Diet

Diet

The CrossFit dietary prescription is as follows:

* 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 circumspect. 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” or
“Alta Vista” 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 yetstill provides ample nutrition for rigorous activity.

-This Information has come from a combination of the Crossfit Journal-