It is a little shocking that Noah Ohlsen can consume so much food and so many liquid carbohydrates and still have a grand total of just 3,165 calories for the day, but that’s a high-carb diet for you.
In one day of eating that he uploaded to his YouTube channel, Ohlsen consumes 167 grams of protein, 73 grams of fat, and 460 grams of carbohydrates, and gave his viewers an in-depth look at how he gets there.
Here’s the low down.
Breakfast
1.5 bagels
Half cup of blueberries
1 banana
1 egg, 2 egg whites
Handful of vegetables
Half scoop of protein powder mixed with coffee. (He calls that “joe and grow.”)
Multivitamin and fish oil
Macros: 47g protein, 10g fat, 115g carbs.
[Read more: What should I eat before a CrossFit® workout?]
Post-workout 1
75g liquid carbohydrate supplement with BCAAs
Lunch
1 cup of white rice
0.75 cups ground beef
Handful of vegetables
Macros: 35g protein, 45g carbs, 18g fat
Post-workout 2
75 grams liquid carbohydrate supplement with BCAAs
Dinner
Hummus
Pita chips
Gnocchi
Chicken sausage
Half an avocado
Broccoli and kale-based salad with nuts
Macros: 47g protein, 129g carbs, 73g fat
Dessert
Whey protein
2 tbsp peanut butter
Half a banana
Total day’s calories: 3,165
Total macros: 167g protein, 460g carbs, 73g fat
[Curious about the pros of a macro-focused diet? Take a look at our guide to the IIFYM diet.]
[Read our review of Ohlsen’s grass-fed protein powder here.]
Ohlsen is clearly not Paleo, finding room for pasta, rice, bagels, and legumes throughout his meals. He notes,
I like to have bread or rice or pasta or a potato in all my meals because I feel that’s the type of carbohydrate that helps me get through high volume training multiple hours a day.
[Meal planning? Answer these 8 questions strength athletes should ask about their diets.]
It’s also worth noting that he doesn’t count calories from vegetables (even relatively high-carb ones like onions), he doesn’t have qualms about combining fat and carbs (at least not at dinner), and he avoids fat before a workout (“You want all your blood flow to go to your muscles, not to digesting food that breaks down slower”). Perhaps the most remarkable thing is that he consumes one hundred and fifty grams of post-workout carbohydrates in the form of powder. He takes them in a supplement that also contains BCAAs, electrolytes, and lactate.
While there are plenty of “day in the life” documentaries of CrossFit athletes, there are surprisingly few that really focus on the nitty gritty of their nutrition. We’re pleased to see that Ohlsen isn’t too fanatical about grains or dairy and instead focuses on the macronutrients and micronutrients an athlete needs.
Featured image via Noah Ohlsen on YouTube.