Cross Training Diet – Best Foods to Power Your WOD

CrossFit tops the list when it comes to efficient, effective, and calorie-torching workouts. There are two main building blocks to CrossFit success. The first component is the high-intensity gym regimen, and the other component is CrossFit diet. Because of the intensity of workouts, the body system requires combinations of nutrients that stabilize the sugar levels and gives you the energy to sustain your workouts.

As a rule of thumb, CrossFitters should target approximately a gram of protein for every kilogram of their bodyweight. This means a person weighing 130 pounds should take between 65 grams and 100 grams of protein depending on their sex.

Apart from protein, there are lots of other important foods that you should include as part of your CrossFit diet if you want to sustain weight loss and sculpt your muscles. The following are some of the must-eat foods.

Lentils

As a CrossFitter, it is important to keep your protein intake at about 30% of your daily calories. The reason why lentils are a super food is that they add 9 grams of protein for every half a cup. They are also loaded with fiber. You can try lentil in chili recipes and even soups.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is mainly used in skin and hair treatments to give people shinier hair and healthy, smooth skins. However, slipping coconut oil into your diet can give you an excellent fuel source to enable you power through your workouts. Despite being a saturated fat, coconut oil has medium chain fatty acids which can be easily absorbed in the small intestine therefore not necessitating that it goes through the full digestive process.

What this means is that coconut oil gives you increased energy in a much faster way compared to other forms of fat. The fatty acids are then converted into an immediate source of energy by the liver. The beauty of coconut oil is that it is sugar and carbohydrate free.

Banana and Whey Protein Smoothie

After your CrossFit workout, your body needs to refuel to optimize recovery and replenish the depleted glycogen stores. At this time, your body system craves for fast absorbing carbohydrates such as those found in berries and bananas as well as quick-to-absorb protein like the one found in whey. Ensure the whey protein powder you take is clean and not just a combination of ingredients and additives.

Nuts and Seeds

Seeds and nuts are packed with a whole lot of nutrients and the all-important omega three fatty acids which will help in refueling your body for recovery after an intensive CrossFit session. Nuts and seeds are among the most calorie dense foods. You can take them as a snack or include them in preparing your smoothie.

Sweet Potatoes

This is a nutrition powerhouse for any athlete and more so for CrossFitters. Your body system needs a boost of energy, and this can be obtained from functional carbs. Once the carbs are digested, they are stored in your liver and muscles from which the body accesses them for energy production to help you in your workout. Sweet potatoes are one of the best ways to fuel your CrossFit daily workouts because they are complex carbs and as such, they are slow releasing. They are also rich in vitamin B6 to help you in stress management.

Other foods include eggs, brown rice, almond butter, and oatmeal. A diet full of these doesn’t lack in potential to energize your system for workouts.