The Foundation of a Good CrossFit Diet

Over the past few years we are constantly asked about the best supplement and diet plan for CrossFit athletes. Upon asking this question, many folks expect an extravagant answer, including the latest muscle exploding powder or fat burning potion.

If you have followed us at all, you know that is not what we are about. We recommend the safest and best ways to make your body the strongest possible and your health the best it can be.

Whether you are building a house or building a body, the rules are the same. Strength and durability start with a proper foundation.

Os course there is a place for protein powder and amino acids in your CrossFit regimen. But without the foundational building blocks in place, you are cheating yourself and might even be wasting your money.

At CrossFit Diet Tips, we start every athlete, beginner or veteran, on two supplements. These two supplements are not flashy or expensive like the majority of the products out there. That being said, you definitely get what you pay for and there is a difference in quality and potency.

The two supplements we always start with are Fish Oil and a Multivitamin. These supplements provide a strong foundation which will support the additional stacking of other ingredients, while assisting in the recovery and well being of your body.

Remember though, a supplement is just that, a supplement. Their job is to assist a good diet or enhance a good exercise program. You cannot fix a poor diet with supplements.

Why do we recommend a Multivitamin? A multivitamin contains micronutrients which are deficient in almost every athlete. No matter how good a diet may be, it is next to impossible to get enough of the recommended micronutrients. Most people just cannot consume the amount of whole foods needed to supply these nutrients.

A good capsulated multivitamin is the foundation of a CrossFit supplement program.

Multivitamin Capsules

As stated earlier, you get what you pay for. A multivitamin should be high-quality and capsulated, rather than a heated and hard pressed tablet. Your body just doesn’t break down and absorb these types. Your multivitamin should also be gender specific. The micronutrient needs of a woman is different than that of a man.

Fish Oil is the second supplement of our foundation. Fish Oil is often referred to as Omega-3 Fatty Acids. These are important because not only are most individuals deficient in them, they are important providers of a natural anti-inflammatory response in your body. As a CrossFit athlete or even a non-athlete, you can see how important this process can be. You would need to eat a diet of fresh fatty fish 3-5 times per week, every week in order to get the recommended dosage of Omega-3’s.

A high quality Fish Oil is a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids and is a foundation for a CrossFit supplement program.

Omega-3’s

Like a multivitamin, all Omega-3 supplements are definitely not created equal. You can find cheap fish oil supplements at the big box store, but the quality and potency suffers dramatically. A “fresh” fish oil is mandatory and the ratio of EPA and DHA is of the utmost importance. The higher the potency of your Omega-3’s, the better the anti-inflammatory response.

In closing, a good Multivitamin and Fish Oil supplement is a perfect foundation for your diet and exercise program. They fill in the gaps by providing the micronutrients and Omega-3’s which are necessary but difficult to obtain in even the best diets.

To Your Health,

The CrossFit Diet Team