CFT Nutrition 101: CFT Challenge 2021
Basic Nutrition
CrossFit Nutrition:
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.
Eat Real Food:
We should be eating food that was once alive and doesn’t come from a box or container. If it has a long shelf life it is a man-made, edible, food-like substance – not food.
Stay on the Outside of the Grocery Store:
A good and easy tip to follow is to stay on the outside of the grocery store and not buy foods that are in the aisles.
KEEP TRACK:
I know this sounds easy but this will keep you accountable for what you are doing. Also, it will allow a coach to help you out if you are not seeing results that you desire. You may either keep track on wodify, in a journal, on your phone, whatever works for you, just write it down somewhere. Remember consistency is key.
Macronutrients:
Protein:
The acceptable protein range is from 10-35%. As athletes, I would stick to a 20-35% range to account for strength training.
Myth – You can eat as much protein as you want because you are working out. Actually, your body can only process up to 4 ounces of protein (or about 28 grams) in one sitting. Excess protein = excess calories, which will be stored as fat. You can spread out your protein intake throughout the day.
Focus on eating lean proteins like eggs, fish, poultry, lean meats, beans (if you can tolerate them), nuts & seeds. Quinoa is a complete protein (meaning it has all of the amino acids that make up protein). Bacon is not a protein; it is actually a source of fat. It doesn’t count. Go for local, organic and grassfed when you can and absolutely no nitrates or additives (no processed meats like deli meats).
Carbs:
You want to keep your carbohydrates within the 45%-65% range. Your brain functions off of carbohydrates, so don’t skimp on them. If you choose a low carb diet, you will lose weight very quickly. However, this is mainly water weight.
While on this challenge, focus on eating nutrient dense complex carbohydrates (oatmeal, brown rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, quinoa, beans, lentils and peas), instead of simple carbohydrates (white bread, pasta, pastries, baked goods, potato chips, etc).
Also, for the purpose of this challenge, we will be avoiding processed carbs like bread, flour tortillas and pasta. This is not to say they are “bad” foods, but we would like for you to focus on other carbohydrate options. Branch out and try some new whole grains like quinoa, barley, buckwheat, or kamut. These have more fiber, protein and B vitamins than processed carbohydrates. They will keep you full for longer and will give you the protein and the vitamins that help give you energy.
Fruits and vegetables have carbohydrates, but they are natural sources. You can eat fruits and starchy vegetables on this challenge. Just be mindful of your portion sizes. Also, only ½ cup of 100% juice is allowed per day if you like juice. We would rather you eat the whole food as it has more nutrients.
Fats:
The acceptable range of fat is 20-35%. You don’t want to go below 20% as you need fat for essential body functions, such as absorbing fat-soluble nutrients (A, D, E, K), body temperature regulation, producing hormones, and much more. You also don’t want to consume over 35%. Fat has over double the number of calories per gram as carbs and protein and a high-fat diet is not recommended for athletes. Please focus on eating heart healthy fats like olive oil, nuts and nut oils, seeds, coconut oil, avocados, and omega-3 fatty acids (flax, salmon). Stay away from fried foods and high fat meats like ribs (they don’t taste as good without sugar laden BBQ sauce, anyways...).
Hydration:
Drink when you are thirsty throughout the day. You can gauge your hydration levels on the color of your urine. If it is clear/pale yellow, you are good. Typically drinking about 0.5 oz per lb of body weight works well (formula in Macronutrient section of spreadsheet). Only a 2-3% dehydration level can negatively impact your performance and your health in general. For example, dehydration can cause early fatigue and decreased performance.
During workouts, drink ½ cup water every 15-20 minutes. You can gauge how much you need to recover by adding the amount of weight lost during your workout in ounces to how much fluid you consumed during the workout. This total equals how much fluid you need to replenish your sweat loss.
Avoid Alcohol:
Alcohol consumption interferes with glucose regulation (disturbing normal blood sugar levels), in part by disrupting the action of regulatory hormones like insulin and glucagon. Also, consumption of alcohol provokes an unhealthy psychological response by reducing inhibitions—thus making it all the easier to make poor food choices when under the influence of even small amounts of alcohol.
Sleep:
Getting adequate sleep is essential to living a healthy lifestyle. Getting poor sleep can increase your appetite, increase your body mass, increase your calorie intake, and can decrease your resting metabolic rate.
Most of us should be getting 7-9 hours of sleep a night. During this time, your body rebuilds muscles you’ve worn down during the day and cleans away harmful plaques and waste that are produced in the brain. These are vital processes that keep both your mind and body running properly.
Example Day:
This is just an example there are many different factors to what you eat. It all depends on what your goals are and what you like to eat. Carbs should be eaten mainly in the early part of the day with fewer carbs in the evening. Make sure you are fitting in plenty of water throughout the day.
Meal 1:
4-6 oz of lean protein
2 handfuls of greens
50 grams of carbs
1/2 serving of fat
Meal 2:
4-6 oz of lean protein
2 handfuls of greens
45 grams of carbs
1/2 serving of fat
Meal 3:
4-6 oz of lean protein
2 handfuls of greens
15 grams of carbs
1/2 serving of fat
Snack 1:
30grams of protein
Snack 2:
1 Serving of fat
How many grams/calories per day:
This is assuming you are going off 2000 calories a day for caloric intake. If you are looking to gain muscle you may want to add more protein to your diet. If you are looking to lose fat% then going on the lower end of carbs will help you and increase fat. You may play around with the percentages for your own personal goals.
Protein: 10-35% 200cal - 700cal (50g-175g) *1g of protein = 4 calories
Carbohydrates: 45-65% 900cal - 1300cal (225g - 325g) *1g of carbs = 4 calories
Fats: 20-35% 400cal - 700cal (44g - 77g) *1g of fat = 9 calories
Resources:
Podcast:
How to Optimize Nutrition to Enhance Performance with Stan Efferding
Simplifying Nutrition
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chasing-excellence/id1170629044?i=1000385059979
Simple, Sustainable Nutrition with EC Synkowski
Article:
How to count and track your macros
Nutrition tips and information
Back to Basics
CrossFit has a simple guideline of prescribed nutrition.
"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."
Following these guidelines is a great start for people beginning their fitness journey.
Hydration
Water is essential to our bodies and it is important that we provide it with proper hydration. A good rule of thumb for water intake is 1 ounce of water for every pound. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds you should drink 150 ounces of water. Staying hydrated is important, especially when you are working out and sweating it out. There are several benefits of drinking water:
- Water helps maintain a balance of body fluids
- Water can help control calories
- Water helps energize muscles
- Water keeps skin looking good
- Water helps flush out toxins and keeps kidneys healthy
In addition to drinking water, it may be beneficial to add a sports drink on days where you have sweated a lot or worked out in hot weather. When you sweat, you lose electrolytes in your body including sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. Be careful of the sports drink you choose, make sure you check the sugar content and the amount of carbohydrates.
