nutrition :: CrossFit Impavidus

Archive for nutrition

Athletes who eat Paleo

Posted by steph º September 8, 2011 º Impavidus Blog º 1 comment

Paleo Athletes Uncovered: Olympic Hopeful Ursula Grobler

Can an endurance athlete be successful eating a paleo diet? I hear this question all of the time and I was actually the one asking it a few years ago. Does it work? Yep. How do I know? I tried it and actually won a marathon eating paleo. My experience completely changed my life – it was then that I truly decided paleo was legit. It’s been a little over two years for me now; and fortunately in that time I’ve had the opportunity to work with and prove to many elite and highly competitive endurance athletes that paleo doesn’t just work – it makes them better! How do they do it? It’s all very individual and we work together, changing and adjusting as needed until everything is dialed in.

This post will be the first of many giving you a look into the world of a paleo athlete. First up is superstar rower Ursula Grobler. Ursula is currently working toward an Olympic berth at the London 2012 games. I have had the pleasure of working with Ursula on her nutrition since January. She’s definitely got the desire and dedication it takes to be a champion. Now let’s hear what Ursula’s got to say about life as a paleo athlete.

Salt – Is it Essential?

Posted by steph º July 6, 2011 º Impavidus Blog º 0 comments

Saw this quote today and thought – how true…

Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.
- John Wooden

And here is an interesting article on SALT:

Why Salt is Essential to Health and Happiness

A national program to reduce dietary salt “could prevent tens of thousands of heart attacks, strokes, and deaths and trim as much as $24 billion from the U. S. health care tab, according to a study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.”1 So began a January 21, 2010 Wall Street Journal article on salt. “The study, a computer simulation, suggested that the impact would be similar to prevention strategies such as quitting smoking, lowering cholesterol or modest weight loss” as an “effective weapon against high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.” According to Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, lead author of the study, “The time is right now to consider efforts to achieve population-wide reduction in salt intake.” We have heard words like this before. In the 1970s, the McGovern Committee on Dietary Goals assured Americans that our ten greatest killers would be resolved by the simple measure of substituting polyunsaturated oils for animal fats. Now, forty years later, Americans have largely abandoned animal fats for industrial oils, with disastrous consequences—our ten greatest disease killers have only increased, and the pall of disease has now settled on our children as well. At least in the case of saturated fat we have a substitute, albeit a poor one—refined carbohydrates, which the body very efficiently turns into saturated fat. But as far as the body is concerned, there is no substitute for salt.

Read more…

Beware of the Potato

Posted by steph º June 29, 2011 º Impavidus Blog º 0 comments

Gaining weight? Beware potatoes—baked, fried, or in chips

Without meaning to, you’ve gained a few pounds over the last few years. How did that happen? Certain foods, especially the humble potato, may be partly to blame.

In a fascinating study of 120,000 healthy, non-obese women and men taking part in long-term studies of diet and health, the participants gained an average of 3.3 pounds every four years over a 13-year period. When the researchers tallied up the foods that contributed most to this weight gain, potatoes topped the list—twice:

potato chips

potatoes

sugar-sweetened beverages

red meat

processed meats

Other contributors to weight gain included sleeping less than six hours a night or more than eight hours, drinking alcohol, and watching television. The results were just published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

originally posted at livefitandsore.com

Cleaning up your carb act: Where to begin

Posted by steph º May 26, 2011 º Impavidus Blog º 0 comments

Cleaning up your carb act: Where to begin – latimes.com

Carbs are really what gets most people in trouble food/weight wise.

Most Americans eat between 250 and 300 grams of carbohydrates a day, the equivalent of 1,000 to 1,200 calories. The Institute of Medicine, which sets dietary nutrient requirements, recommends 130 grams a day. Some, such as Dr. Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, say achieving that would be a big step in the right direction, but other low-carb advocates believe the number is too inflexible.

“What people can tolerate varies widely based on age, metabolism, activity level, body size and gender,” says Dr. Stephen Phinney, nutritional biochemist and an emeritus professor of UC Davis. For healthy adults the number can be higher, he says, while others will feel and function better if they stay between 50 and 100 grams a day. “I’ve seen some people get in trouble when they eat over 25 grams.

originally posted at livefitandsore.com

Challenging Conventional Wisdom: Gary Taubes

Posted by steph º May 24, 2011 º Impavidus Blog º 0 comments

Gary Taubes on “Why We Get Fat”

Yes, Yes, Yes. Eating the crap foods creates cravings for more crap food — and you are living in a vicious cycle. That’s why I think eating a Paleo like diet is key. Cut out most carbs and eat whole, clean food — not processed – you are good to go. Look into the science more and see what you think –

Taubes challenges the conventional wisdom that says if we just eat less and exercise more we will lose weight. He contends that carbohydrates – sweets, breads and fruit – and not fatty foods are to blame for our nation’s rising obesity rate.

We’re not fat because we’re gluttons with no willpower who sit around watching too much TV, he says. Instead, we become couch potatoes because we are getting fat by eating too much pasta and rice, and too many cookies. That diet brings on a vicious cycle of craving more of the same carbohydrates that sap our energy and pack on the pounds.

“It’s the most important issue in medicine today,” argues Taubes, a fellow at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health. Being fat increases our risk of heart disease and diabetes, he says, as well as cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Diets that require a steep drop in caloric consumption only allow us to drop pounds temporarily but are not a cure for obesity, he says.

…DeVane and Taubes agree that exercise alone is not the answer because people dramatically underestimate how much exercise is required to burn off pounds. And, Taubes says, exercise will just make you hungrier.

originally posted on livefitandsore.com

What Is The Paleo Diet?

Posted by steph º April 30, 2011 º Impavidus Blog º 0 comments

You may have heard a few people around the box talk about ‘Paleo’ how great they feel because of it.

What is Paleo Eating?

The Paleo Diet is a way of eating that best mimics diets of our hunter-gatherer ancestors – lean meats, seafood, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. If it wasn’t around during the ‘caveman’ time, then you shouldn’t eat it. If it has to be processed to be eaten, you shouldn’t eat it.

Eat clean, real food – meat, eggs, vegetables, nuts, seeds, fruit, oils (like EVOO or coconut).
Eat foods with very few ingredients, all pronounceable ingredients, the fresher, the better!
Do not eat processed dairy meaning no butter,cheese,yogurt and milk (including cream in your coffee). Almond, Goat, Coconut milk are OK.
Do not eat grains. This includes bread, rice, pasta, corn, oatmeal, and all of those gluten-free pseudo-grains including quinoa.
Do not eat legumes. Including beans of any kind – green beans, lentils, cashews and peanuts. No peanut butter!
Do not eat food with or use sugars of any kind, real or artificial. No maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, Splenda, Truvia, Stevia
Do not eat processed foods. Any processed bars like Zone and Balance bars, dairy-free creamers

The BOTTOM LINE IS, stick to the basics for this lifestyle, ALWAYS AVOID GLUTEN, and DO eat meat, seafood, veggies, a little bit of fruit, and good fats, but do not make yourself nutty – just eat what makes you feel good, and if you do not feel well, there’s probably something you are eating that’s not paleo – for you!

There are a ton of websites out there with recipes, tips, and support to eat Paleo — here are just a few:

Primal Blueprint Author: Mark’s Daily Apple:http://www.marksdailyapple.com/
Grandfather of Paleo: Art DeVany
Paleo Solution Author: Rob Wolf
ABC’s Nightline about Paleo Eating:http://abcnews.go.com/Health/paleo-diet-meet-caveman-dieters/story?id=13030483
Balanced Bites: Real Food for Real People

Nutrition Seminar and the Paleo Challenge

Posted by steph º April 28, 2011 º Seminars & Challenges º 2 comments

We are getting ready for our 1st CrossFit Impavidus 8-week Nutrition challenge starring one of the ladies of CrossFit – HELEN!

The challenge will include eating ‘Clean’ and doing CrossFit.

To help you get started, we will be offering a Nutrition Seminar:

You will learn:

What is Clean Eating?
How to cook clean
Tips and Tricks
Learn about Catalyst Meals Delivery Service

The Challenge will include a benchmark WOD aka Helen, and resources for success.

You will be expected to bring commitment and determination and when its over, your success will be measured!