FEBRUARY 2012
nutrition Challenge
“Eat likE you crossfit”
GENERAL RULES
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The Nutrition Challenge lasts 30 days, from the February 1st through March 1st
Athletes must sign up no later than 6:30 pm, Tuesday, January 31st.
Athletes must keep track of their points using the Daily Meal Sheet which must be
turned in, in paper form, within 7 days, with all sheets turned in no later than March
3rd. Failure to turn in both sheets will result in a deduction from the athletes score of 100 points for that day.
Athletes will be assigned a buddy for accountability and encouragement. Buddies will
review and sign each Daily Meal Sheet.
Scoring will in be accordance with the guidance/definitions found in the rest of this
presentation.
There are no cheat days. Every day counts.
Weekly updates/score totals will be posted on Facebook.
The winner will be announced on Monday, March 5th.
Winner receives a $100 gift certificate from Rogue, which they can spend on shoes,
apparel (or whatever else they want). The Winner’s buddy receives a $50 gift
certificate.
ENJOY/LIMIT/ELIMINATE
ENJOY
• Lean meat. Includes beef, chicken, pork, fish and eggs. Ground meats
(turkey and beef) are acceptable provided they are at least 90% lean.
• Vegetables. Eat a variety of colors and types of vegetables.
• Healthy Fat. This means olive oil, olives, avocado, animal fats and
coconut oil, milk and flakes.
LIMIT
• Fruit. Enjoy mostly non-sugary fruit such as berries. Limit fruit to 1-2
servings/day. Do not let fruits be your main source of carbs or push
vegetables off your plate.
• Sweet Potatoes. Limit to post-workout meal and no more than one
other meal. Do not substitute for other vegetables.
• Nuts. Nuts like almonds, pistachios, brazil nuts, hazel nuts and
macadamia nuts are OK but should be limited to 1-2 servings daily.
ENJOY/LIMIT/ELIMINATE
(CONTINUED)
ELIMINATE
• Sugar. Do not consume sugar or sweeteners of any kind, real or artificial. This
includes white or brown sugar, molasses, maple syrup, agave nectar, honey,
xylitol, aspartame, sucralose, Nutrasweet, Splenda, Equal, Truvia or stevia. Do
not consume products that have been sweetened with any of the above.
• Grains. No wheat, rye, barley, millet, oats and oatmeal, corn and cornmeal,
rice, sprouted grains, quinoa, bran, germ or starch. This also means no bread,
pasta, granola or cereal.
• Legumes. No beans of any kind (black, kidney, lima, pinto, etc.). No peas,
lentils or peanuts. No peanut butter. No soy of any kind, including soy sauce,
miso, tofu, tempeh, edamame or lecithin (a common food additive).
• White Potatoes, in any form, including red or new potatoes.
• “Vegetable” oils like peanut, soybean, corn, canola, safflower and sunflower
are considered a serving of legumes and are not permitted.
• Processed Food. This includes protein shakes or protein bars.
• Processed Meat. No “cured” or processed meat with added sugar, nitrates,
sodium or added chemicals.
• Alcohol, in any form.
• Tobacco, in any form.
Dairy
• Some of you will be encouraged to eat/drink
dairy and some of you will not.
• Some of you will be allowed only certain dairy
products.
• Sorry, life ain’t fair.
HABITS
Good Habits
•Fish Oil. Get at least 2 grams of EPA/DHA from Fish oil every day. Do
not confuse the total amount of fish oil with the EPA/DHA. Read your
fish oil labels carefully to determine how much EPA/DHA is in your fish
oil.
•Sleep. You should get at least 8 hours. You get credit for the period
of time you are actually unconscious. If you lie awake all night, this is
not sleep.
•Mobility Work. Time spent stretching, myofascial release, using the
foam or rumble rollers/ lacrosse balls will count. We’ll even count
getting a massage.
Bad Habits
•Using Tobacco. In any form, it’s toxic and cancerous. Stop using it.
•Alcohol. Yes, we love it too. But give it up this month.
Serving Size
APPROXIMATIONS
• Lean meats- Palm size
• Dairy (if allowed)- Whole milk, 30 ounces or other dairy
source with 30g of protein.
• Vegetables- Fill the rest of the plate
• Fruits- Fist size
• Healthy Fats• Olive oil- Thumb size
• Nuts- the area between your index finger and thumb / about a silver
dollar
• Avocado- ½
• Coconut flakes- handful
• Coconut milk
– From carton: about a cup
– From a can: about ¼ cup
Serving Size
APPROXIMATIONS
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For any prohibited food (Grains, Dairy (if prohibited), Legumes, Sugar/Sweeteners,
Processed Food/Protein Powder or Processed meat)= any amount however small
will be one serving, each time you consume. (Example: You decide to take a sip or
Diet Coke after lunch, but then throw away the can. Later that afternoon you
decide to have another. That’s TWO servings.. No, you may not combine the two
into one serving. Nice try.)
Alcohol. Each drink (bottle or glass of beer, shot of hard liquor or glass of wine) is
one serving.
Tobacco. (Really, this is only for one guy- if he’d quit, I could stop writing this into
the rules.) Each cigarette, cigar or dip of tobacco is one dose.
Sample Shopping List
LEAN MEAT
Egg/Egg White
water, oily fish like
Salmon)
Chicken
Pork
Turkey
Wild Game
Beef
Bison
Lamb
Fish (especially cold
Sample Shopping List
Vegetables*
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
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Artichoke
Arugula
Asparagus
Beets
Bok Choy
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
Cauliflower
Carrots
Celery
Celery Root
Cucumber
Eggplant
Fennel
Garlic
Green beans++
 Greens (Beet, Collard,
Mustard)
 Jicama
 Kale
 Kohlrabi
 Lettuce
 Mushrooms
 Onion
 Parsnips
 Peppers
 Pumpkin
 Radish
 Snow Peas/ Snap Peas++
 Spinach
 Squash
 Sweet Potatoes/Yams
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Swiss Chard
Taro
Tomatoes
Turnips
Watercress
Zuchini
*Fresh or frozen are virtually equivalent. Canned vegetables are less nutritious, but acceptable.
++ Green beans, snap and snow peas, while technically a legume, are more pod than seed and are allowed.
Sample Shopping List
Dairy*
Whole Milk
Cottage
Cheese
Cheese
Sour Cream
Plain Yogurt
*If allowed.
Sample Shopping List
Fruits
 Apples
 Apricots
 Bananas
 Blackberries
 Blueberries
 Cherries
 Dates/Figs
 Grapefruit
 Grapes
 Kiwi
 Lemon
 Lime
 Mango
 Melon
 Nectarines
 Orange
 Papaya
 Peaches
 Pears
 Pineapple
 Plum
 Pomegranate
 Raspberries
 Strawberries
 Tangerines
 Watermelon
Sample Shopping List
Healthy Fats
Almonds
Avocado
Cashews
Coconut
Butter
Coconut
Flakes
Coconut Milk
Coconut Oil Clarified
Butter/Ghee*
Macadamia
Nuts
Pecans
Olives
Olive oil
Animal Fats
*Not to be confused with plain, old butter, which is out for those not allowed Dairy!
Instructions on how to clarify (i.e. separate fat from the milk proteins) are easy to
find on the web.
Sample Shopping List
SPICES/Seasonings
 Allspice
 Bay Leaves
 Basil
(Fresh/Dried)
 Black Pepper
 Cardamom
 Cayenne
 Celery Seed
 Chili Powder
 Chives
 Cilantro
 Cinnamon
 Cloves
 Cocoa (100%)
 Coriander
 Cumin
 Curry Powder
 Dill (Fresh or
Seeds)
 Fennel Seed
 Garlic
 Ginger
 Lemongrass
 Marjoram
*Except malt vinegar which contains gluten
 Nutmeg
 Oregano
 Parsley
 Rosemary
 Sage
 Salt
 Tarragon
 Thyme
 Vinegar*
 Vanilla
 White pepper
Read your labels
• Or even better yet, eat things that don’t need
labels….
• Chewing gum is a serving of artificial sweetener.
• Ketchup and many other condiments almost
always contain sugar or even (gasp!) highfructose corn syrup.
• Make sure you purchase “unsweetened” coconut
milk (or anything else for that matter).
Fine Print
• Your meal sheet must be written in sufficient
detail to allow us to determine what you
actually ate.
• We reserve the right to adjust your points if
you are “gaming the system” or not meeting
the spirit of the challenge.
WHY?
• Why are we doing this?
– Nutrition is the foundation of your athletic performance.
– Food is a drug. Chances are, unless you’ve done this before, you do
not have a complete understanding of how foods affect you.
– You will positively change your habits and eating patterns.
– You will increase awareness of what you eat by accounting for it in
writing.
– You will reset your taste buds, especially regarding sweetness.
– You will eliminate insulin spikes
– You will eliminate sources of inflammation
– You will be eating nutrient rich foods instead of nutrient-poor/calorie
dense foods
WHY?
• Why no Grains?
– Cause insulin spikes
– Empty calories when compared to vegetables/fruit.
– Causes probles from gluten intolerant people
• Why no Legumes?
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Inferior source of protein when compared to lean animal meat/eggs.
Cause insulin spikes
Toxic when improperly prepared/soaked.
Soy specifically, mimics the sex hormone, estrogen.
Peanuts (a legume, by the way) harbor carcinogenic mold, “aflatoxin.”
WHY?
• Why is Dairy allowed for some prohibited for others?
For those needing to gain muscle, the goal is to consume 1 gram of protein per lb. of body
weight. Dense calorie sources are a must. One gallon of whole milk contains 2400 calories
and is an excellent source of proteins, carbohydrates and fat. There is growth potential
beyond calories by consuming whole milk. Increased IGF, hGH, insulin, testosterone come
from drinking whole milk. These are all potent growth promoters. Whey Protein acts similar
to milk. It is a fast acting protein and a good supplement when trying to achieve the 1 gram
of protein per lb. of bodyweight goal.
For those needing to lose weight, milk is not required and can be counter-productive.
MOTIVATION
• You are experimenting with the complex chemistry of
your digestive system. Even a small amount of
unauthorized foods can contaminate your experiment
and waste your prior efforts.
• Planning ahead is critical to your success – especially
on Superbowl Sunday.
• This is not “too hard”. Dealing with chronic sickness
and poor performance due to life-long poor eating
habits is.
• The pay off is a different relationship with food, better
performance and a better understanding of how food
affects you.
Troubleshooting
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Are your ingredients 100% approved?
Are you eating at least 3+ meals/day?
Are your meals frequent enough?
Are you eating breakfast?
Are you eating a post workout meal after
training?
• Are you eating enough fat?
AFTER THE CHALLENGE
• It’s not over. On Day 31, Don’t binge eat
pancakes, ice cream, pizza and beer, instead…
• Gradually reintroduce foods and spend a few
days observing how they affect you.
• If you don’t miss something, don’t reintroduce
it.
Scoring Guidelines
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Protein Sources: +4 points per serving up to 12 points per day
Vegetables: +4 points for every 2-cup serving, NO MAXIMUM.
Healthy fats: +4 points per serving, up to 12 points maximum.
Fruit or sweet potatoes: +3 per serving up to 4 servings, no points for the fifth
serving, -3 per serving after that.
Prohibited foods (Grains, Sugar, Legumes, Dairy (for some): -4 per serving.
Alcohol:-5 points per serving.
Tobacco (Really?):-7 points per serving.
Fish Oil: +5 points if at least 2 grams of EPA/DHA
Sleep: 7 hours = +2, 8 hours= +3, 9 hours= +6
CrossFit WOD: +5 points per day
Mobility Work: +5 points per day, must do 20 minutes including post-WOD
stretching.
Athlete: ____________________
BUDDY:_______________________
DAILY Meal Sheet
Date:_________________
Meal
Meal description
MEAL
1
MEAL
2
MEAL
3
MEAL
4
MEAL
5
Habits
MEAL
6
Fish Oil
(Grams of
EPA+DHA)
Sleep
(Hours)
CrossFit WOD
(Yes/No)
Mobility Work
(Minutes)
Tobacco Use
(# doses)
Alcohol
(# drinks)