Nutrition, The Key To Wellness

Now, for the fun part. Arguably the most important part of this series.

Diet

The CrossFit dietary prescription is as follows:

Protein should be lean and varied and account for about 30 percent of your total caloric load.

Carbohydrates should be predominantly low glycemic and account for about 40 percent of your total caloric load.

Fat should be predominantly monounsaturated and account for about 30 percent of your total caloric load.

Calories should be set at between 0.7 and 1.0 g of protein per pound of lean body mass depending on your activity level. The 0.7 figure is for moderate daily workout loads, and the 1.0 figure is for those who are active and want to build muscle.

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 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 and ultra-processed. If you follow these simple guidelines, you will benefit from nearly all that can be achieved through nutrition and avoid the burden of chronic, metabolic disease.

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 online 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 declines 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.

It really is that simple, folks. You can research special diets and optimizations until you're blue in the face, but what's mentioned above is the simple reality. The complexity comes in execution, but even that is pretty straight-forward.

Go to the grocery store. Buy the types of foods listed above. If it does not fit that description, do not bring it into your home. Then, just like your CrossFit workouts, cook these foods in as many variations as you want until you find a few variances that you thoroughly enjoy. It takes some practice, but anyone can develop the skill if they stick with it.

That's it. I know you can do it. The question is, will you