Illustration by Kat Frick Miller
Anyone who has spent enough time walking the aisles of a grocery store can find proof of a current dietary obsession: protein. From cereals enriched with the macronutrient to candy bars advertising it, its popularity seems to have peaked.
But Canadian CrossFit athlete Jack Farlow is focused on a macronutrient our protein-obsessed culture seems to have at best, ignored, and at worst, villainized: the carbohydrate.
“The training I do is high intensity, so carbohydrates are very important for me,” says Farlow, who is also a biomedical engineering student at the University of Waterloo.
On Aug. 29, Farlow will be competing in the World Fitness Project, a global competition series that tests athletes over a period of months on standard CrossFit movements including muscle-ups, snatches and deadlifts. The competition concludes in Copenhagen in December, and athletes will be ranked at that time based on their cumulative points.
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All of the training Farlow does means he needs to constantly fuel his body. “A lot of athletes struggle with food. It’s one of my favourite parts of the job,” he says.
The 23-year-old focuses on carbohydrates first, consuming 750 to 1,000 grams daily. Opting mostly for white rice, potatoes and oatmeal, Farlow prefers simple carbs that are easy to digest, since carbohydrates serve as the primary fuel source during prolonged and high-intensity exercises.
For protein, he typically opts for red meats such as beef and bison, which offer more iron, zinc, selenium and B vitamins than white meats.
He cooks all of his proteins on Sunday, preparing chicken, ground meat or burgers for the week, and cooks his carbohydrates – rice in the rice cooker, or potatoes in the air fryer – each morning to consume throughout the day. He also says he uses a lot of frozen vegetables to throw together quick meals.
How I save money on groceries: I use the same shopping list every week, which I stick to. I do 90 per cent of my shopping at Costco, so I pretty much know what my bill will be weekly. I also stock up when I see things on sale and freeze them.
How I splurge on groceries: Purchasing meats like bison, which is around three times more [expensive] than beef at Costco. My vice is fun drinks like Bubly, coconut water or Zevia. Also fun fruit like pineapple or kiwis, which are expensive and I buy once in a while.
The hardest shopping habit to keep up: Sticking to my shopping list and not veering off. I hate to waste food, which can be easy when I cook so far in advance. You have to keep tabs on what you have and not waste it.
How I’ve changed my eating habits recently: I tried to go completely gluten-free for a few months to clean up my digestion a little bit. That was really difficult, because bread is really convenient. I didn’t see any lasting benefits, so I stopped.
Five items always in my cart:
- Protein bars – Grenade – $39.99 for 12: These taste like a chocolate bar. I either get the salted caramel or Oreo-flavoured ones. It’s an easy way to get my protein in.
- Ground bison – Noble – $36.99 for a pack of three 454 g patties: I enjoy the taste of ground bison. I also eat ground beef, but I enjoy switching it up, especially since bison has different nutrients, less fat and more iron than beef does.
- Oatmeal – Quaker – $11.99 for 2 x 2.58 kg: I put these in the microwave for 90 seconds, add one scoop of protein powder, blueberries and some peanut butter for a breakfast that’s ready in about two minutes.
- Sugar-free soda – Zevia – $33.96 for a 24-pack: I buy the assorted pack. I cut out all soda about five years ago, and eventually I got sick of water. This is the closest sugar-free soda that I found to the real thing.
- Greek yogurt – Oikos – $12.99 2 x 850 g: I buy the vanilla with 25 per cent less sugar. This makes a good snack with blueberries and strawberries and some granola on top.
