5 Foods for BJJ Health.
5 foods for health in BJJ, sounds boring right?
Who cares about talking in certain foods to make you healthier? People want foods that are going to make them super massive killing machines with a Hulk like grip and the athletsism of Spiderman (I’m a comic book geek ok)!
Well, you should really.
Especially if you’re over that magical 30 year mark. Even if you’re not, making sure that you stay healthy and injury free is the key to having a long and fruitful career on the mat. Every old and battered brother of the mat will tell you “I wished I spent more time on staying healthy when I was your age”. Think of it like a pension for your body, the more work you put in now, the better you’re going to be when you’re a older black belt choking out cheeky whippersnappers just like you.
So what kind of things can you do to make sure that you stay in good health? Well doing all that stuff that you read about is a good idea (things like foam rolling, stretching, getting enough quality sleep etc). However the one thing that will help more than anything is a good nutrition plan. Think about it, you wouldn’t try to run a Ferrari on vegetable oil instead of high grade petrol would you?
Having a smart, well thought out nutrition plan that has foods in it to help not only your goals, but also your health is a must (see your coach or a professional for help). On top of this, you can add in certain supplements that will help plug any nutritional holes or can be taken for your convenience.
Here are my top 5 health supplements that will help your BJJ.
Fish Oil.
Everyone has heard of fish oil (you have right?), but few are taking it. This still baffles me! The evidence of the health benefits of fish oil is over whelming.
Fish oil is oil derived from the tissues of oily fish. Fish oils contain the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), precursors of certain eicosanoids that are known to reduce inflammation throughout the body and have other health benefits. These include but are not limited to,
Reducing inflammation in the body.
Reducing the chances of Cancer
Reducing the chances of Cardiovascular disease
Reducing the chances of Hypertension
Reducing the chances of Mental health issues
Reducing the chances of Alzheimer's disease
Reducing the chances of Lupus
Reducing the chances of Parkinson's disease
Reducing the chances of Depression
Reducing the chances of Psoriasis
Aids in health during Pregnancy
The main one that grapplers are interested in is its ability to reduce inflammation in joints. Think of all the times that your hands and fingers ache after a session of stripping grips, or your joints ache from a sparring session.
With all of this, why aren’t you adding this to your diet? I recommend most start with 6g per day then adjust from there (a bit more if you weigh more than 75kg or train very hard and often).
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a vitamin that mammals can source from sunlight. However since most of the people reading this reside in the UK there is a massive chance that you are deficient in it. Well, ‘So what?’ I hear you cry! Well take a look at all of the goodies that getting an adequate amount will get you,
Improves Bone health
Helps prevent certain types of Cancer
Phelps fight Cardiovascular disease
Improves the Immune system
Helps prevent Multiple sclerosis
Aids health during Pregnancy
There been evidence to suggest that Vitamin D also helps you produce more type II muscle fibres (think being faster and stronger).
Obviously all of this is an interest to grapplers but the 2 things that stick out at me are Bone health and the Immune system. Who wouldn’t want strong bones and never get sick (Jesus, I’m Wolverine!!)?
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin which means you need to take it with a food that contain a bit of fat. With your morning eggs is great time to have it.
I will say that you can take to much Vitamin D and more isn’t necessarily better. I would recommend getting your levels tested and then supplementing according to that (your Doctor will advise you). Most people fall between 3,000 – 5,000 IUs per day.
Multi Vitamin.
This one is quite simple really. This will cover any gaps that are in your daily nutrition in case you aren’t getting a variety of foods and nutrients (not an alternative for having a good nutritional plan in place).
Depending on how hard and often that you train, the quality of the multi vitamin and a few other factors, I would recommend taking 1-2 with food per day (if taking 2, split them up into AM/PM).
Glutamine
The trend that you’re probably seeing in this article is joint care and health. Well, that’s because BJJ gives out one hell of a beating when it comes to them!
The more that you care for your joints, the better you’re going to feel, the better you’re going to perform.
The last supplement joint health that I want to talk about is Glutamine.
Glutamine is one of the 20 amino acids encoded by the standard genetic code. It is not recognized as an essential amino acid, but may become conditionally essential in certain situations, including BJJ.
Glutamine can help the healing of joints and the connective tissues that link all your muscles, bones and tendons together. Keeping these healthy will help you recover quicker, leading to being able to train harder, more often.
Probiotics
I’ve talked about probiotics in past articles a bit. They help in the digestion of your food (and therefore nutrients) by making sure that the healthy bacteria in your gut is kept to an acceptable level.
Improving digestion and digestive health is something that everyone should take a good look at. What’s the point of taking the time to have a well thought out nutrition plan, when you cant even absorb the nutrients that you take in?
Signs that you have digestive issues,
Bloating
Irregular bowel movements
Infrequent bowel movements
Lots of bowel movements
Loose bowel movements
High amount of gas.
If you have any of these, I recommend you star taking a probiotic in the morning with your first meal. I like either the pill form or Yakult.
So there you have it, my top 5 supplements that can help improve your health in BJJ. For more ideas and tips on how to improve your health and digestion, check out the next issue of Jiu jitsu Style!
Got some more that may benefit people? Let us know about it!
Stay healthy,
Mike
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