Copyright 2005 Internet Publications
For a considerable amount of time, nutrition has not played
a prominent role in the life of many martial artists,
police, and military personnel as a means of improving
performance. Top athletes are always looking for an edge.
Although the martial arts are more of a way of life and a
life style than a sport per se, the needs of the martial
artist are the same as that of the elite athlete.
Mental aspects not withstanding (i.e. mental awareness,
strategy, cunning, etc.), the need for speed, agility,
strength, flexibility, and the ability to recuperate from
tough workouts (and unforgiving sparing partners) is
paramount to the success of athletes and martial artists
alike. Police and military personnel can also have unique
requirements that require them to perform at peak physical
and or psychological levels.
Over the past decade our knowledge of sports nutrition has
evolved into a science that has swept the athletic world
and has been partially responsible for the ever increasing
numbers of athletes who are pushing the envelope of human
ability and performance. Although a handful of the worlds
top martial artists, police, and elite military units have
taken advantage of the 'cutting edge' nutrition being used
by top athletes, the majority of these communities has not
taken advantage of the new science of sports nutrition.
The advantage of improving one's performance through
nutrition and correct supplementation is obvious for the
athlete, but what about the martial artist? Obviously
technique, form, and knowledge of one's chosen martial art
is essential to the mastery of that art, but what if the
person, regardless of skill level, becomes a little faster,
stronger, and able to resist and repair from injuries and
training better?
Will they not be an improved version of their former self?
Of course they will! Proper nutrition can make the martial
artist, as it has for so many of today's top athletes, an
improved and potentially more accomplished practitioner of
their art, plain and simple. If a policeman is able to stay
alert, has more endurance or strength, etc., will he/she
not have an added advantage to the job? Of course.. The
benefits to the soldier are obvious. Bottom line? To not
take advantage of the science of nutrition and
supplementation, is to short change the martial artists,
police, and military personnel.
As a trainer for many athletes from various sports, police,
and, military personnel, and the author of numerous
articles on sports nutrition and training, I have come to a
few general guidelines that should be of considerable help
and interest to the martial artist, police, etc. who want
to improve both health and performance. Though nutrition is
a complex topic, I have devised a basic guide to the major
and minor nutrients that should be helpful to the martial
artist, police, and athlete alike who are trying to make
food and nutrient choices. Of course this guide is in no
way total or complete, and many individual differences may
apply, but as a basic guide to examining these nutrients,
it could give you the edge you have been looking for.
Protein
Proteins are made up of amino acids which are the
structural units of the protein molecule. There are
approximately 20 amino acids. Eight of them are considered
'essential' because the human body cannot make them on its
own - which is the definition of an essential nutrient.
Link a few amino acids together and you get a peptide. Link
a bunch of peptides together and you get a protein. The
shape of the individual amino acids (and resulting
proteins) is unique and highly specific, so I won't go into
great detail about it here.
Suffice it to say, proteins are an essential part of
virtually every function in our body from the muscles, to
certain hormones, to our immune system(s) and a whole lot
more. In particular, the amino acids known as the 'branched
chain' amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) and
the amino acid L-glutamine are of particular interest to
active people as they are anti-catabolic (muscle sparing)
and immune enhancing, to name only a few functions and
benefits of these particular amino acids.
Though the RDA for protein is generally sufficient for
couch potatoes (with some debate) the majority of athletes
and/or highly active people will benefit from higher
intakes of high quality proteins. Proteins with the highest
biological value (BV) are the proteins that should
constitute the majority of the active person's diet, as
they are superior for maintaining positive nitrogen
balance, reducing recuperation time from workouts,
improving immune function, etc.
Whey protein concentrate (WPC) and isolates (WPI) have the
highest BV of any protein, is almost 50% branched chain
amino acids, and is high in L-glutamine, which is why I
recommend several servings a day of WPC/WPI to all the
athletes/martial artists/police I work with.
There are several brands of WPC/WPI on the market. Other
high quality proteins such as skinless chicken, fish, eggs,
soy, and lean red meats, have relatively high BV values and
are good proteins. Another point that is important to know,
the higher quality the protein, the less the person has to
eat and this allows the person to keep total calories lower
by sticking to these high BV proteins.
For a person who is active in the martial arts, has a busy
job, and probably does some weight lifting and/or aerobics,
an intake of .7 ? .8 grams of protein per pound of lean
body weight is what I have generally recommended. For high
level bodybuilders and competitive distance athletes, the
protein intake will be higher, approximately 1g of protein
per lb /bodyweight being the most common.
In certain situations, amino acid supplementation is
useful, but most people will have no problem getting what
they need by eating plenty of high quality protein foods.
Low grade, high fat, preservative loaded, protein foods
such as luncheon meats, hot dogs, etc., should be avoided
for obvious reasons.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are made primarily of carbon, hydrogen, and
oxygen atoms that cycle into a ring. They can be 'simple'
or 'complex' depending on the number of rings that are
hooked together and the way the carbohydrate effects blood
sugar (1). Though the rings can be slightly different in
shape, their common theme is the ring structure. Similar to
amino acids that make up proteins, when you link the simple
units (the sugars) together you get carbohydrates with
different properties.
As most people know, carbohydrates are a primary source of
energy for the body. The best type of carbohydrates to eat
are those that are high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Though foods such as pasta, breads, and white rice are
considered 'complex' they are highly processed foods,
totally inadequate in fiber, vitamins, and minerals and
should not make up a high percentage of a persons
carbohydrate intake. Though these foods are often fortified
with certain vitamins, in my opinion this does not truly
replace what is lost during processing, not to mention the
many nutrients that are not replaced.
Americans are notoriously low eaters of fiber, and heavily
processed foods mentioned above do nothing to correct this
deficit. High fiber carbohydrate foods such as brown rice,
beans, lentils, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and many others,
are the preferred carbohydrate foods for health,
performance, steady blood sugar levels, and reduced bodyfat
levels.
Though the high carbohydrate/low fat diet is all the rage
these days, it has not been in my experience the optimal
diet for the many athletes, martial artists, and ?normal?
people I have worked with (see fats below). Data continues
to support the fact that high carb low fat diets are not
optimal for either health for weight loss. Eating too much
of anything, including carbohydrates, will make one fat
(too bad the makers of non-fat foods fail to tell you this)
and cause a host of other ills I don't have the space here
to cover.
There are many researchers, books, and studies using both
animals and humans that seriously questions the high
carbohydrate/low fat diet as the optimal diet for health
and performance. Two grams per pound of lean bodyweight of
carbohydrates is more than sufficient to fuel the energy
needs of most athletes if other aspects of their diet is
adequate (i.e. correct use and amounts of certain fats and
proteins). And, as mentioned previously, the source of
those carbohydrates is of paramount importance.
Fats
The very word sends a shiver down the back of the leanest
person. There is not a more misunderstood nutrient in all
of nutrition than fats. Many people know there are big
differences in how various carbohydrates effect the body
and some people even know that different proteins have
different properties, but 'a fat is a fat, no'? is what the
majority of people would say if you asked them about this
much maligned nutrient.
Fats have just as many biochemical differences in the human
body as do carbohydrates and proteins, and thus have just
as many different effects on the body that range from very
good to very bad. It really depends on the type and amount
of fat(s) we eat(2). Americans tend to get their dietary
fats from saturated fats, rancid fats, and highly processed
fats ( which contain by products such as trans fatty
acids), thus giving fats a bad name.
As mentioned earlier, an essential nutrient is anything the
human body cannot manufacture on its own and must be
obtained from the diet, or the person will become sick
and/or perish if the nutritional deficit is not corrected.
We know there are a multitude of vitamins and minerals,
eight amino acids, and two types of fats that are
considered essential nutrients for life itself to continue.
You should be aware that there is no such thing as an
essential carbohydrate, but that's a whole other story. The
two fats that are known to be essential to health are
Linoleic acid (LA) which is an Omega-6 fatty acid and
Alpha-linolenic acid (LNA) which is an Omega-3 fatty acid.
Both of these fats can be found in various foods that have
not been heavily processed.
These two fats are highly sensitive and reactive to heat,
light, and oxygen (i.e. they go bad quickly), and are
totally ruined or lost during the processing of our foods.
The reason poly -unsaturated vegetable oils that line the
shelves of most super markets can sit there for years on
end is because they have been heated, deodorized, and
generally processed to the point that they are the
nutritional equivalent of white bread and table sugar. I
recommend people avoid those oils.
Because of all the fat bashing by the popular media and
health professionals who should know better, most people
have come away thinking that all fat is bad and serves no
other purpose than to make our hips and stomach wider while
ruining our health. Nothing could be further from the
truth. The membrane that surrounds every single cell in
your body, the sheath around nerves, various hormones,
prostaglandins, and countless other parts of the body
(especially the brain) depend on the dietary intake of the
right fats.
The importance of the essential fatty acids for health and
performance cannot be understated. It is true that certain
fats, such as, saturated fats, rancid fats, and trans fatty
acids (found in margarine, Crisco, and other products),
can cause numerous health problems from heart disease to
cancer and insulin resistance, to name only a few ills of a
diet high in the wrong types of fat.
However, the essential fatty acids (especially the Omega-3
fatty acids) are anti-lipolytic (stop fat storage),
anti-catabolic (stop the break down of muscle tissue),
increase metabolic rate and beta oxidation (burn
calories/increase fat burning), improve insulin
sensitivity, reduce the chances of heart diseases, and a
whole lot more (3).
Though early research told us that we need a bit more LA
(the Omega-6 fatty acid) than LNA (the Omega-3 fatty acid)
in our diet, we find in practice that a diet containing
higher amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids (LNA) gets the best
results in health, bodyfat levels, and performance.
The richest source of the Omega-3 fatty acid LNA is Flax
oil, which also contains a small amount of the Omega-6 oil
LA (4). Flax oil can be found in the refrigerated section
of any good health food store and is derived from the
careful processing of flax seeds (5). As a nutritional
consultant to various athletes, I have used flax oil with
many of the country's top bodybuilders (a group of athletes
notoriously fearful of eating fat) to reduce their bodyfat
levels and improve their performance and health. Two/three
tablespoons a day over a salad, taken straight, or in a
protein drink does the trick (6).
Another major source of Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in
deep water cold fish such as sardines, mackerel, and salmon
(7), and I recommend that people eat two to three servings
of these fish per week. Good sources of LA are unprocessed
vegetable oils such as safflower, sunflower, sesame, and
many other oils found in health food stores.
Fats to avoid are highly processed vegetable oils and other
processed vegetable products (such as margarine), rancid
fats, and to a lesser degree, saturated fats. The key to
health and performance is a proper balance of essential
fatty acids (LNA and LA), mono unsaturated oils (found in
olive oil, avocados, etc.), and small amounts of saturated
fats found in lean meats and other sources combined with
the right carbohydrates and proteins.
Vitamins/Minerals
Obviously a full description of every vitamin and mineral
and all their functions would take several large text
books, so I won't even attempt it here. A good multi
vitamin is an insurance plan to make sure we get all the
major vitamins and minerals that for what ever reason we
failed to get from our food on any given day.
There is not a single cell in our entire body that does not
require the use, or interaction with, some vitamin,
mineral, or biological function that is dependent on the
above nutrients in adequate amounts. If you think we get
all the vitamins and minerals we need from our highly
processed food supply (as some health professionals
maintain), then I have a bridge in Brooklyn I would like to
sell you. Some (but not all) nutritionists and other health
related professionals will often say something like
'vitamins supplements just cause expensive urine'.
The last time I checked, chemo therapy, heart bypass
operations, and hundreds of other medical treatments cost
considerably more than the average multi vitamin. If the
intake of vitamins were to prevent any major disease in say
one out of a 100,000 people, it would have been worth every
cent in my book. In my opinion, the correct use of
vitamins, minerals, herbs, essential fatty acids, and many
other nutritional based compounds, is the best route to
optimal health and performance. Any major brand of multi
vitamin from such manufacturers as Twin Lab, Solgar, or
Nature's Best, to name only a few good brands, would be
fine.
Anti - oxidants
'Anti-oxidants' and 'free radicals' are the hot buzz words
these days on television news shows, news paper articles,
and magazine features. Though scientists in the health and
nutritional fields have known about them for decades, they
have recently been getting a lot of attention by mainstream
media and more open minded medical researchers.
Anti-oxidants are a special class of vitamins and other non
vitamin compounds that neutralize free radicals before
they can damage cells in our body. What is a free radical?
A free radical is a highly reactive molecular fragment that
has a single unpaired electron. The unpaired electron wants
to ?pair up? with another electron.
The free radical will steal this electron from virtually
anything it comes in contact with, including our cells.
This reaction, if left unchecked, leads to a free radical
chain reaction and damage to various parts of the cell
depending on where it takes place. An anti-oxidant can
donate an electron without itself becoming a free radical
and thus can break the chain of events leading to an
uncontrolled free radical chain reaction (8).
Free radical pathology is now believed to be linked to
diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and
dozens of other afflictions. Without going into a long (and
boring) biochemical explanation, there are many things that
cause free radicals to be released, such as smoking,
exposure to various toxins found in air, food and water,
sickness, exercise, and stress in general.
Anti-oxidants such as vitamin E and C and other compounds
such as selenium, N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), and
proanthocyanidins (derived from grape seed extract), to
mention a few, will help recuperation from tough workouts,
improve immunity, possibly prevent certain diseases, and
improve your health in so many different ways it would take
another article to explain. A good anti-oxidant formula
made by any one of the brands I mentioned previously,
should be added to the diet in addition to the multi-
vitamin. Whey proteins can also greatly improve anti
oxidants status and is recommended.
Sports Supplements:
The topic of sports nutrition supplements, such as:
androstenedione and other ?andros,? Arginine, Colostrum,
CLA, Creatine, Ecdysterone, GH Supplements, Ginseng, HMB,
Myostatin Inhibitors and Tribulus, to name just a few, is
beyond the scope of this article. Each supplement has its
potential uses, dawbacks, doses and other variables that
need to be examoned on an indavidual basis. People in the
martial arts, law enforecement, or military that want to
understand these supplements ; whether or not they are
worth useing, doses, types, etc., should consider reading
my ebook on the topic of sports nutrition supplements,
nutrition, and training called Muscle Building Nutrition.
Conclusion
The above list of foods and supplements is in no way
complete or the entire picture when it comes to additional
ways the martial artist, police, and military personnel can
improve his or her health, strength, bodyfat levels, and
recuperative abilities. However, the information presented
here can make for a foundation of health and performance
that could add a considerable edge for those who seeks it.
(1)The way a carbohydrate effects blood sugar after it is
eaten is known as the glycemic response. The glycemic index
(GI) is a list of foods and how they effect blood sugar.
Some foods we think of as 'complex' actually raise blood
sugar much faster than many foods we think of as 'simple'.
(2) The health problems related to fats is are far more
complex than most people appreciate. The pathology of
disease(s) caused by high fat intakes of the wrong types of
fat is a complex interaction between certain fats,
carbohydrates, a lack of certain vitamins and other
nutrients, free radical/anti-oxidant mechanisms, and other
factors that are poorly understood.
(3) For more information on the many benefits of the
essential fatty acids and to find out more information
about fats and health in general, read ?Fats the Heal fats
that Kill? by Dr. Udo Erasmus published by Alive books.
(4) LNA and LA are in a 4:1 ratio in flax oil.
(5) Like fresh eggs, milk, meat, etc, all fresh unprocessed
oils will spoil (go rancid) if not refrigerated constantly
and eaten shortly after opening the bottle.
(6) All highly unsaturated oils, including flax, should
NEVER be used to cook with as this will change the
structure of theses oils making them toxic and of little
use for the purpose they are intended for.
(7) The 'fish oils' DHA and EPA can be formed in the human
body from LNA by desaturase enzymes.
(8) It is important to note that free radical reactions are
a normal and essential part of metabolism. It is the
uncontrolled free radical chain reactions that we are
concerned with.
by William D. Brink
----------------------------------------------------
See more excellent bodybuilding, fat loss, and sports
nutrition articles from Will Brink here:
http://www.brinkzone.com/onlinearticles.html
And see Will's other websites here:
http://www.dietsupplementsreview.com
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