Nutrition is the foundation for all athletic development and essential for achieving elite fitness and health.  The CrossFit nutrition prescription in it's simplest terms is "Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar."  This ensures that you are eating "real food,"  the food that our hunter-gatherer ancestors have eaten for millions of years, and avoiding the processed "edible food-like substances" that come in boxes, bags and packages. 

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.  Many have observed that keeping your grocery cart to the perimeter of the grocery store while avoiding the aisles is a great way to improve health.  Real food is perishable. The stuff with long shelf life is all suspect.  An easy rule is "If you can hunt it or gather it, you can eat it." 

If you follow these simple guidelines you will benefit from nearly all that can be achieved through nutrition. 

What Should I Eat?
Protein:  Fish, Meat, Chicken, Eggs
Carbs:  Fruits and Veggies
Fat:  Nuts, Seeds, Avocados, Olives and Oils

What Foods Should I Avoid?
Anything that doesn't exist in nature, or has been processed.  Corn, 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 Deal With Hormones?
Hormones regulate how the body stores and releases fat.  The hormonal response your body has to food determines whether you store fat or burn it.  As far as hormones are concerned, food is a drug--a very powerful drug.  Consuming low-glycemic foods, that keep insulin levels steady, will allow stored body fat to burned up as a fuel.  On the other hand, high-glycemic foods (especially processed carbohydrates) spike insulin levels, raise blood sugar, and send a double wammy message to your body telling it to (1) store calories as fat and (2)block body fat from being used as fuel.  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.  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.


Anne saw amazing results in JUST 4 MONTHS of eating Clean.
 

 

 
In just 4 short months she...
 - Lost 23.5 lbs.
 - Lost 9% body fat.
 - Couldn't do a pull up, now she can do 11.
 - knocked :48 seconds off her mile time, (note: her first benchmark run was done on a brisk 70 degree day in September...Her second run was done in January in 18 degrees, after a few inches of snow).


Silent Inflamation and Fish Oil
Although you can not feel Silent Inflammation, your body mounts a hormonal response in an attempt to dampen its affect at the molecular level. If not contained, you now rapidly accumulate additional body fat. When inflamed fat cells go bad, Silent Inflammation exits the cell, enters the plasma and becomes systemic increasing numerous health risks related to heart, brain and immune function. Silent Inflammation not only makes you fat and keeps you fat, but erodes your wellness. 

Ccontrolling and minimizing Silent Inflammation is the desired hormonal foundation for successful weight loss and optimal heart, brain and immune function. You will not only affect your quality of life today, but many years in the future.

Efficient reduction of silent inflammation requires using high dose ultra refined fish oil.   These fatty acids aid in thinning the blood, which helps reduce inflammation factors in joints and blood vessels. This allows for better circulation in the heart and brain as well as reducing aches and pains. Omega-3 has also been shown to increase HDL "good cholesterol" levels   This may explain why populations that consume the most fish have the lowest rates of autoimmune disorders in the world.


You should aim for .5 grams of EPA + DHA for every 10 lbs of body weight.  For example, I weigh 170 lbs, so I should be taking 8.5 grams daily (170 lbs/10 = 17, 17 x .5 = 8.5 grams). 

Paleo "YES" foods...
Thank you to Creighton University for providing this list.

Lean Meats 

 

• Lean beef

• Flank steak

• Top sirloin steak

• Extra-lean hamburger (no more than 7% fat, extra fat drained off)

• London broil

• Chuck steak

• Lean veal

• Any other lean cut

• Lean pork 

• Pork loin

• Pork chops

• Any other lean cut

 Lean poultry (skin removed)

• Chicken breast

• Turkey breast

• Game hen breasts

 Eggs

• Chicken (go for the enriched omega 3 variety)

• Duck

• Goose

 Other meats

• Rabbit meat (any cut)

• Goat meat (any cut)

 Organ meats

• Beef, lamb, pork, and chicken livers

• Beef, pork, and lamb tongues

• Beef, lamb, and pork marrow

• Beef, lamb, and pork “sweetbreads”

 Game meat

• Alligator

• Bear

• Bison (buffalo)

• Caribou

• Elk

• Emu

• Goose

• Kangaroo

• Muscovy duck

• New Zealand cervena deer

• Ostrich

• Pheasant

• Quail

• Rattlesnake

• Reindeer

• Squab

• Turtle

• Venison

• Wild boar

• Wild turkey

 Fish

• Bass

• Bluefish

• Cod

• Drum

• Eel

• Flatfish

• Grouper

• Haddock

• Halibut

• Herring

• Mackerel

• Monkfish

• Mullet

• Northern pike

• Orange roughy

• Perch

• Red snapper

• Rockfish

• Salmon

• Scrod

• Shark

• Striped bass

• Sunfish

• Tilapia

• Trout

• Tuna

• Turbot

• Walleye

• Any other commercially available fish

 Shellfish

• Abalone

• Clams

• Crab

• Crayfish

• Lobster

• Mussels

• Oysters

• Scallops

• Shrimp

Fruit

• Apple

• Apricot

• Avocado

• Banana

• Blackberries

• Blueberries

• Boysenberries

• Cantaloupe

• Carambola

• Cassava melon

• Cherimoya

• Cherries

• Cranberries

• Figs

• Gooseberries

• Grapefruit

• Grapes

• Guava

• Honeydew melon

• Kiwi

• Lemon

• Lime

• Lychee

• Mango

• Nectarine

• Orange

• Papaya

• Passion fruit

• Peaches

• Pears

• Persimmon

• Pineapple

• Plums

• Pomegranate

• Raspberries

• Rhubarb

• Star fruit

• Strawberries

• Tangerine

• Watermelon

• All other fruits

 Vegetables

• Artichoke

• Asparagus

• Beet greens

• Beets

• Bell peppers

• Broccoli

• Brussels sprouts

• Cabbage

• Carrots

• Cauliflower

• Celery

• Collards

• Cucumber

• Dandelion

• Eggplant

• Endive

• Green onions

• Kale

• Kohlrabi

• Lettuce

• Mushrooms

• Mustard greens

• Onions

• Parsley

• Parsnip

• Peppers (all kinds)

• Pumpkin

• Purslane

• Radish

• Rutabaga

• Seaweed

• Spinach

• Squash (all kinds)

• Swiss chard

• Tomatillos

• Tomato (actually a fruit, but most people think of it as a vegetable)

• Turnip greens

• Turnips

• Watercress

Nuts and Seeds

• Almonds

• Brazil nuts

• Cashews

• Chestnuts

• Hazelnuts (filberts)

• Macadamia nuts

• Pecans

• Pine nuts

• Pistachios (unsalted)

• Pumpkin seeds

• Sesame seeds

• Sunflower seeds

• Walnuts 

Paleo "NO" Foods...

Dairy Foods

• All processed foods made with any dairy products

• Butter

• Cheese

• Cream

• Dairy spreads

• Frozen yogurt

• Ice cream

• Ice milk

• Low-fat milk

• Nonfat dairy creamer

• Powdered milk

• Skim milk

• Whole milk

• Yogurt

Cereal Grains

• Barley (barley soup, barley bread, and all processed foods made with barley)

• Corn (corn on the cob, corn tortillas, corn chips, corn starch, corn syrup)

• Millet

• Oats (steel-cut oats, rolled oats, and all processed foods made with oats)

• Rice (brown rice, white rice, top ramen, rice noodles, bas mati rice, rice cakes, Rice flour (all processed foods made with rice)

• Rye (rye bread, rye crackers, and all processed foods made with rye)

• Sorghum

• Wheat (bread, rolls, muffins, noodles, crackers, cookies, cake, doughnuts, pancakes, waffles, pasta, spaghetti, lasagna, wheat tortillas, pizza, pita bread, flat bread, and all processed foods made with wheat or wheat flour)

• Wild rice

 Cereal Grainlike Seeds

• Amaranth

• Buckwheat

• Quinoa

 Legumes

• All beans (adzuki beans, black beans, broad beans, fava beans, field beans, garbanzo beans, horse beans, kidney beans, lima beans, mung beans, navy beans, pinto beans, red beans, string beans, white beans)

• Black-eyed peas

• Chickpeas

• Lentils

• Peas

• Miso

• Peanut butter

• Peanuts

• Snowpeas

• Sugar snap peas

• Soybeans and all soybean products, including tofu

 Starchy Vegetables

• Starchy tubers

• Cassava root

• Manioc

• Potatoes and all potato products (French fries, potato chips, etc.)

• Sweet potatoes

• Tapioca pudding

• Yams

 Salt-Containing Foods

• Almost all commercial salad dressings and condiments

• Bacon

• Cheese

• Deli meats

• Frankfurters

• Ham

• Hot dogs

• Ketchup

• Pickled foods

• Pork rinds

• Processed meats

• Salami

• Salted nuts

• Salted spices

• Sausages

• Smoked, dried, and salted fish and meat

• Virtually all canned meats and fish (unless they are unsalted or unless you soak and drain them)

Fatty Meats

• Bacon

• Beef ribs

• Chicken and turkey skin

• Chicken and turkey wings

• Fatty beef roasts

• Fatty cuts of beef

• Fatty ground beef

• Fatty pork chops

• Fatty pork roasts

• Lamb chops

• Lamb roasts

• Leg of lamb

• Pork ribs

• Pork sausage

 Soft Drinks and Fruit Juices

• All sugary soft drinks

• Canned, bottled, and freshly squeezed fruit drinks (which lack the fiber of fresh fruit and have a much higher glvcemic index)

Sweets

• Candy

• Honey

• Sugars

Stone Age Substitutions from The Paleo Diet
Salt: Powdered garlic, powdered onion, lemon juice, lime juice, lemon crystals, lemon pepper free of salt, cayenne pepper, chili powder, commercially available salt-free spice mixes, black pepper, cumin, turmeric, ground cloves, oregano, ground allspice, celery seeds, coriander seeds, ground cardamom seeds, or any spice or combination of spices can be used to replace salt. I do not recommend using any of the so-called "lite" salts or potassium chloride salts because chloride, like sodium, is undesirable when it comes to your health.

Vinegar: Substitute small amounts of vinegar with lemon or lime juice (fresh or reconstituted from fresh).

Butter/Fat: Replace butter, margarine, shortening, lard etc. with olive oil, flaxseed oil, walnut oil, canola oil, or avocado oil. Olive oil has a wonderful flavor and is high in the health promoting monounsaturated fats but generally has a poor omega-6 to omega-3 fat ratio (~13). The same situation exists for avocado oil, and these two oils should be frequently complemented by or blended together with other oils containing better (lower) omega-6 to omega-3 ratios such as flaxseed (0.24), canola (2.0) or walnut (5.1) oils.

Sugars: Concentrated sugars of any kind even natural sugars (honey, maple sugar, date sugar), really were not a staple component in most pre-agricultural diets. Sugars should be obtained primarily from fruits and vegetables and not from concentrated sources. That being said, fruit purees, flavored with lemon juice and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, mint leaves, ginger, vanilla, and other spices), can be used in recipes to add sweetness to sauces, condiments, and desserts.

Alcohol: Alcoholic beverages were clearly not a component of true Stone Age diets, and should be limited to an occasional glass of wine, beer or spirits as a part of your "open meals." Wine, as long as it does not contain salt (as most cooking wines do), can be used to marinate meats and add flavor to many cooked dishes. When wine is used in this context, the amount of added alcohol and sugar is negligible – furthermore, wine contains a number of health promoting phytochemicals and antioxidants. 

 

 

Post Work Out
Post workout is the one time we will allow a slight deviation from Paleo.  If you are unable to stomach solid foods after training a protein drink is a great alternative.  For fast and complete recovery we suggest a post workout protein shake and some sweet potatoes.  You should mix the protein with water (aim for 20-30 grams), and eat 3-9 ounces of sweet potatoes.  If your primary goal is to decrease body fat and get leaner skip the potatoes.  If you just finished Murph, Eva, Badger or other 30+ minute intense workout, go higher on the starches to replace glycogen.  Your performance the next day is dependent on it.