Nutrition Questions and Answers for BJJ, MMA and other Combat Sports

Hey Guys,

Welcome to another instalment of your questions on nutrition being answered!

We got some really good ones sent in this month and it was really tough to choose just a couple of people to help! Every month I see more and more people getting confused by nutrition and how to structure it specifically for grappling. Either all the advice out there seems to be aimed at body builders or everything seems to contradict everything else!

As always, if you are looking to get a better understanding of nutrition, then I highly recommend speaking to your coach or a professional about having one set up for your individual needs. Also consulting your doctor before undertaking any kind of new nutrition plan is also heavily advised.

Many people have a terrible experience when it comes to nutrition as they simply don’t know what they are doing. And it’s not their fault. There are that many schools of thought out there that often contradicts each other, who isn’t going to get confused! Where do you start? Do you fast? Do you carb cycle? Do you have cheats? Do you only eat fruit that has been picked by a female Unicorn under the light of a full moon?

The list of confusing topics is endless.

Not only does it seem that setting up a nutrition plan is causing people problems, but then adjusting that plan or tailoring it to your own individual needs keeps tripping people up!

So I’m here to help.

Here are a few that really caught my eye this month.

Hello, 

I saw an article in the Jiu Jitsu Style web page that you will be answering any questions related to nutrition,

I just started to train BJJ and I weigh about 121 pounds and I'm 5'7" what should I do to gain some weight? What should I eat?  How many times a day should I eat?

Thanks,

Best Regards,

Francisco Huaman

Hi Francisco, that’s a great question and one that a lot of Grapplers ask when they start Training.

The main thing that you need to address is calories. In order to gain weight you need to eat more calories of whole, nutritionally dense food. With that in mind you need to know how many calories you are currently eating on a daily basis. I would advise to start taking a food diary of everything you eat and drink over a weekly period. Then work out how many calories you are taking in on an average day.

You can now get free calorie counter apps for your phone such as MyFitness Pal and MyNetDiary that will help no end when it comes to recording this.

Then when you have an idea of how much you are taking in, I would recommend that you increase that amount by 10%. So if you are taking in 2500 calories a day, you would increase that to 2750. If you have not gained any weight in a weeks time, add another 10%. Don’t go over a gain of about 1-3 pounds per month though as any more than that and you will most probably be gaining too much fat!

When it comes to what type of foods to add to your diet, it really is an individual matter as who responds best to what type of macro nutrients (protein, fats or carbs). You will be able to gain a lot better insight into this by reading my previous series on macronutrients.

I am just getting started in BJJ and I am looking for information on what additional supplements I can take to help with recover, performance and most importantly joint protection/health. 

I am looking for specific dosages or specific multi-vitamins. 

Thanks,

Charles

Hi there, without knowing anything about you, your training or your nutrition history I can’t really give you specifics. I would recommend speaking to a Coach that knows you and also reading my previous article on supplements.

However I pretty much include all of the following in most clients plans,

·      A good quality whey protein.

·      A multi vitamin.

·      Fish Oil.

·      Vitamin D

·      Creatine

·      ZMA

These help you cover your bases and lead to good, all round health.

Are there any difference between animal proteins and plant proteins? Can athletes thrive on a plant based diet?

Hi William, thanks for the question! Yes there is a big difference between plant based proteins and animal proteins. The simple truth is that it is a lot harder to form complete proteins and get adequate amounts from plant proteins.

Notice I said harder and not impossible.

I have plenty of clients who are vegetarian, vegan and pescetarian. It just requires you to be a bit more switched on about what foods to have and how to combine them. It also might mean that you need to pay more attention to your nutrition over your training partners to get the same results. Good luck!

I hear lots of talk about the Keto diet at the moment – is this a good diet to support a grappler?

In short, no.

It all depends on the person and their primary goal.

Notice that I said primary goal.

Now for a lot of people they want to start BJJ to help them get in shape. Others do it to help their MMA Training, some because they just want a hobby and others want to be a World Champion.

This is also a good opportunity to actually talk about true Keto. This means zero carbs for a prolonged period of time till your body starts to produce Ketones. This normally takes about 3-4 weeks for most individuals. Have a beer? Out of ketosis. Some rice or a random slice of toast? Out of Ketosis.

So when most people are talking about Keto, they really mean low carb. Now what is low carb is different for everyone.

You need to know what you want from BJJ and then eat to support that. It is true that some people do respond better to less carbs and I do have some clients that follow a Keto approach. However I would say that 90% of my clients have carbs in some form or another. This is simply because most athletes perform better with carbs.

Now the amount of carbs that each person has is highly different. Some have 600g a day while others have 50g. Everyone is different and you need to find your own sweet spot that will support your training and recovery. I will say that it is VERY rare for me to meet someone who doesn’t perform better on an amount of carbs.

These are all great questions that highlight the vast difference that people can have in their lives that effect their nutritional approach. Remember that there is no perfect diet. The best plan is the one that fits your lifestyle, and that you can do consistently and that gives you results.

Stay healthy,

Mike