Prepping for Battle: Nutrient Dense, Toxin Free (Part 3 of 3) "Eat Healthy, Denver!"

So you've read parts 1 and 2 of our Nutrient Dense, Toxin Free blog.  Oh you haven't? Well, I suggest that you go do that before finishing the 3rd installment.  If you don't read those first, its kind of like skipping to the last episode of Breaking Bad.......just, yeah, don't do it.

Cool, so we've already established the following: 
(assuming you don't have a known allergy to any of the foods below)

Just Eat Real Food (JERF)

• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Wild Caught Fish
• Grass-Fed Beef
• Free Range Chickens & Their Eggs
• Humanely Raised Pork
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Root vegetables (Things that grow underground like sweet potatoes, yams, white potatoes, beets, carrots etc.)
• Dairy Products (If well-tolerated)
• Fermented Foods (Kimchee, Sauerkraut)

Question: Hey man, those things are super pricey!  Can't I get anything cheaper?

Answer: Its true that quality food isn't as cheap as processed garbage.  However, the choices listed above are the "best case scenarios".  They're also way more sustainable than conventionally grown and raised food so you're doing the planet a favor as well.  But, if your'e on vacation and not sure whether the eggs at your hotel are "free-range" that's no excuse to opt for the bagel and jelly.  Just eat the damn eggs and stop thinking so much about it.  If you can afford the top quality product, then do so.  If not you'll still see results with the non-hippy versions of the above mentioned foods.  (Remember, we're not doctors nor are we dietitians so we can't exactly tell you to go eat any specific type of food).  But seriously, if you like eggs, eat eggs.

Eat Right for Your Body Type (Somatotype)

• Ectomorphs (the skinny kid who wants to put on some muscle) 
• Endomorphs (the broad and thick individual who's usual goal is to lose weight and gain strength)
• Mesomorphs (those we love to hate... these folks are naturally athletic and don't really have a hard time putting on muscle or losing fat, they just need to work hard)

Fuel Appropriately for Your Level of Exercise

It's very easy to lose focus of why we're training in the first place.  If your goal is to lose weight or build muscle, that's cool but we want you to start thinking about things in a slightly different light.  Think about your goals in terms of performance.  Think about building the best "you" possible.  What would that person look like?  How much could/should they be able to dead-lift?  How fast could they run?  Can they do a handstand or climb a rope?  Do they just look good naked or can they actually perform well under pressure?

If we are training our bodies to perform better in all aspects of life, we need to make sure we have enough fuel in the tank.  Way too often we see men and women under-eating in hopes of weight loss.  Its true that there are a lot of people who just eat way too much....however, a lot of those folks also don't work out, nor do they have any performance goals in mind.

If you're busting your ass in the gym 3-4x per week and your goal is weight loss then grab your calculator.
Take your bodyweight and multiply that number by 12-14.  That's the number of calories you should be eating per day.  For example, If you are a 160lb gym member coming to the gym 4x per week and your goal is weight loss, you should be eating approximately 1920 to 2240 calories a day.

(160 x 12 = 1920)
(160 x 14 = 2240)

If you're exercising 5-7x per week, multiply that number by 14-16

(160 x 14 = 2240)
(160 x 16 = 2560)

We're not huge fans of counting calories, however, measuring where you are in your daily intake can be very beneficial if only for a week.  MyFitnessPal is a fantastic app that will let you track your calories and your percentages of carbs/fats/proteins.  Unfortunately, it assumes that everyone is an ectomorph and it wants you all to have at least 50% carbohydrates in your diet.  You need to adjust your ratios based on your body type (See Part 2 of this blog).

So in a nutshell, there is no one size fits all approach to fat loss or muscle gain.  It depends on your body type, your goals and your exercise level. Get at me if you want nerd out on nutrition. My EMAIL.

Ryan Humphries
Co-Founder BushCraft CrossFit