Food quality will be our main focus for the three weeks of the challenge. Yet, at the same time for the best results we must start to consider the effects of macronutrients and give some thought to the quantities of foods that we are consuming. The three macronutrients are fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Today we will focus on carbs.
The insulin stimulating nature of carbohydrates can lead to excess fat storage, inflammation and increased disease markers when carbs are consumed in excess. The great news is that when eating a Primal diet it would be very hard to get to those levels (over 300 grams carbs a day) without an extreme effort to consume as much starchy vegetables and fruit as possible. As you can see from the carbohydrate curve 50-150 grams is a great range to be in to see body composition changes and “effortless weight loss”.
Over the three weeks make sure to cut out all processed carbohydrates: cereals, pasta, waffles, sweets, desserts and packaged treats. Our main carb sources will be fruits and vegetables. Just remember, if you are CrossFitting over 3 times a week you will still need some carbs to fuel your workout. Sweet potatoes, squashes and white rice can all be good options.
Today’s Challenge:
- Use a site such as NutritionData to look up the amount of carbohydrates in items like bread, pasta or any other items you normally consumer and compare it to the Primal forms of carbohydrate to get a sense for what you will be eating.
- Continue to eat your one Primal meal.
Comment with any findings from looking up the nutrition data and your Primal meal for the day.
