CrossFit Merced Nutrition Basics
“What is CrossFit’s diet recommendation? 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.” (CrossFit.com)
Whether you’ve been doing CrossFit for years or for a few weeks there’s a chance
you’ve probably seen or heard those sentences at some point. It seems simple on
paper when you see it, but when you’re busy working full time, maybe chasing kids
around, and trying to enjoy hobbies & seeing friends it may start to seem like the most
complicated and last thing you want to focus on.
But where to start?
So how can a busy person who doesn’t want to spend all day thinking about nutrition actually
make choices to make getting more nutritious foods as simple as possible daily? How can you
start getting more whole foods into your day?
Easy steps to start eating more whole foods:
- Rather than focus on what you “need to get rid of”, start thinking about what whole
foods you can start adding in! You’ll be surprised how over the span of a few weeks
you’ll have more and more whole foods just by trying to add in one or two to what you
eat already every week or two.
This could be adding in a veggie with a meal; adding something like an apple with
natural peanut butter as a snack; or adding berries & granola in Greek yogurt for a quick
breakfast. - Don’t go all out in one grocery trip trying to completely change every meal, snack,
and product you buy! Making large sweeping changes for most will be overwhelming,
stressful, and less likely to create new habits that last. No giant pantry dumps, or fridge
clean out sessions; instead just make small changes at a time. - Frozen fruits and veggies are a great way to add in nutritious food without stressing
about how to use it before it goes bad, and can be a budget friendly way to start without
it being completely overwhelming. It can also make life easier to have a few go to’s
stashed away in the freezer for when life gets busy and you need a quick backup plan. - Once you’ve gotten more used to adding in more whole food sources, when you
grocery shop, try to stick to the outer edges of the store for the most of your food. In
most stores, the outer edges are where they keep the fruits, veggies, meat, & dairy. If
you can eventually start to get most of your foods from these sections, then you’re
setting yourself up to get a majority of whole foods to fuel your day!
Keep it simple!
To sum it all up, just keep it simple and try to find ways to add in more whole foods each
week. It doesn’t have to be a specific diet plan, a chef plated meal everyday, or even a
new recipe every week. Sometimes focusing on just getting a variety of color into your
food choices every week is the simplest way to approach it. Whatever is the easiest
way for you to add in some more fruits, veggies, lean protein, and nuts & seeds, is the
best way to start getting more whole foods into your life!