Holli Thompson

Gluten Free Tennis Champion

Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal last week at Wimbledon’s men’s final,  and  I was all ears when I heard the commentary discussing Djokovics “diet,”  his “nutritionist” and the phrase “gluten free”.

Turns out Djokovic has been gluten free for the past year, and his tennis game has gone wild.  The guy has tightened up his serve, and is mentally a force to reckon with.  His 2011 wins have planted  him firmly in the #1 slot for Men’s Tennis.

Lots of credit  is being given to his new Gluten Free Diet, and I noticed him pointing to his brain during the match, as if to say,”it’s strong.” He sure looked it.

Djokovic  is allergic to the protein in gluten, and depending on which statistics you read, anywhere from 10-30% of the US and British populations are allergic or intolerant to gluten. It’s also commonly understood that many people don’t know they’re intolerant to gluten, and think that symptoms like chronic gas, irritable bowel syndrome, brain fog, headaches and fatigue are a way of life.

Gluten is the protein in many common grains that we eat in America, like wheat, barley and rye and is added to many processed foods (think canned and packaged soups, candy, snack chips, even tomato sauce).  It’s one of the most inflammatory food groups along with Dairy and Soy.

I’ve seen lives turn around after giving up gluten, depression lifting, chronic runny nose clearing, and most importantly the quality of life improve significantly.

I often recommend eliminating gluten for a limited time to see how you feel.  While you may not win Wimbledon next year, giving up Gluten might allow you to win at your own game,whatever that is.

P. S.  Nadal, give me a call.  Let’s see what we can do to get you back to #1!