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DIETARY PATTERNS FOR CROSSFIT ATHLETES
Carbs are king
Primary fuel substrates in CrossFit – blood sugar and muscle glycogen
Protein functions as the building block for muscle mass - between lean body mass and bodyweight in g/lb per day
Fat functions mainly as hormonal support as opposed to upping intramuscular triglycerides as for endurance athletes - .3-.5 g/lb per day
Replenishing blood sugar and muscle glycogen by eating carbs seems to be of utmost importance to the dietary patterns of CrossFitters.
- Minimum 3-4g/kg per day
- Moderate 4-6g/kg per day
- High 6-8 g/kg per day
- Loading 8-10g/kg per day
Goal: develop a dietary pattern that meets these requirements for a CrossFit Athlete.
There are 4 factors we want to consider in food selection.
4 Carb Factors
- Fiber – promotes gut health which is connected to minimizing GI distress and utilization of nutrients up to certain dosage (20-40g/day), will increase GI distress above certain dosage, lowers glycemic load, increases satiety, consider proximity to training
- Volume – the space the food takes up in stomach, increases satiety, consider proximity to training
- Glycemic Load – effect on blood sugar, higher glycemic load carbs more appropriate the closer you are to training
- Processing – higher processing means lower chewing requirement, lower satiety, ease of use
In order to meet dietary requirements, CrossFit Athletes will require many of their carbs to come from lower fiber, higher glycemic foods.
Food Selection:
- Whole grains – high fiber, high volume, high satiety, moderate glycemic load, minimal processing
- Roots/tubers – high fiber (with skin), high volume, high satiety, moderate glycemic load, minimal processing
- Fruit – high fiber, high volume, low to moderate glycemic load, minimal processing
- White rice – low fiber, moderate volume, high glycemic load, moderate processing
- Bread – low/high fiber, low volume, high glycemic load, processed
- Cereal – low fiber, low volume, high-very high glycemic load, processed
- Sugars – low fiber, very low volume, highest glycemic load, processed
Best Practices:
- Number of meals as is practical for meeting energy needs without food volume
- disrupting training e.g. 2-3 larger meals + 1 smaller meal + training food
- Dose carbohydrates evenly between meals to avoid outsized effect on blood sugar and mental acuity e.g. 100g/meal x 3 meals > 300g/meal x 1 meal
- WALK 10-30 minute walk after largest meals to manage blood sugar
- Avoid large bolus of food in stomach within ~3 hours of bedtime or training – big breakfast, large lunch, dainty dinners preferred
- Use higher glycemic carbs before/during/after training to restore blood sugar balance and mental acuity
- 2 servings of fruit/veg per meal – covers minimum fiber and micronutrient recommendations
- Above 3-4g/kg per day, breads, cereals and sugars make up higher % of daily calories
https://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00007256-200434030-00002
https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/jappl.1997.82.4.1185
