Kelsey HigginsonSports Nutrition Coach and Founder at Clutch Day Coaching

What carbs to eat as a gluten-free athlete

20 May 2025 · 1 min

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In this segment, the presenter addresses the challenge gluten‑free athletes face in meeting carbohydrate needs, noting that many common carb sources contain gluten. He recommends exclusively gluten‑free fruit‑based options—fresh fruit, dried fruit (such as mango, cranberries, tangerines), fruit leather, and natural sweeteners like honey and pure maple syrup—as easy, effective carb sources that can be consumed shortly before competition. The advice emphasizes simplicity, natural carbohydrate content, and the absence of gluten, positioning these foods as optimal pre‑game fuel for performance.

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For my gluten-free athletes, you need to be eating carbs, but it's a little bit harder for you guys to get the carbs because obviously a lot of carbs that people recommend have a lot of gluten in them. The biggest recommendation that I would say is dried fruit and fruit all the way. Like, that will be so easy for you. No fruit has gluten in it. Dried mango, cranberries, dried tangerines, any fruit leather, any fresh fruit— those are going to be such a great source of natural carbs. You can add honey to it, pure maple syrup, to add even more carbs. Those are some awesome carbs to be getting in right before a game if you need something simple yet Really effective.