CrossFit and nutrition go hand in hand, it's not for nothing the foundation of the CrossFit pyramid, devised by Greg Glassman. A varied diet with a good balance of proteins, carbohydrates and fats are important to provide your body with enough energy it needs during an intense workout.
CrossFit followers are big advocates of meat, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, few starch products and no sugar. Basically anything from a packet you should try to avoid in order to get stronger and fitter that way. When you don't pay attention to the basics you are not giving yourself that foundation to maximize your ability. But what is that foundation? And how do you address it?
Eat the rainbow
Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals found in fruits and vegetables, among other things. We need these in small amounts, but they are essential for the proper functioning of the body. Especially if you exercise a lot and intensively, it is important to pay extra close attention to the intake of these micronutrients. You ask a lot of your body, so you should also take good care of it. Therefore, athletes do well to eat more than average fruits and vegetables.
Make sure you eat a variety of colors of fruits and vegetables so you get all the micronutrients you need. For example, green vegetables are especially known to have anti-inflammatory effects and red vegetables and fruits are vitamin bombs due to the antioxidant lypocene. This helps protect your body from so-called free radicals. A tip to easily eat enough vegetables; in the afternoon have a bowl with pieces of bell bell pepper, cucumber, carrot and tomato. Possibly with a spoonful of hummus for extra flavor.
Eat protein with your breakfast
Opinions are a little divided about the quantities, but the fact is that when you do a lot of intense sports, protein is essential for proper recovery and the creation of muscle cells. If you eat about 1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, you are definitely in the right place. For a 65-kg woman that means eating 97.5 grams of protein a day. Personally, I find that when I don't eat protein with my breakfast, it's hard to eat it with it the rest of the day.
Besides the fact that it is good to eat protein spread throughout the day, there are other benefits to starting with a serving of protein (about 20 grams) in the morning. It causes you to have fewer cravings during the day, your energy level remains much more stable. In addition, it provides amino acids that allow your muscles to grow and help you recover from the workout the night before. If you have breakfast with cottage cheese every day you're fine, but if you have breakfast with oatmeal, a smoothie, pancakes or a mug cake, chances are you're not eating enough protein for breakfast. As delicious and healthy as they all are, these meals consist mostly of carbohydrates.
You can very easily add protein to your breakfast by adding a scoop of protein powder to your oatmeal. In addition to ensuring that you get enough oatmeal, this will also make it nice and creamy. There are different types of protein powders on the market. Be careful what you buy, because there is an awful lot of junk available.
Personally, I am a fan of EkoPura protein powders. These are organic protein powders with a high level of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. In addition, the taste is really top notch! I like to have a different breakfast every day. That means that one day I have cottage cheese with fruit and granola, the next day I have oatmeal or a smoothie with EkoPura and the day after that I make a mug cake or pancakes.
Meal prep!
In other words, prepare your food ahead of time. This saves a lot of frustration (and money). By preparing your food ahead of time, you know exactly what you're getting in a day and you won't be tempted to grab that croquette sandwich in the cafeteria instead of that healthy salad. Visit Eat.Run.Love for the detailed article and many more interesting articles on nutrition and sports By Jessica from 'Eat.Run.Love'.
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