’m a moron!
Brittany
HAHA OH MY GOSH, this legit made me laugh out loud. I AM DEFINITELY not British. HOW FUNNY!
Life After Swimming
Whoa, I’m impressed that you resisted the baked goods. I can’t help but facedive into them!
Britta
But seriously…who are you these days? I need my sweet and carb crazy friend back! Just kidding… love ya just the way you are! If only you KNEW what I ate the day before my marathon.. wanna? Toast for breakfast with eggs, and a green smoothie (<–winning, and only healthy thing of the day), a salty over-sized pretzel at the soccer game along with some sugary mini warm donuts, half a burger for dinner and a few bits of seared tuna. Yup, no joke. Can you say carb crazy?!?!
All of your meals look delicious though, and soooooo much more nutritious than mine – come cook for me?
kathy@vodkandsoda
i’ve only carb loaded once and i ATE ALL THE THINGS. i don’t eat white pasta or anything like that but that evening, i pretty much ordered everything that i never ordered and stuffed my foodhole and love every second of it!! carb loading/eating like that made signing up for the mudder race so worth it LOL
Amy @ A Desert Girl
So fresh and healthy! Your body really wanted that salad afterwards too. You’re so healthy!
Shawna
mmmm all of these foods look delicious!!
Rach @ This Italian Family
I’m pretty sure my carb loading meal would be a giant plate of spaghetti, haha! You are so healthy! You inspire me to be better. 🙂
Natalie @ The Ravenous Mommy
Carbo loading is the best, pasta pasta, pasta!
P
Love how you fuel up! Everything looks so fresh, tasty, and healthy :D! Certainly can’t beat that…
Lauren
I could totally get by eating everything here – forget meat and bread and cheese – the bowl with avocado has me drooling!
PNWRunner
Face planted into a salad? Too funny!! Love the squirrel. Sugar bombs never sit well with me after running…
Luv What You Do
Mmmm I love figs with nut butter!!!
My go to breakfast is oatmeal or baked oatmeal and quinoa bars. For dinner, it’s a protein, spinach, mushrooms, and 1 cup whole wheat pasta with olive oil. The best is grilled scallops!
Melanie
All of your food looks aaaaamazing! I’ve never tried figs with nut butter. Sounds wonderful. I’m a big fan of handfuls of chocolate chips too!
emmahume
MMM the “post dinner snacking looks incredible!”, I recently got told I was wheat and cows milk intolerant so nice to see this delicious looking food sans gluten and dairy 🙂
An Unrefined Vegan
I’m kinda stuck on the lunch salad. Dag – that looks TASTY!
Meghan@CleanEatsFastFeets
I like the way you eat. I adore your big salad, lentil, mix and match veggies bowls. They make my heart sing. Usually in a bawdy off key way, but that’s not your fault. 😉
katalysthealth
I adore you and your blog, did you know that? Seriously, you’re my favorite 🙂
Before soccer games I do try to carb it up a tad, simply because I know Im going to need it for the 90 minutes of sprinting I’ll be doing. One too many times Ive played on a growly tummy and let me just tell you, that does NOT work well. I typically just add more rice to my plate but every once in a while I tell the hubby we are doing breakfast for dinner and eat an entire batch of pancakes. hey, those carbs gotta come from somewhere right? 😉
Brittany
You complete me. ❤ Pancakes on pancakes ON PANCAKES!
Christina Does It All
Sitting here with my mouth watering. I want all of this FOOD!
apartmentwife
such good ideas for filling up without the traditional breads- yum!
Matt @ Runner Savvy
I usually have a big sweet potato the night before!
Aussa Lorens
You inspire me, you crazy thing. How is your food always so lovely looking? I’m impressed. AND I’ll have you know that you are to thank for my obsession with combining greens, quinoa, and avocado (with various random things I find) at lunch most every day! It was some photo you shared that put it in my mind… though it never looks as lovely as your photos, ha.
Brittany
I LAAAVEE IT!
Khushboo Thadani (@KhushbooThadani)
Love this post especially asa it shows that life doesn’t stop because of certain intolerances. It’s all about branching out and finding alternatives to meet your dietary needs- they might not be as conventional as foods we’ve grown up but there are almost ALWAYS alternatives!
wantaps
They look yummy! Makes me think if I can be a vegan, too! Haha.
Change of Pace
Very interesting! It is fascinating to see what people eat for gluten free carb loading- there are so many options!
I always stick with pasta or pizza! Typical carbs and so delicious! I pray my stomach always let me eat them 🙂
Ashley
Now I’m even more mad that I don’t live anywhere near a TJs now because of those muffins! I’ve never been able to find a gluten free muffin that’s also vegan and actually tastes good. Maybe I’ll make my mom mail me some 😉
Sweet potatoes are seriously my favorite carb. I could eat them every single day and never get bored.
GiGi Eats Celebrities
“Face planted a salad”…. SHAPED CUPCAKE!
And uh, I really would like a visual of that APPLE you wrapped your chompers around because I am drawing a blank as to what an apple is.
Rachel G
Your lunch looks amazingly delicious–kale and avocado–mmmm!!!
jessielovestorun
I would’ve really liked to see your apple. I mean gosh, how are your readers supposed to know exactly what kind you ate. GRR >:O….Haha! Kiddinnn
Amy
I finally tried your dried fig + almond/peanut butter and ohhhhhh my gosh… I was SO tempted to polish off an entire half-full jar of PB on the spot! Seriously amazing. I haven’t seen those muffins at TJ’s, but I’m planning on going tomorrow, so… Definitely gonna be on the lookout. Those bakery shelves don’t stand a chance!
Brittany
AHH I am so jazzed you tried it, totally life changing right!? It’s even better with DATES. HOOMGAHH! I hope you find the muffins, they are called blueberry/raspberry oat bran muffins I believe.
Amy
Ohhh girl, don’t tempt me… I’ve managed to avoid buying dates for months, but with that encouragement… 😉 Thanks for the muffin tip; I’ll see what I find!
Meredith
Love these ideas!! Way better than a plate full of spaghetti in my opinion. I like to eat blueberry oats with lots of almond butter for pre-race or long run fuel. Thanks for the ideas lady!
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Mya M
Great reading your blog post