It is often said that Health is like a stool made up of 3 legs, which are Nutrition , Exercise and Rest . I always like to add one more leg since, especially today, it is essential, and this is Emotional Management . Regardless of whether we do Crossfit or not, nutrition forms one of these pillars. If this “leg” loosens, the stool falls, just like with any of the other “legs” mentioned. Now, when practicing training as demanding as those done in Crossfit, nutrition takes on a much more relevant role . Above all, the more intensity, volume of training or the more advanced we are in this discipline, the greater the importance of being well fed will be. There is no single food that is essential in the diet of a Crossfitero or Crossfitera. After all, it is a compendium of mostly nutritious foods that will make us perform in the Wod and recover in the most optimal way.

Without health there is no performance

What should I include in my diet if I practice CrossFit?

Proteins, a basic in the CrossFit diet

The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of protein according to the WHO of 0.8 to 1 g/kg body weight/day has often been questioned. That low consumption, even a little below that minimum CDR may be feasible to survive, does not mean that it is the most optimal. Furthermore, these recommendations are based on a sedentary population , when at a sporting level protein requirements increase considerably. The most important thing is that we make sure that we are providing enough protein, this being between 1.6-2.4 g/Kg weight/day , depending on the athlete, objective, phase of the season and body composition. Now, apart from the quantity, the quality of that protein is also important. We must incorporate protein of high biological value into our diet , that is, complete protein that contains all the essential amino acids. The best sources of complete protein are mainly of animal origin such as meat , fish , seafood , eggs or dairy products, but we also find it in plant foods such as soy and its derivatives, with tofu and tempeh being of high protein quality. . On the other hand, seitan does not have as much protein quality. Where we can find more difficulty in meeting these requirements of both quantity and quality is in the Vegan population . But this does not mean that you cannot obtain all the essential amino acids by eating this type of diet. The key here is to know and make a good choice and combination of foods such as legumes , cereals , tubers , nuts and seeds .

Proteins are a basic part of the diet of an athlete who practices CrossFit.

When following a vegan diet we must pay special attention to * limiting amino acids such as Methionine, which is scarce in legumes, and above all, to Lysine, since it is the limiting amino acid par excellence. It is enough to regularly consume foods such as soy and the derivatives mentioned above, legumes such as lentils and chickpeas and pseudocereals such as quinoa. On the other hand, although the most relevant thing is the quantity and quality of the protein, the 'timing' or moments of that protein intake throughout the day will also have some importance. The chronobiological protein distribution should be between 2 to 4 equal parts during the day, increasing to more parts, especially if we do more than 1 daily workout.

Fats, necessary and recommended

Regarding fats, it is advisable to dedicate between 20-40% of the total daily calories to them since they perform energetic, structural, regulatory, hormonal, transporting, thermal, protective functions, etc. As far as improving body composition is concerned, people with a higher percentage of fat tend to have better results with a higher fat diet than more “defined” people. This is very personal and will depend on the objective and the type of preparation we are carrying out. It has also been observed that women tend to improve their body composition more with diets that are somewhat higher in fat, and they also tend to do very well both due to a phobia of ingesting this macronutrient and at a hormonal level and satiety. Now, not all fats are the same . We must incorporate good sources into our diet, through our great EVOO (extra virgin olive oil), oily fish , full-fat dairy products, fruits such as avocado or coconut, nuts and seeds.

Olive oil is a source of good fats. Apart from applying variety in our diet between all these foods mentioned, the key here is to ingest enough Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids since they are essential. We must pay special attention to the ratio we are taking between these two. Until relatively recently, it has always been said dichotomously that Omega 3 played an anti-inflammatory role and Omega 6 pro-inflammatory. This is not really so. Today it is not very well known what the ideal ratio is, but at the moment a ratio of 2:1 to 4:1 is recommended in favor of Omega 6 fatty acids. To contextualize more towards a Crossfit athlete, I would opt at the level personal for the lower range since it will surely benefit us more in our performance due to the inflammation produced as it is a very high intensity exercise. We must prioritize foods rich in Omega 3 such as fish (especially cold-water blue fish), shellfish, hazelnuts, walnuts, chia and flax seeds or even milk and eggs.

Carbohydrates, the essential energy contribution

The main function of carbohydrates in living beings is to contribute to the storage and obtaining of energy immediately. That is, it has a fundamentally energetic role and little else. So we must keep in mind that the contribution of carbohydrates in our diet will be determined mainly by the protein and fat requirements that we have previously calculated, approximately. Not many people know that carbohydrate is the only one of the 3 macronutrients that is NOT ESSENTIAL . Fats and protein ARE ESSENTIAL TO BE ABLE TO LIVE. This already gives us a rough idea of where the shots in our diet have to go, generally speaking. Of course, this does not mean that carbohydrates are harmful or that we should not include them in our diet. The greater the intensity of physical activity, the greater the dependence on muscle glycogen, which is quickly converted into ATP, that is, energy. It is therefore important to adapt carbohydrate intake (in quantity and type) to the requirements of each sport or discipline. The type of training done in Crossfit is mainly HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) style. This means that our body will demand a lot of the glycolytic pathway , the carbohydrate pathway.

How can you know how many carbohydrates you need?

The amount of carbohydrates to incorporate will depend greatly on the current body composition of each individual, the volume and intensity of training, what their lifestyle and profession are like, whether they are an amateur, advanced or elite athlete, whether they are in pre or post competition, or in different phases of body composition improvement, etc. What you have to keep in mind is that the greater the number of workouts , and above all, if there are several workouts on the same day or with a shorter space between each of them, it becomes much more important to include carbohydrates to replenish that glycogen as soon as possible. spent, and thus be able to recover and perform more efficiently in the following training sessions. Good sources of carbohydrates are cereals, pseudocereals such as quinoa, amaranth or buckwheat, legumes , fruits and tubers such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes or cassava. We would also include honey.

crossfit nutrition, legumes and carbohydrates

There are other types of carbohydrates that are less interesting both in terms of health and sports, such as any type of ultra-processed food and soft drinks. As expected, it would be advisable to reduce these types of products as much as possible.

Micronutrients and antioxidants

When our body trains (especially excessively) it produces an increase in free radicals (ROS) , very reactive molecules that produce inevitable aging, cardiovascular diseases, tumors, degenerative diseases, diabetes, and ultimately, nothing good for our quality of life. . To try to compensate for the damage caused by these molecules by the simple act of breathing, there are foods that can counteract the negative effects they produce and prevent greater evils. Therefore, at the end of the day we should not only examine our conscience about how many calories or macronutrients we have ingested, but also how many foods with antioxidant power we have included in our diet. For this, it is key that we make our dietary base through food, and try to avoid abusing ultra-processed foods or supplements, which can have a place in a healthy lifestyle of any Crossfiter, but knowing when, how much and why to incorporate them. Content written by Fabio de Laurentiis with the collaboration of Yaiza Perdiguero