This article on martial arts nutrition originally appeared in Volume 8, Issue 3 of Fight Times Martial Arts Magazine.
This is as insightful as it is scary. A Columbine student who experienced one of the many High School Massacres wrote it:
“The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less. We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We’ve learned how to make living, but not a life; we’ve added years to life, not life to years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.
We’ve conquered outer space, but not inner space. We’ve done larger things, but not better things. We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We’ve split the atom, but not our prejudice.
We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships.
These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.
These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes.
These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw-away morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet, to kill.
It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom; a time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this in sight, or to just hit delete.”
Eating habit’s always amaze me, People train like athletes, however rarely eat like athlete’s – I’m referring to us! – the combatant, the martial artist, weight trainer, the runner, in general any one who trains hard and consistent. Yes you. Obviously you can get quite involved in this area of nutrition, however I do believe you can overwhelm yourself with too much…as I’ve always said keep it simple. There are six essentials that I would briefly like to look at. Why they work, and are simple to incorporate, into your daily intake of food. I call them essential because I feel these are a must and compliment your training in whatever chosen martial art/sport you have committed yourself to! Again, you train hard consistent and to keep gaining/improving and recovering from those workouts, start looking at these, in your diet.
Water
Cannot say enough about water, I know that I have mentioned this before in previous issues, but I do believe that too many people are walking around dehydrated. Water is the most essential nutrient the body needs. Forty to sixty percent of your weight is water. Muscle composition is approximately 70% water. When you exercise, your body loses water through perspiration (dehydration). They say, six to eight glasses of water a day for the average person. Drink at least three litres per day. Enough said.
Vitamins
Pyridoxine. Vitamin B6 is water-soluble which means it passes through the body, not stored. B12 is the only B vitamin that is stored. Anyone can benefit from B6, especially athletes. By this I mean, you! Anyone training regularly for competition, or a tournament, in my book is training like an athlete. B6 is a natural energizer. It is essential to fat, carbohydrate, and protein metabolism and two. It also makes up part of the enzyme, which releases sugar in the liver into the bloodstream. B6 is very important to the immune system; an adequate amount must be present for the production of antibodies and red blood cells.
Close Grip pulldowns
Minerals
Iron is an important mineral for exercising people, particularly for women and young people. It makes up part of the haemoglobin in our blood, which is responsible for carrying oxygen around the body. Although depleted iron levels have not been found to cause a reduction in athletic performance, if the condition progresses to iron deficiency then negative effects can be seen.
Low energy intake and diets providing little or no meat can be the cause of deficiency, in athletes. Added to this are some iron-depleting factors particular to exercise; e.g., an increase in the destruction of blood cells due to the greater wear and tear on the body. (Train like an athlete, causes wear and tear). In particular, women and vegetarians involved in regular physical activity should take care to have their iron levels assessed periodically, and then nutritional advice or supplements can be given as needed.
The danger in supplementing the diet with higher levels of these vitamins and minerals is the possibility of taking too much. The toxic effects can range from diarrhoea and nausea to low blood pressure and nervous system disorders. Try to meet your vitamin and mineral requirements with a diet incorporating plenty of fruit and vegetables, wholegrain cereals.
To sum up. For me vitamins and mineral supplements are vital for exercising people. If a supplement is thought necessary, unless it is for the correction of a nutrient deficiency, a multivitamin is probably best as it provides reasonably low levels of a range of vitamins and minerals. This is safer than taking a large dosage of a single vitamin or mineral, which can cause an imbalance and affect the body’s ability to absorb other nutrients.
Protein
Protein is essential for building and repairing muscles; (Like you haven’t heard that before). It can be used for energy if you’ve exhausted your carbohydrate supply. So make sure you get enough protein each day. It’s important to assess your intake as it relates to your training goals.
If you are training primarily to maintain muscle:
You’ll need 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram. That’s about 70 grams for a 125-pound person.
If your goal is to build muscle:
you’ll need 1.4-1.5 grams of protein per kilogram.
To maintain or even build a little muscle and lose fat: you need to eat fewer calories while making sure you’re getting 1.8-2.0 grams of protein per kilogram.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are converted into sugars. Your level of carbohydrate intake will depend upon your desired health and fitness goals. Carbohydrates come in two forms:
1. Simple sugars
Simple sugars are used almost immediately during exercise. (First ten-twenty minutes of exercise) Examples of simple sugars are processed sugar and fruit sugar. Consuming simple sugars alone will not help during endurance exercise.
2. Complex sugars
Complex sugars, also called complex carbohydrates, supply energy to the muscles
during exercise. Muscles store large amounts of glucose or glycogen that supply energy to the muscles during prolonged exercise. Complex carbohydrates fuel the body during prolonged exercise. Examples of complex sugars are breads, cereals, grains, pasta, rice, fiber, potatoes, vegetables and fruits.
Fats
Don’t fall, for the typical myth that, “fat makes you fat.” In fact, you need some fat in your diet for your body to function properly. Important fats your body needs are called essential fatty acids (EFA’s). They play many critical roles in your body, but the two most important roles involve cellular function. If our diets are deficient in EFA’s, cellular function deteriorates, gradually leading to the development of numerous health problems. (Bit of a worry!).
Linoleic acid (which heads the omega-6 family) is considered the only true essential fatty acids because the body can’t manufacture them, and therefore, you must get them from your diet. Omega-S alpha-linolenic acid can be converted to its derivatives: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). EPA is used to make the body’s beneficial prostaglandins (hormone-like compounds), as well as to make the platelets in blood less ‘sticky,” which in turn could help prevent the build-up of plaque, which could lead to a heart attack or stroke. DHA is a critical nutrient for brain and nervous system development and vision. Both EPA and DHA are present in fish liver oil supplements and cold-water fish such as salmon, trout, and tuna. EPA and DHA also increase fat burning. (See what I mean about getting too heavy!).
Although certain fats may very well be beneficial to good health, remember that you must watch your overall calorie intake. Remember that fats contain over twice as many calories as protein/Carb on a gram-per-gram basis. “Calorie control”, requires “fat controls’, So if you choose to add any other fatty fish to your diet to reap the rewards of EFA’s, be sure to watch any other intake of dietary fat that particular day.
I have only touched on these briefly, with a quick overview of what you need to compliment your hard training. Remember you are training like an athlete so eat like an athlete!
Check this out:
A study by Mayo Clinic researchers in Minnesota reveals what may be the easiest way to burn kilojoules; chewing gum! Chomping for an hour raises the metabolic rate 19 per cent and burns nearly 50 kilojoules. This may not sound like much, but researchers calculate that chewing gum every waking hour could knock off 4.5 kilos a year.
Better to burn out than fade away!
