At Crossfit DFW we believe that good nutrition is the foundation for health and performance. You cannot expect to feel good, sleep well and reach your performance goals if you are not feeding your body a diet fill of whole, real, nutrient-dense foods. We believe that the Paleo lifestile provides an excellent starting point for general health and wellness, as well as for meeting weight loss, body composition and performance goals.
“Eat only Meats, Vegetables, Nuts, Seeds, some Fruit, little Starch, and No Sugar.”
- Meats: lean cuts of meat–chicken, beef, pork, game, eggs and seafood.
- Vegetables: eat a variety of vegetables everyday (by the way, corn is not a vegetable!)
- Nuts and Seeds: almonds, macadamias, cashews, sunflower seeds, pepitas, etc. preferable raw or dry roasted. (peanuts are not a nut, they are a legume!)
- Fruit: a few servings each day is good, depending on goals.
- Starch: sweet potatoes and squash can be good options, but limit white potatoes and potato products.
- NO SUGAR: simple enough … no added sugar of any kind, including natural and artificial sweeteners.
- Healthy fats: nuts, avocado, olive oil, coconut oil are great options.
“The food you eat either makes you healthy or less healthy. Those are your options.” – It Starts with Food
Below is a list of foods that have a tendency to make many people “less healthy” for a variety of reasons, possibly causing inflammation, digestive issues, and poor blood sugar regulation as well as interrupting sleep patterns and causing erratic energy levels throughout the day.
- Grains: corn, wheat, bulgur, rice, quinoa, and other grain products such as breads, pastas and cereals.
- Dairy: cow, goat milk and all related products: yogurt, ice cream and cream cheese.
- Legumes: black, pinto, kidney and other types of beans. Soy and all soy-based products. Peanuts and peanut products.
- Processed food: in general, foods that come boxed, packaged, bagged or shrink wrapped are not great options.
- Alcohol: limit or avoid alcohol
Resources
The trainers at CrossFit DFW can be your go-to people for transitioning to a Paleo lifestyle. While we don’t know everything, we have a huge amount of information about nutrition, goal setting, meal planning and general Paleo lifestyle issues. Do no be afraid to ask us anything … we want to help!
Below are some of our favorite resources:
It Starts with Food by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig
Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo
everydaypaleo.com (recipes)
balancedbites.com (some recipes, great info)
robbwolf.com (lots of science behind paleo)
whole9life.com/9-blog (the manifesto series is excellent for the “why can’t” I have ____” questions)
nomnompaleo.com (recipes)