Nutrition Info!
Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat.
Greg Glassman, CrossFit HQ
Protein: should be lean and varied and account for about 30% of your total caloric load.
Carbohydrates: should be predominantly low-glycemic and account for about 40% of your total caloric load.
Fat: should be predominantly monounsaturated and account for about 30% of your total caloric load.
Calories: should be set at between .7 and 1.0 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass depending on your activity level. The .7 figure is for moderate daily workout loads and the 1.0 figure is for the hardcore athlete.
What Should I Eat?
In plain language, base your diet on garden vegetables, especially greens, lean meats, nuts and seeds, little starch, and no sugar. That's about as simple as we can get. Many have observed that keeping your grocery cart to the perimeter of the grocery store while avoiding the aisles is a great way to protect your health. Food is perishable. The stuff with long shelf life is all suspect. If you follow these simple guidelines you will benefit from nearly all that can be achieved through nutrition.
The Caveman or Paleolithic Model for Nutrition
Modern diets are ill suited for our genetic composition. Evolution has not kept pace with advances in agriculture and food processing resulting in a plague of health problems for modern man. Coronary heart disease, diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, obesity and psychological dysfunction have all been scientifically linked to a diet too high in refined or processed carbohydrate. Search "Google" for Paleolithic nutrition, or diet. The return is extensive, compelling, and fascinating. The Caveman model is perfectly consistent with the CrossFit prescription.
What Foods Should I Avoid?
Excessive consumption of high-glycemic carbohydrates is the primary culprit in nutritionally caused health problems. High glycemic carbohydrates are those that raise blood sugar too rapidly. They include rice, bread, candy, potato, sweets, sodas, and most processed carbohydrates. Processing can include bleaching, baking, grinding, and refining. Processing of carbohydrates greatly increases their glycemic index, a measure of their propensity to elevate blood sugar.
What is the Problem with High-Glycemic Carbohydrates?
The problem with high-glycemic carbohydrates is that they give an inordinate insulin response. Insulin is an essential hormone for life, yet acute, chronic elevation of insulin leads to hyperinsulinism, which has been positively linked to obesity, elevated cholesterol levels, blood pressure, mood dysfunction and a Pandora's box of disease and disability. Research "hyperinsulinism" on the Internet. There's a gold mine of information pertinent to your health available there. The CrossFit prescription is a low-glycemic diet and consequently severely blunts the insulin response.
Caloric Restriction and Longevity
Current research strongly supports the link between caloric restriction and an increased life expectancy. The incidence of cancers and heart disease sharply decline with a diet that is carefully limited in controlling caloric intake. “Caloric Restriction” is another fruitful area for Internet search. The CrossFit prescription is consistent with this research.
The CrossFit prescription allows a reduced caloric intake and yet still provides ample nutrition for rigorous activity.
Favorable Carbohydrates
Oatmeal, artichoke, asparagus, green beans, black beans, bok choy, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, chick peas, collard greens, dill pickles, eggplant, fava beans, kale, kidney beans, leeks, lentils, okra, onions, sauerkraut, spaghetti squash, spinach, swiss chard, tomato sauce, tomatoes, yellow squash, zucchini, alfalfa sprouts, bean sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, mushrooms, peppers, radishes, salsa, snow peas, apple, apple sauce (unsweetened), apricots, blackberries, cantaloupe, cherries, blueberries, grapes, grapefruit, honey dew, kiwi, lemon, lime, nectarine, orange, peach, pear, pineapple, plum, raspberries, strawberries, tangerine, watermelon. |
Unfavorable Carbohydrates
Acorn squash, baked beans, beets, black-eyed peas, butternut squash, cooked carrots, corn, french fries, hubbard squash, lima beans, parsnips, peas, pinto beans, potato, refried beans, sweet potato, turnip, banana, cranberries, cranberry sauce, dates, figs, guava, kumquat, mango, papya, prunes, raisins, bagel, barley, biscuit, bread buckwheat, bulgar wheat, cereal, corn bread, corn starch, croissant, crouton, donut, english muffin, flour, granola, grits, melba toast, muffins, noodles, instant oatmeal, pasta, pancakes, pita bread, popcorn, rice, rice cake, hotdog & hamburger buns, taco shell, tortilla, waffles, BBQ sauce, catsup, cocktail sauce, honey, jelly/jam/marmalade, plum sauce, molasses, bread & butter pickles, sweet relish, steak sauce, brown sugar, white granulated sugar, confectioners sugar, maple syrup, teriyaki sauce, apple juice, cranberry juice, fruit punch, grape juice, grapefruit juice, lemon juice, orange juice, pineapple juice, tomato juice, beer, liquor, wine, chocolate bars, corn chips, graham crackers, ice cream, potato chips, pretzels, tortilla chips, & saltine crackers. |
Meal Plans, (2004), CrossFit Journal, issue 21,
http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/cfjissue21_May04.pdf
http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/cfjissue21_May04.pdf
Seasonal Produce Guide: What Fruits and Vegetables are in Season?
Winter:
Apples Bananas Beets Brussels Sprouts Cabbage Carrots Celery Grapefruit Kale Leeks Lemons Onions Oranges Parsnips Pears Pineapple Potatoes Pumpkins Rutabagas Sweet Potatoes & Yams Turnips Winter Squash |
Spring:
Apples Apricots Asparagus Bananas Broccoli Cabbage Carrots Celery Collard Greens Garlic Lettuce Mushrooms Onions Peas Pineapple Radishes Rhubarb Spinach Strawberries Swiss Chard Turnips |
Summer:
Apples Apricots Bananas Beets Peppers Blackberries Carrots Cantaloupe/ Muskmelons Celery Cherries Collard Greens Corn Cucumbers Eggplant Garlic Green Beans Honeydew Melon Kiwi Lima Beans Mangos Nectarines Okra Peaches Plums Raspberries Strawberries Summer Squash Zucchini Tomatillos Tomatoes Watermelon |
Fall:
Apples Bananas Beets Peppers Broccoli Brussels Sprouts Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celery Collard Greens Cranberries Garlic Ginger Grapes Green Beans Kale Lettuce Mangos Mushrooms Onions Parsnips Peas Pears Pineapple Potatoes Pumpkins Radishes Raspberries Rutabagas Spinach Sweet Potatoes & Yams Swiss Chard Turnips Winter Squash |
Seasonal Produce Guide, (2015), Nutrition Through the Seasons, U.S. Department of Agriculture,
http://snap.nal.usda.gov/nutrition-through-seasons/seasonal-produce
http://snap.nal.usda.gov/nutrition-through-seasons/seasonal-produce