The Catalyst Food Guide
The 4-Level Eating System
Quality, Consistency, Quantity
Level #1: Eating REAL food
Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, some milk, few starches and no sugar.
What qualifies as real food? Well, real food goes bad. Real food has an expiry date. Real food
doesn’t have a list of ingredients. Real food is largely found around the perimeter of the grocery
store – not in the middle aisles.
Before you embark on the more
technical parts of this journey, we’d like you to switch to real food for 12 days. Why 12, and not
15? There’s no magic number – we’d like you to start on Monday, eat well for a week, survive
the weekend, and then practice for another. Frankly, by the time you hit Sunday, you’ll already
feel the benefits.
Most of our culture’s issues with food come not from overeating – by food volume, that is – but
by consuming too many carbohydrates. For more information, read Enter The Zone by Barry
Sears. And you’ll get more information in Level #2 as well.
Level #1 is not just for beginners. It’s simple, but it’s not easy. That said, many of our top – and
leanest – athletes survive just fine at Level 1 only, without ever weighing and measuring food.
For 12 days, then, eat only things that appear on this list, including condiments, flavourings (like
sugar and salt) and ‘side dishes.’ Don’t worry if it tastes bland at first – your taste buds have
been deconditioned to subtlety, and by next week, you’ll really enjoy everything more.
Protein Carbohydrates
Meat and Poultry Low Density Carbohydrates
Beef (range fed or game) Artichoke
Chicken breast, skinless Artichoke Hearts
Ground beef (Less than10% fat) Asparagus
Beans, green or wax
Lean Canadian Bacon . Beans, black
Turkey breast, skinless Bok choy
Turkey breast, delistyle.
Broccoli
Turkey, ground Brussel sprouts
Turkey bacon Cabbage
Cauliflower
Beef (lean cuts) Chickpeas
Chicken, Collard greens
Corned beef, lean Eggplant
Duck Hummus
Ham Kale
Kidney beans
Lamb, lean Leeks
Pork, lean Lentils
Pork Chop Mushrooms (boiled)
Turkey bacon Onions, chopped (boiled)
Turkey, skinless, dark meat Okra, sliced
Veal Spaghetti squash
Spinach
Swiss chard
. Turnip
Turnip greens
Yellow squash
Zucchini
Alfalfa sprouts
Bamboo shoots
Broccoli
Fish and Seafood
Bass (freshwater) Cauliflower pieces
Celery, sliced
Bluefish Chick peas
Calamari Cucumber
Cod Green or red peppers
Clams
Haddock . Lettuce,iceberg
Halibut Lettuce, romaine
Lobster Mushrooms
Salmon Onions, chopped
Sardines Radishes
Scallops
Snapper Snow peas
Swordfish Spinach
Shrimp
spinach
tomato
Trout
Tuna (steak)
Tuna, canned in water Tossed salad
Water chestnuts
Egg whites Fruits
Egg substitute Apple
Applesauce (unsweetened)
Whole egg Apricots
Blackberries
Blueberries
Boysenberries
Cheese, nonfat Cherries
Cottage cheese, lowfat Grapes
Cheese, lowfat Grapefruit
Mozzarella cheese, skim Kiwi
Ricotta cheese, skim Lemon
Lime
Hard cheeses Nectarine
Orange
Orange, Mandarin
Peach
Pear
Plum
Raspberries
Strawberries
Tangerine
Carrot
Fat
Almond butter Lima beans
Almond oil Parsnips
Almonds Peas
Avocado Potato
Cashews
Guacamole
Macadamia nut Sweet potato
Olives
Olive oil Banana
Peanuts Cantaloupe
Cranberries
Pistachios Dates
Sesame oil Honeydew melon
Mango, sliced
Papaya
Pineapple,
Prunes
Walnuts Raisins
Watermelon
Level #2 – Food Combinations
Now we’re concerned not just with quality of food, but also quantity. In the same way that we coach
exercise, we want to move from solid technique to consistency to virtuosity.
Many may never go past Level #2, and that’s fine. For most people, it’s enough. Luckily, it’s easy: just
have a protein at every meal, a vegetable every time you have a protein, and a little fat too
(choose from the healthy fats in the list above.) How much? A bit.
A good rule of thumb (well, the whole hand):
Eat a protein the same size as your palm. Don’t worry if you have smaller or larger hands – this scales
nicely.
Follow with a vegetable serving the size of your whole hand, from wrist to fingertip.
Finally, add a half-handful of nuts, or a teaspoon of oil– remember, FAT doesn’t make you fat. Bad
carbohydrate makes you fat. As a guide, eat a serving the size of your thumb, from wrist to tip. Simple.
If you want to get really specific – How much? When? Then skip to Level #3: The Zone Diet.
Level #3 – the Zone Diet
The primary goal is to balance two hormones, glucagon and insulin. Both are critical to human life, and
they’re both positive. Out of balance, though, we get a ton of problems: insulin insensitivity (diabetes,)
inflammation disorders (heart disease,) decreased alertness, obesity, stress, and a whole host of other
nasty stuff.
The goal of the Zone is to maintain that insulin/glucagon balance. You don’t need to be a biochemist to
understand the two:
1) Insulin is a storage hormone. Any blood sugar left in the bloodstream is bulldozed by insulin,
either to muscles (if they want it, as in after a hard workout) or the fat cell, for use later. But for
many, later never comes…..
2) Glucagon is a mobilization hormone. It takes energy from fat and muscle cells and delivers it to
where it’s needed. But too much glucagon means that too much glucose (energy) is pulled into
the bloodstream, triggering an insulin release to maintain balance. It’s a catch-22.
Catalyst
Diet Weekly Tracking Sheet Zone Blocks
WEDNESDA
MONDAY C P F TUESDAY C P F Y C P F THURSDAY C P F FRIDAY C
Meal #1 Meal #1 Meal #1 Meal #1 Meal #1
7:00 7:00 7:00 7:00 7:00
Meal #2 Meal #2 Meal #2 Meal #2 Meal #2
10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00
Meal #3 Meal #3 Meal #3 Meal #3 Meal #3
12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00
Meal #4 Meal #4 Meal #4 Meal #4 Meal #4
3:00 3:00 3:00 3:00 3:00
Meal #5 Meal #5 Meal #5 Meal #5 Meal #5
6:00 6:00 6:00 6:00 6:00
Meal #6 Meal #6 Meal #6 Meal #6 Meal #6
8:30 8:30 8:30 8:30 8:30
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0
SATURDA
Y C P F SUNDAY C P F
Meal #1 Meal #1
7:00 7:00
Meal #2 Meal #2
10:00 10:00
Meal #3 Meal #3
12:00 12:00
Meal #4 Meal #4
3:00 3:00
Meal #5 Meal #5
6:00 6:00
Meal #6 Meal #6
8:30 8:30
0 0 0 0 0
Given the two, and the current state of ridiculous obesity in our culture, would you say that we have a
STORAGE problem, or MOBILIZATION problem? STORAGE, 100%. We’re overstimulating insulin.
And what stimulates insulin? Only carbohydrates. Good carbohydrates, like vegetables, stimulate the
release of insulin at a reasonable levels. Others, like breads, pastas, grains, and some fruit, overstimulate
the release of insulin, putting too much in the bloodstream and tipping the scales. Scales? More like
roller-coaster. Protein intake will help dull this response. Fat intake is neither here nor there; it doesn’t
cause the secretion of insulin OR glucagon. However, it will slightly dull the effect of a high-carb meal on
blood sugar levels.
Using the lists above, here are the Zone blocks that correspond to each food. Amounts listed are each 1
block.
Meat and Poultry Low Density Carbohydrates
Best Choices (low in saturated fat) (Best Choices)
Cooked Vegetables
Beef (range fed or game) 1 oz. Artichoke 4 large
Chicken breast, skinless 1 oz. Artichoke Hearts 1 cup
Chicken breast, delistyle,1 ½ oz. Asparagus (12 spears) 1 cup
Ground beef (Low fat)1 ½ oz. Beans, green or wax 1 ½ cups
Lean Canadian Bacon 1 ½ oz. Beans, black 1/4 cup
Turkey breast, skinless 1 oz. Bok choy 3 cups
Turkey breast, delistyle.1 ½ oz. Broccoli 3 cups
Turkey, ground 1 ½ oz. Brussel sprouts 1 ½ cups
Turkey bacon 3 strips Cabbage 3 cups
Fair Choices (moderate in
saturated fat) Cauliflower 4 cups
Beef (lean cuts) 1 oz. Chickpeas 1/4 cup
Chicken, skinless, dark
Meat 1 oz. Collard greens 2 cups
Corned beef, lean 1 oz. Eggplant 1 ½ cups
Duck 1 ½ oz. Hummus 1/4 cup
Ham, Iean 1 oz. Kale 2 cups
Ham, delistyle1 ½ oz. Kidney beans 1/4 cup
Lamb, lean 1 oz. Leeks 1 cup
Pork, lean 1 oz. Lentils 1/4 cup
Pork Chop 1 oz. Mushrooms (boiled) 2 cups
Turkey bacon 3 slices Onions, chopped (boiled) ½ cup
Turkey, skinless, dark meat 1 oz. Okra, sliced 1 cup
Veal 1 oz. Sauerkraut 1 cup
Poor Choices (high in saturated
fat, Arachidonic Acid, or both) Spaghetti squash 2 cups
Bacon, pork 3 ½ slices Spinach 3 ½ cups
Beef, fatty cuts* 1 oz. Swiss chard 2 ½ cups
Beef, ground (>10% fat) 1 ½ oz. Turnip, mashed 1 ½ cups
Hot dog, beef or pork 1 link Turnip greens 4 cups
Hot dog, chicken or turkey 1 link Yellow squash 2 cups
Pepperoni 1 oz. Zucchini 2 cups
Salami 1 oz. Raw Vegetables
Sausage, pork 2 links Alfalfa sprouts 10 cups
Sausage, pork 2 patties Bamboo shoots 4 cups
*Arachidonic Acid Bean sprouts 3 cups
Broccoli 4 cups
Fish and Seafood Cabbage. shredded 4 cups
Bass (freshwater) 1 oz. Cauliflower pieces 4 cups
Bass (sea) 1 ½ oz. Celery, sliced 2 cups
Bluefish 1 ½ oz. Chick peas ¼ cup
Calamari 1 ½ oz. Cucumber, sliced 4 cups
Catfish 1 ½ oz. Endive, chopped 10 cups
Cod 1 ½ oz. Escarole, chopped 10 cups
Green or red peppers 2
Clams 1 ½ oz. Green or red peppers, chopped 2 cups
Crabmeat 1 ½ oz. Jalapeño peppers 2 cups
Haddock 1 ½ oz. Lettuce, iceberg 2 heads
Halibut 1 ½ oz. Lettuce, romaine, chopped 10 cups
Lobster 1 ½ oz. Mushrooms, chopped 4 cups
Salmon* 1 ½ oz. Onions, chopped 1 ½ cup
Sardines* 1 oz. Radishes, sliced 4 cups
Scallops 1 ½ oz. Salsa ½ cup
Snapper 1 ½ oz. Snow peas 1 ½ cups
Swordfish 1 ½ oz. Spinach 20 cups
Shrimp 1 ½ oz. Spinach Salad (3 cups raw
spinach, ½ raw onion, and 1 raw
tomato)1
Trout 1 ½ oz. Tomato 2
Tuna (steak) 1 oz. Tomato, cherry 2 cups
Tuna, canned in water 1 oz. Tomato, chopped 1 ½ cups
*Rich in EPA Tossed salad (3 cups shredded
lettuce, ½ raw green pepper, and 1
raw tomato)1
Eggs Water chestnuts 1/3 cup
Best Choices Water cress 10 cups
Egg whites 2
Fruits
Egg substitute ¼ cup Apple ½
Fair Choices Applesauce (unsweetened) 1/3 cup
Whole egg* 1 Apricots 3
*Arachidonic Acid Blackberries 3/4 cup
Protein-Rich Dairy Blueberries ½ cup
Best Choices Boysenberries ½ cup
Cheese, nonfat 1 oz. Cherries 8
Cottage cheese, lowfat ¼ cup Fruit cocktail (light) 1/3 cup
Fair Choices Grapes ½ cup
Cheese, lowfat1 oz. Grapefruit ½
Mozzarella cheese, skim 1 oz. Kiwi 1
Ricotta cheese, skim 2 oz. Lemon 1
Poor Choices Lime 1
Hard cheeses 1 oz. Nectarine ½
Orange ½
Orange, Mandarin, canned in water 1/3 cup
Peach 1
Peaches, canned in water ½ cup
Pear ½
Plum 1
Raspberries 1 cup
Strawberries 1 cup
Tangerine 1
Mixed Protein /
Carbohydrate (Contain 1
block protein and 1 block
carbohydrate) High Density Carbohydrates
(use in moderation) Cooked Vegetables
Milk, lowfat(1%) 1 cup Acorn squash ½ cup
Soy milk 8 oz. Beans, baked ¼ cup
Soy Flour 10 grams Beans, refried ¼ cup
Yogurt, plain ½ cup Beets, sliced ½ cup
Tempeh 1 ½ oz. Butternut squash ½ cup
Carrot 1
Fat Carrots, sliced 1 cup
Carrots, shredded 1 cup
Corn ¼ cup
Best Choices (rich in
monounsaturated fat)
Lima beans ¼ cup
Almond oil 1/3 tsp. Parsnips 1/3 cup
Almonds (slivered)
Almonds (whole)1 tsp. Peas ½ cup
Pinto beans ¼ cup
Avocado 1 tbsp. Potato, baked ¼ cup
Cashews 2 Potato, boiled 1/3 cup
Guacamole 1 tbsp Potato, mashed ¼ cup
Macadamia nut 1 Sweet potato, baked 1/3 cup
Olives 3 Sweet potato, mashed ¼ cup
Olive oil 1/3 tsp. Fruits
Olive oil and vinegar dressing 1/3 tsp
olive oil plus vinegar to taste Banana 1/3
Peanuts 6 Cantaloupe ¼ melon
Peanut butter, natural ½ tsp. Cantaloupe, cubed ¾ cup
Peanut oil 1/3 tsp. Cranberries ¾ cup
Pistachios 3 Cranberry sauce 3 tsp
Almond butter ½ tsp. Dates 2
Sesame oil 1/3 tsp. Fig 1
Tahini ½ tsp. Guava ½ cup
Fair Choices (low in saturated fat) Honeydew melon, cubed 2/3 cup
Canola oil 1/3 tsp. Kumquat 3
Mayonnaise, regular 1/3 tsp. Mango, sliced 1/3 cup
Mayonnaise, light 1 tsp. Papaya, cubed ¾ cup
Sesame oil ½ tsp. Pineapple, diced ½ cup
Soybean oil 1/3 tsp. Prunes, dried 2
Walnuts, shelled and chopped½ tsp. Raisins 1 tbsp
Poor Choices (high in saturated fat) Watermelon, cubed ¾ cup
Bacon bits, imitation 2 tsp.
Butter 1/3 tsp. Fruit Juices
Cream (half and half) ½ tbsp. Apple 1/3 cup
Cream cheese 1 tsp. Apple cider 1/3 cup
Cream cheese, light 2 tsp. Cranberry ¼ cup
Lard 1/3 tsp. Fruit punch ¼ cup
Sour cream ½ tbsp. Grape ¼ cup
Sour cream, light 1 tbsp. Grapefruit 1/3 cup
Vegetable shortening 1/3 tsp. Lemonade, unsweetened 1/3 cup
Lime 1/3 cup
Orange 1/3 cup
Pineapple ¼ cup
Tomato 1 cup
V8 ¾ cup
Level #4 – Competitive
We call this the ‘competitive’ level because it requires an attention to detail – and strict habits – that
aren’t sustainable by most for long periods. A month on Paleo? Great. Intermittent fasting? Once a year
isn’t bad. But more often is pretty tough to attain, sometimes distracting, and socially limiting. Like with
exercise, we weigh the cost/benefit ratio, and for most, it’s too much for long periods.
Occasionally, it may be necessary to personally tailor a food plan, including macronutrient breakdowns
and specific food choices. As your Trainer for a referral if this is the case.
On the CrossFit Sickness – Wellness – Fitness continuum, it’s helpful to aim for a high level because
failure still means a good result. The classic cliché of shooting for the moon and landing among the stars
holds true: even if you’re not 100% fit, you still have farther to fall to become chronically ill or weak.
With this guide, our goal is to approach Nutrition along the same continuum: eat good food, in balanced
proportions 80% of the time, and you’ll be okay. Eat better, and you’ll do better; eat at a more ‘elite’ level,
and you’ll have farther to fall when you do slip (and everyone does.) But shooting for ‘perfection or
nothing’ – as advocated by so many pulp-fiction diets, is self-defeating. Unfortunately, on a calorie-based
diet, the 80% rule doesn’t apply – 20% overeating will still cause weight gain. On this system, if you’re a
Level 3 eater, a big slip-up may mean only poor carbohydrate choices (but still balancing them with
protein and healthy fat) or an unbalanced macronutrient intake (you didn’t have a healthy fat with your
meal.) As Barry Sears, author of The Zone Diet, is fond of saying, “if you slip up, don’t worry about it: you
can be back in the optimal Zone at your next meal.”
Some perspective is necessary here: our culture revolves around the sharing of food. If birthday cake is
inevitable, cut carbs out of your dinner, eat the protein and healthy fat, and eat a smaller piece of cake. Is
that the 100% best choice? Of course not. Is a Spartan lifestyle enjoyable? No. Great abs are wonderful,
but avoiding a social life for fear or raising your bodyfat above 7% is disordered thinking. Shoot for 100%,
but don’t be unhappy when you achieve 80%. Don’t let yourself off easy – limit your donut intake, of
course – but use common sense: if you shoot for ‘excellent,’ you’ll finish ahead; if you shoot for
mediocrity, you’ll lose ground.
In any case, if you slip, start again as soon as possible. There is NO perfect time. If lunch was full of bad
choices, don’t treat the day as a write-off; start fixing your metabolism at your 3pm snack. ‘Tomorrow’ is
the enemy of nutrition.
A Final Note: How To Get Started
If you’re new to this type of exercise – short, intense, complex movement – you’re likely to ask, ‘how
should I eat before a workout?’ And that’s a great question. While many workout plans in the past have
paired diet with exercise, the Catalyst and CrossFit method completely intertwines what you eat with how
well you perform.
If you’re like most of us, you’ve never been called an ‘athlete’ before. However, it helps to eat as if you’re
preparing for a contest, because it’s true: you’re competing with your former self. When the coach starts
their countdown before a challenge, you’re facing off against the person you were when you walked in the
door. And if you’re prepared, you’ll win.
First off, blood sugar levels are your most critical point of maintenance. If you enter the workout on an
empty stomach, there will be a gap between when you drain yourself of chemical energy in the blood
(glucose) and when you’re able to break down more energy from the muscle or fat cell. During this gap,
your blood sugar level will be very low (don’t worry, you’ll get better at buffering the effect as you go.)
This may mean that you feel slightly dizzy, or even nauseous.
To bridge that gap, or protect against it occurring, eat a meal balanced in protein, carbohydrate, and fat
about 90 minutes pre-workout. How do you judge? Just like you will in Level II: use your hand. Eat a
protein the size of your palm, a vegetable serving the size of your open hand (wrist to fingertip,) and a
little fat – a teaspoon of olive oil or fish oil, or a few almonds. Drink a big glass of water. If you’re a
rookie, bring some orange juice with you to help recover blood sugar levels if they do take a plunge later.
Try eat at least five small meals per day, with a little protein at each. This will help moderate blood sugar /
insulin levels through the day. When you’re doing it properly, you’ll notice that you feel hungry but alert –
instead of hungry and tired – just before mealtime.
It will take, on average, about two weeks before you’ve built up enough fat-metabolizing enzymes to break
down fat for fuel consistently. Our elite performers are so fast at breaking down fats and sugars that they
do so when they’re operating at full intensity – they don’t feel sick or dizzy during workouts. They don’t
run out of energy. They may stop and recover briefly, but then they go full-out again.
To the person on the street, these folks may appear to be genetically blessed with a ‘fast metabolism.’
However, they – and soon you – know the truth: that metabolism is made, not born, and can be trained to
be as fast as the leanest person on earth.
Food Log Week :
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