5 Basic Principles to Optimise Your Nutrition for CrossFit

Practicing CrossFit without any regard to nutrition is like leaving a job half finished. Diet is crucial to optimising health and performance, supporting the reasoning as to why CrossFit Nutrition is the foundation of the CrossFit pyramid.

‘Sound nutrition, obtained from a high-quality diet in optimal quantities—as determined by the individual—provides the necessary foundation for continued progress and maximum adaptations from the program’ CrossFit HQ

Source: CrossFit Inc

You wouldn’t expect to jump straight into the main class and be performing WOD’s with RX weight without having first completed your foundations.

Why does this occur with nutrition so often?

We all need to be doing the foundations of CrossFit nutrition Every. Single. Day.

It needs to be a lifestyle, something that is a habit and that you enjoy. This is what I call WORLD CLASS BASICS. The basics of nutrition don’t come in a shiny tub with a list of 20 different ingredients. The basics can be the mundane stuff – prepping meals, eating more vegetables, limiting alcohol consumption or getting to bed early.

When you do nail the basics, the effect on performance and health are incredible.

CrossFit is unique in that as it is constantly varied, it can stress all of your energy systems, mental capacity and push your body to limit – all in a one hour class! If you do not employ world class basics to your CrossFit nutrition then you are not giving yourself the foundation to reach your potential.

Here are 5 nutrition basics to focus on now:

1. EAT THE RAINBOW

The fact is that the majority of people underestimate the impact that eating enough vegetables has on health and performance. The intensity of CrossFit means that your body requires more support than the average joe.

You need to be supplying it with a variety of nutrients. In addition to this, a meta-analysis concluded that a higher consumption of fruit and vegetables is associated with a lower risk of all causes of mortality, particularly cardiovascular mortality.

There is no supplement that has this kind of effect! Adding more vegetables (particularly green veg) into most meals is where you need to start. Add kale/spirulina into your morning smoothie, spinach to your omelette and a variety to your lunches and dinner. Bottom line is to eat vegetables at every meal.