NUTRITION

CrossFitSR Spring Detox Program

April 25 – May 23^rd, 2012

Why Detox?

Our bodies naturally detoxify everyday as part of a normal body process. Detoxification is one of the body’s most basic automatic functions of eliminating and neutralizing toxins through the colon, liver, kidneys, lungs, lymph and skin. Unfortunately just by living in a modern world we are exposed to toxins in our environment, ingest toxins in our food supply, and drink toxins in our water.  Our bodies have a hard time keeping up. Even the best paleo diet can get out of balance changing our internal ecosystem.

Body systems and organs that were once capable of cleaning out unwanted substances can be over-loaded to the point where toxic material remains inside our tissues. Our bodies try to protect us from dangerous substances by setting it aside, surrounding it with mucous and fat to protect us.

Detoxification through special cleansing diets is the best way to assist your body’s natural self-cleaning system. It is especially important if you’re suffering from any immune-compromised diseases like chronic fatigue or arthritis. However, even if your diet is good, a comprehensive cleanse can revitalize your system and give you a jump start on living a healthier life by boosting your immune system and decreasing inflammation in the body.  It can also be the perfect accelerator in changing your body composition to loose fat and gain lean muscle tissue.  Once you rid your body of the toxins it is holding on to, you lose fat as well as its protection is no longer needed.

Most commercial detox programs rely on replacing whole foods with processed shakes and supplements that derive their protein from peas and rice. Two foods not allowed on the Paleo diet. Or through the elimination of all food such as the “Master-Cleanse” of lemon juice, honey and cayenne pepper which can result in a loss of  lean muscle tissue.  By replacing real food with shakes they also don’t teach lifelong healthy eating habits.  This detox program will rely on eating whole foods throughout the program, making choices to shift our bodies to a more alkaline state in which our natural detox pathways operate at maximum efficiency. We will be using only two supplements: Omega -3 fish oil, and a homeopathic supplement to support liver detoxification.  Both supplements are optional.

Meeting will be held Wednesday evenings at the Gym at 7:30 beginning on April 25^th and with a wrap up party on May 23^rd.  28 Days to a new CLEAN you – What a great way to start the summer!

From the Cave to the Kitchen

Cooking Class No. 2  

Paleo Condiments

 How to add a huge nutritional and flavor punch to Meat and Vegetables with a bit of food “geekiness”.

Saturday March 24^th,  12:30  PM  

The focus of this class is to learn how to create accompaniments for meat and vegetables that turn a good meal in to a “WOW” meal.   You will learn how to make three varieties of mayonnaise, mastering a technique called emulsification.  An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally un-blendable.   By using the lecithin in egg yolks, and the acidity of lemon juice we can create sauces that are delicious, using only fresh paleo ingredients.

Then we are going to move on to making four totally different kinds of pesto.  Pesto is a sauce originating in northern Italy; the name is the contracted past participle of the pestare, which means to pound, to crush, in reference to the original method of preparation, with marble mortar and wooden pestle.   You can’t get much more paleo than that.

Then we will taste everything we made with grilled organic chicken breasts (the world’s most boring meat) and fresh asparagus from the farmer’s market. The goal is to have you walk away with a bit more knowledge regarding nutrition, to acquire some sweet new cooking skills that you can apply on your own, and of course to enjoy yourself!

Sarah Pate, Neophyte Nutritionist & Paleo Chef

Please join us in our second installment of nutritional informationon:

Wednesday December 14th at 7:30 at the Gym.  ·

We will briefly review the information covered in our first session (repeated below), answerany questions that have come up·         Then move on to strategies for how to get the most out of our food, both in terms of enjoyment, as well as in stretching a dollar.  ·

We will discuss eating and cooking strategies to boost your immune system through the holidays, to end the year in the best possible shape for the upcoming Paleo Challenge.·

We will cover an overview of the challenge, and give you the information to begin preparing to be in the best health of your life·         And of course we will sample some examples of what this all means in terms of “what do I eat?”

Review of Session One:

EAT REAL FOOD

1)  Choose pasture raised poultry and eggs, pork, lamb, grass fed beef

Eliminate all highly processed foods from your diet

- Flour, sugar, soda etc.

-ALL toxic food additives, (nitrates, preservatives, artificial dyes and chemical “nutrients”, artificial sweeteners)

-Xenobiotics (antibiotics, hormones etc.)

-Choose organic vegetable and fruit whenever possible

- Make it yourself!

2) CREATE HORMONAL BALANCE

-  Our hormones regulate our fat storage as well as our cravings and hunger levels.  They are also critical in building bones and muscle tissue, and regulate our moods and energy levels.  There is a demonstrated link between inflammation and heart disease.

-Grains and sugars contribute to inflammation and increase the risk of heart disease. Consuming them, especially in excess, has also been linked to other problems like metabolic syndrome, diabetes, obesity and others.

- Get the majority of your caloric intake from fats and protein

- Get the majority of your food from fresh organic vegetables

-  Reduce carbohydrate consumption

-  Eat fruit sparingly

-  Always eat protein, fat or fiber with carbohydrates

-  Get enough dietary cholesterol – to support hormone production

3) UPGRADE YOUR FAT

-  Eliminate Vegetable Oils and Products Containing Them- These oils mess up the balance of protective Omega-3 fatty acids and potentially dangerous Omega-6 fatty acids in the body. They also contribute to inflammation and arterial damage. There is no reason that you need to consume these oils at any point.

-  Eat saturated fat from healthy animals and plants – As studies have yet to link saturated fat intake with heart disease, and in fact, many prove the opposite, getting enough saturated fat from sources like animal fats, coconut oil, raw organic dairy, etc is essential to give the body all the building blocks it needs for proper cell and hormone function. If the body doesn’t have enough dietary cholesterol, it must manufacture it, and dietary cholesterol has no relation to heart disease.

-  Get Enough Omega-3s- These help balance out the Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio in the body and prevent inflammation. Omega-3s also can thin the blood and keep it from clotting too regularly, a risk factor in heart disease. Having a proper Omega-3 balance also helps keep triglyceride levels in check.

4) MOVE

-  Exercise helps strengthen the heart and tone muscles. It increases circulation and reduces stress hormones- all good things to help reduce your risk of heart disease.

-  Increase and Restore Bone Density. By stressing your bones, strength training increases bone density and reduces the risk of osteoporosis.

-  Optimize Your Weight. As you gain muscle, your body gains a bigger “engine” to burn calories more efficiently. On average for each pound of muscle you gain you burn 35 to 50 more calories per day.

-  Lower Your Blood Pressure .  A study in the journal Circulation found that doing two to three sessions of weight training a week was enough to lower blood pressure.

-  Reduce Your Risk of Injury. Building muscle helps protect your joints from injury and increases joint stability.

-  Improved Balance. Strength training helps resolve muscle imbalances and poor posture as well as improving balance.

-  Boost Your Stamina. As you get stronger, you won’t fatigue as easily.

-  Manage Chronic Conditions. Strength training can reduce the signs and symptoms of many chronic conditions, including arthritis, back pain, depression, diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis.

-  Lowers Your Risk of Type 2 Diabetes.  Regular weight training has been shown to improve glucose utilization by up to 23 percent in just four months, reducing your risk of type 2 diabetes.

-  Improves your sleep.   Exercise is well known to improve sleep, partly because depression and anxiety are major causes of insomnia. For example, one study found that 16 weeks of moderate exercise helped a group of middle-aged insomniacs to fall asleep an average of 15 minutes sooner and sleep 45 minutes longer.

5) GET ENOUGH SLEEP

- High stress levels and lack of sleep can both increase inflammation and stress hormones in the body. Both are also linked to higher levels of many diseases, including heart disease, and increased overall mortality.

Round One!!!

Thank you Sarah!!!!

35 members showed up to learn about nutrition, Sarah Pate delivered an awesome overview of what to eat and why.  Complete with foods to sample & handouts.

 Start developing your habits for the New Year paleo challenge!

Clean out your cupboards!

“If you EAT REAL FOOD and MAKE IT YOURSELF you are 90%there”            -Sarah

Join us for our first in a series of nutrition forums.

CrossFit San Ramon Nutrition Forum, This Thursday November 10th at 7:30PM
(the 7:30PM class will be cancelled for this event)

Whether you are just beginning and have no idea where to start, have questions on how to take your nutrition plan to the next level, or are just looking for the perfect paleo recipe for the holidays, please join us. No matter where each of us is in our journey to optimize training and nutrition we can all learn from each other on what has worked, and on where we each stumble.

We have asked Sarah Pate, our resident paleo chef who is in the second year of her master’s program in nutrition to facilitate the forum. She will walk us through an overview of a paleo nutrition plan and help facilitate discussion on how to eat best to complement our training programs. It’s a great opportunity to start thinking of how to get a jump start on the new year.

Come prepared with your questions, comment on this page or email them ahead of time.

Join us as we build our knowledge and habits toward a New Years paleo challenge.