If Nothing Else...EAT REAL FOOD!

We could fill hundreds of pages on the subject of nutrition...rather than do that our aim is to lay out a few facts, ideas and suggestions.

First, a few words on terminology.  DIET is not a word that we use.  Diets are for people who are looking for a quick fix.  We don't do quick fixes.  We do what is sustainable, what constitutes a lifestyle change.  Call it nutrition, call it "the way I eat", or "the way I live", it all amounts to you having a long term, sustainable focus on your health.  

The very fact that you are reading this and that you come to the box means that you care about your health.  You probably got into CrossFit because of the fitness part of it, but the cold hard truth is that working hard in the gym every day is only 50% of battle at best.  To attain your goals, whether it be performance, health, or body composition, you MUST eat and fuel your body well.  Notice I said well and not perfect.  Perfect will likely only lead to you falling off the wagon and to you not making a permanent change.

If you have been CrossFiting for a while you have probably come across the Zone and Paleo ways of eating.  Both are very good and both have scores of literature written by people a lot smarter than we are.  We have provided some links to both styles of nutrition for you to read at your convenience.

What we want to talk about here is Real Food.  Rather than bog you down with blocks, or glycemic load, or gut irritation or the role of inflammation in your body, we want you to do one very simple thing...EAT REAL FOOD.

The suggestions listed below will garner you noticeable benefit if you follow them 90% of the time:

Eat things that could have been alive yesterday (meat, fruit, vegatables, seeds, nuts) or comes directly from something that was or is alive (coconut oil, olive oil, etc).

Check the label, if you can't pronounce an ingredient, it's not food.  If it is written/spelled the same in all languages (i.e. cheetos, m&m's, mcgriddle), it's not food.  If it's not food, don't eat it.

Ensure that you eat a good amount of lean protein and fat (the good kind like avocados or fish oil).  

Exercise some portion control, but satisfy yourself.  One way to do this is to eat several small meals/snacks throughout the day.  

Drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day.  

Eat breakfast every day.  

DON'T eat sugars, ANYTHING with added chemicals or high fructose corn syrup, highly processed grains (most bread, pasta, or chips).  Additionally, dairy products and all grains should be avoided as often as possible.

Shop the perimeter of the grocery store.  

Prepare your meals ahead of time, take your lunch to work.

You will and you should snack... so bring some Real Food snacks and stay away from the junk.

Realize you will slip up... embrace it and get back on the horse.

Have fun a couple of meals a week and eat whatever you want... it will keep you sane.

This is just a start to long and wonderful journey.