03/28/2022
Most people past the beginner stages of training now realize that "clean" eating is not as important as once considered🥕
And most now understand that flexible dieting is not eating whatever you want within your macros regardless of any micronutrient deficiencies or performance deficits that may pop up🍕
Now we're left wondering, what's the correct middle ground of nutrition for high performance and body composition changes?
It depends on each individual's goals and how nutrition plays a role in their life.
✔️It depends on their tolerance for highly palatable foods that may trigger overconsumption, which may be fine or even preferred in a phase when one is trying to gain weight (but of course it's usually something that is associated with the negative consequences of overconsumption)
✔️It depends on their appetite, where one may need more high-volume foods in order to stay full, and another person may struggle to eat enough calories due to years of dieting, even if the goal is just normal caloric intake to improve the relationship with food
✔️It depends on what "season" someone is in as an athlete. During the season, the focus is entirely on performance and therefore we're not as worried about gaining some body fat, so the carbs may be increased substantially to the point where it would be hard to eat enough carbs via whole food sources. Here, more processed carbs are warranted.
Compared to an athlete coming into a recovery period, in which carbs are switched for whole food sources high in micronutrients and relatively higher fat intake for continued hormonal support.
✔️And the ultimate goal is that you actually adhere to the plan. That generally means including foods that you enjoy eating.
Goals should change throughout the year to support the ebb and flow of life and, if applicable, sports
That means being flexible in the relative mix of food choices, being mindful of why you may opt for less or more "clean" foods, and understanding that food means more than fuel too⛽
If you need help figuring out your nutrition to maximize your performance and make it actually fit your life, visit https://www.fortituderx.com/performance-and-nutrition if you need help, or join the FRxCircle private coaching community for entry level guidance at https://www.fortituderx.com/frxcircle!