|
"The role of nutrition in
martial arts, police and military personnel"
By Will Brink,
author of:
Muscle Building Nutrition
http://www.musclebuildingnutrition.com/
Muscle Gaining Diet, Training Routines by Charles Poliquin &
Bodybuilding Supplement Review
Diet Supplements Revealed
http://www.aboutsupplements.com/
Real World Fat Loss Diet & Weight Loss Supplement Review
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), than 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 at:
http://www.MuscleBulidingNutrition.com
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.
About the Author - William D. Brink
Will Brink is a columnist, contributing consultant, and writer
for various health/fitness, medical, and bodybuilding publications. His articles
relating to nutrition, supplements, weight loss, exercise and medicine can be
found in such publications as Lets Live, Muscle Media 2000, MuscleMag
International, The Life Extension Magazine, Muscle n Fitness, Inside Karate,
Exercise For Men Only, Body International, Power, Oxygen, Penthouse, Women’s
World and The Townsend Letter For Doctors.
He is the author of Priming The
Anabolic Environment and Weight Loss Nutrients Revealed. He is the Consulting
Sports Nutrition Editor and a monthly columnist for Physical magazine and an
Editor at Large for Power magazine. Will graduated from Harvard University with
a concentration in the natural sciences, and is a consultant to major
supplement, dairy, and pharmaceutical companies.
He has been co author
of several studies relating to sports nutrition and health found in peer
reviewed academic journals, as well as having commentary published in JAMA. He
runs the highly popular web site BrinkZone.com which is strategically positioned
to fulfill the needs and interests of people with diverse backgrounds and
knowledge. The BrinkZone site has a following with many sports nutrition
enthusiasts, athletes, fitness professionals, scientists, medical doctors,
nutritionists, and interested lay people. William has been invited to lecture on
the benefits of weight training and nutrition at conventions and symposiums
around the U.S. and Canada, and has appeared on numerous radio and television
programs.
William has worked with athletes ranging from professional
bodybuilders, golfers, fitness contestants, to police and military personnel.
See Will's e-books online
here:
Muscle Building Nutrition
http://www.musclebuildingnutrition.com/
A complete guide bodybuilding supplements and eating to gain lean
muscle
Diet Supplements Revealed
http://www.aboutsupplements.com/
A review of diet supplements and guide to eating for maximum fat
loss
Go Back
To The Newsletter
|