What Do I EAT??

From our NUTRITION PAGE:

While you cannot make changes without getting to the gym, it is proper lifestyle habits that support those positive adaptations. Primary among these habits is nutrition quality. CrossFit East Bay generally encourages a diet based on food quality:

• Whole foods: meat, fish, fowl, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, low-GI starches (sweet potato, etc.), dairy for some, oats and rice for some (hard-chargers)


• Adequate water or fluid intake


• Supplement your diet with high quality protein powder


• Avoiding junk at least 80% of the time, 100% is better: avoid processed foods, sugar, fried foods, alcohol


• Consuming alcohol is not compatible with optimally increasing athletic performance. More than a glass or two of wine a day will have a very negative effect. It is a dehydrating metabolic poison.

Individual metabolisms vary and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Optimal diets for health are not necessarily the best tools for changing body composition. The “Weight Loss” and “Weight Gain” diets in the table below, are actual “diets” (not permanent) the “Performance” (Hard-Charging Comp or Weekend Warrior CrossFitter) and “Health” (Average person, doing CrossFit as a fitness system) are lifetime healthy lifestyle choices.

Diet Type:	Weight GAIN	Performance	Health	Weight LOSS
Cheeseburger/Fries/Shake, etc	YES	NO	NO	NO
“Eat Like it is Your Job”	YES	YES	NO	NO
Pure Paleo	NO	MAYBE	YES	MAYBE
Primal	NO	MAYBE	YES	MAYBE
Primal + Oats +Rice	MAYBE	PROBABLY	MAYBE	NO
Low-Carb Paleo	NO	NO	MAYBE	YES
Ketogenic	NO	NO	NO	YES
Zone (weigh and measure)	NO	YES	YES	YES
Zone/Paleo	NO	PROBABLY	YES	YES

Cheeseburger/Fries/Shake: this is ONLY for the true hard-gainer, the person who is naturally VERY skinny (can see abs, veins all over body, no excess fat at all). Essentially eat anything put in front of you. Obviously not the healthiest thing in the world, only to gain weight short-term. MUST be combined with heavy lifting (CrossFit, etc.)

“Eat Like It Is Your Job“: This is for hard-gainers and hard-chargers (“performance”). No skipped meals, no going hungry. Eat for function, not only for enjoyment. Eat. Then eat some more. Eat after you are full. If you gain significant body-fat from doing this, eat less.

The Paleo Diet, via Robb Wolf. This is the most popular diet among CrossFitters. Restrictive.

• Allows meat, fish, fowl, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds


• Does not allow dairy, grains, beans, legumes, sugar, fried foods


• Looks the other way for: tequila “paleo margarita“

The Primal Diet, via Mark’s Daily Apple. More moderate and easier to follow than some systems, but you must be able to be moderate when called for.

• Allows meat, fish, fowl, eggs, vegetables, nuts, seeds


• Does not allow grains, beans, legumes, sugar, fried foods


• Allows in moderation: fruit, dairy, alcohol and dark chocolate

Primal + Oats +Rice: Add steel-cut oats and rice products to the above to ensure adequate carb intake. This is our recommendation for most lean or reasonably lean CrossFitters who train hard 5X a week.

Low-Carb Paleo: Good for weight loss, good for people who carry body fat. Good for diabetics.

Ketogenic Diet: Clinically proven to be best diet for weight loss. Very hard to comply with.

The Zone Diet, via Barry Sears. This is the official CrossFit diet.It is difficult to adhere to because of the below requirements;

• Allows all foods


• Everything must be weighed and measured at all times


• Must follow 40/30/30 Carb/Protein/Fat macro-nutrient balance at all times

Zone/Paleo. This is the diet for those looking to squeeze out every last drop of performance from their diets.

This is the diet of Matt Chan who took second place at the 2012 CrossFit Games at the age of 37.

 

 

What Do I EAT??