Good news! The CrossFit diet plan allows for versatility and options.
CrossFit has become one of the most effective, efficient, and heart-pumping workouts. If you need a workout for torching calories, CrossFit is the way to go.
Truth be told, CrossFit is at the top of the list of paths to fitness prowess. However, as with many other high-intensity workouts, you need the proper diet plan.
Given the intensity of the workout and the exercises, the most important aspect of your CrossFit diet plan is protein. You need lots of it to stabilize blood sugar and get energy for your workout regime. The math says that an average 120-lb woman needs 60g of protein per day, while a 200-lb man needs 100g of protein per day.
That’s only for CrossFit practitioners. Beyond the protein rule, there are many other foods you need to consume, and even more to avoid. Today, we will break down everything you need to know for your diet plan.
Paleo vs Zone vs Primal Diet
As I mentioned previously, CrossFit allows for versatility. There are three diets you can choose from. To understand each one, I will provide you with a short summary.
Paleo
For example, the Paleo diet is all about lean meat, fish, some fruit, tree nuts (no peanuts allowed), veggies, seeds, and absolutely no sugar. That means that when you follow the Paleo diet, you must avoid grains, legumes, dairy, corn, and white potatoes. Truth be told, those are usually foods people are allergic to or have challenges digesting. White potatoes turn into sugar, and the same applies to corn.
Zone
This is the diet of most CrossFit trainers and experts recommends. Yes, this CrossFit diet plan is more rigid and strict: the plan includes measuring, planning, and weighing every meal and snack. You must plan your meals ahead of time. However, for an individual who is organized and wants to pay attention to every detail, the Zone diet is the best. Zone allows grains, but some people opt for a mix of Paleo and Zone, which means no grains at all.
Primal
The best way to describe the primal diet is this: “Paleo + dairy.” Primal is very similar to Paleo, allowing all foods from Paleo, and it includes dairy as well. But not all dairy: you can consume cream, Greek yoghurt, some cheese, and butter. The trick is to not go overboard.
How to Shop on a Budget?
Given that no matter which CrossFit diet plan you choose, there are a lot of pricey ingredients, I want to help you shop on a budget. I realize that you have to make a change that will cost you more money. Now, organic and grass-fed products are always the recommendation, but sometimes, they’re not affordable. Here are some tips.
- Look for good, low-cost fruits and vegetables at the farmer’s market. You’ll find a lot of organic and non-organic farmers who will give you a good price for the products.
- Buy meat in bulk if you can freeze it. Consider purchasing meat through a local farmer. Divide the meat into portions and freeze.
- Shop at Wal-Mart and similar stores where you can find good prices on many products. And buy seeds and nuts in bulk.