The internet is stocked up on all kinds of guides, diets and recipes that we often find nutrition confusing and difficult to follow. The truth is that there is no one right path in nutrition. It is very individual to each ones needs and requirements. However, it is good to start somewhere and some founding principles will help you get on track to a better eating habit.

Eat clean vs. processed food
Avoid the processed foods sections in the supermarkets. Spend more time at the fresh foods sections. Embrace the green. Anything with a label of ingredients on it is usually processed in some way. This leads to my next point:

Learn to cook…
…or befriend a cook. Ready made meals usually contain all sorts of additives and preservatives (and they usually taste horrible). One of the best skills I’ve learned throughout these few years as a CrossFitter, is cooking. It challenges me to think of what I’m eating and makes food a little more interesting. So, impress your better half or why not invite your training buddies over for an “afterworkout” dinner 😉

Cut added sugar
Despite what you might think, you are probably eating too much sugar. Nowadays sugar is added to pretty much everything. Cutting *added sugar will get you a long way. Milk and fruit are examples of products that contain natural sugars and will provide you with the required amounts, but keep those in moderation too.

Consumption vs. expenditure
Food is a source of energy for the body. Simply put: fuel that keeps us moving and functioning. The more you train and expend energy, the more “fuel” you must consume. This means that when you train high volume at the box, you also have to take care of getting the food required to stay functioning. It is not this simple, obviously, as there are many other factors to take into account, but its a good place to start. To get a good picture of how much and what you  should eat I recommend looking into the zone method. Check out more info on the CrossFit Journal webpage.

Nutrition in one word: Moderation
The statement “Kaikkea kohtuudella” or “everything in moderation”, is a simple statement that can be applied to pretty much everything you do. Just as in CrossFit we like constantly varying our workouts you can also constantly vary what you eat. If you eat ground beef everyday, you might want to think of other sources of protein. Vice versa, even if we know added sugar wont do us favours, when your granny offers you cake on her 90th birthday, go ahead and indulge. Everything you do say or eat, do it moderation.