Consumption of food and dietary supplements by CrossFit® practitioners at a training center in Blumenau-SC

Abstract

Regular physical exercise and adequate nutrition are essential for improving health and performance, especially in high-intensity activities that may require supplementation to meet nutritional demands. The aim of this study was to evaluate the consumption of food and supplements by CrossFit® practitioners at a training center in Blumenau-SC. ​​This is a descriptive, quantitative, and cross-sectional study conducted with 144 adult individuals, both sexes, using digital forms with open and closed questions to collect data on physical activity, self-perception of performance, eating habits, food consumption through the food frequency questionnaire, and use of supplementation. For statistical analysis, p<0.05 was adopted as significant, according to the nature of the variables for parametric or nonparametric tests. The mean age found was 31.98 ± 6.63 years and the majority of participants were women (59.03%). 50% (n=72) have been practicing CrossFit® for more than 2 years, and report good self-perceived performance (46.5%) and intensity (55.6%) of the activities practiced. Regarding eating habits, 44% have nutritional monitoring, 54.86% follow a diet, and demonstrated a high frequency of consumption of protein-rich foods. Low consumption of ultra-processed foods and high consumption of natural or minimally processed foods were observed. Supplement use was observed in 77.77% of these individuals, 33.9% of whom were not recommended by qualified professionals. The high adherence to nutritional monitoring and the dietary profile suggest that practitioners seek a healthier diet, recognizing the benefits of appropriate dietary interventions.