Combat sports nutrition ebook
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Transcript of Combat sports nutrition ebook
Combat sports nutrition 1
Combat sports nutrition 1
Preface
Welcome to combat sports nutrition, the comprehensive book which will provide you with an in depth
understanding of all the relevant nutritional information to help you succeed both in and out of the
arena.
I have been studying nutrition formally for 10 years and my interest extends far beyond this.
Throughout my university life I have trained, coached and competed often, whilst completing a degree
in health science (nutrition, exercise science and biochemistry), an honours research year (in molecular
nutrition), a master’s degree (in dietetics) and am now in the process of completing my PhD focusing
on ‘Making weight for combat sports’. During this time I have had to balance study and work
commitments as well as training 6-7 days a week and competing, thus have gained unique experience
and perspective as a real life athlete, scientist and coach. Currently I have found myself in a position
in which I get to work with the many of the best judo, boxing, taekwondo and wrestling athletes in
Australia. I also routinely work with Brazilian Jiu jitsu athletes, MMA fighters and a world championship
kickboxer.
As fighters we all know that nutrition is important for optimal performance, and compared with many
other athletes I believe that fighters possess a good understanding of this. However I do believe that
many fighters are misguided, follow the wrong advice and struggle to differentiate between credible,
useful information based on science and experience, and that which is part of a passing fad or a product
sales pitch. I’ve heard many combat sport athletes over the years dismiss mainstream science and
offer comments such as “what would a scientist know? They don’t fight!”, or “well that information
might be correct for the general population, but I’m different”.
Rest assured, that the information presented in this book is based on credible research, tried and tested
principles and is in line with the strategies I use with the athletes I work with. This means that not only
has it undergone extensive peer review in academic journals, it has also been tested by me personally
in training/competition and used with success with fighters I work with.
Nutrition is a funny thing, as on the one hand it is incredibly complex and intricate, yet quite intuitive
and good nutrition can be achieved by following common sense. However the term common sense is
not a very clear one as what seems obvious and ‘common sense’ to me (someone who has studied the
physiology of digestion and absorption and the biochemistry of nutrition) is going to be different to
someone whose primary source of nutrition information is the guy at the supplement shop and
advertising. Therefore, in order to gain the most from this book and set yourself up for success, I
strongly suggest beginning by reading it from start to finish. By this stage you should have a good
understanding of the interplay between nutrition, health and performance. You can then use it as a
reference, referring to the relevant sections as you implement changes to your diet. It is difficult to
say what the most important aspects of nutrition are; however I’ve tried to present the information in
a sequential manner which lays down foundations and builds upon these.
Each chapter details a key them (i.e. protein, carbohydrates, fluid etc.) and I wanted to make all the
information applicable and relevant, however I know many people like to know the how and why in
addition to the what. Keeping this in mind I have included many reference tables, some basic
biochemistry and physiology which I think is interesting, helps provide a greater understanding for the
reader and to help provide context to the recommendations (and also to provide better value for those
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who purchase the book, so that it can be a one stop resource). Last but not least, I hope you acquire a
love and fascination for nutrition and the interplay between diet and performance. Enjoy!
Reid Reale – Combat sports dietitian – www.CombatSportsNutrition.com
Table of contents
Chapter 1 - The perfect diet................................................................................................ Page 3
Chapter 2 - Energy, kilojoules and calories......................................................................... Page 8
Chapter 3 - Vitamins and minerals...................................................................................... Page 14
Chapter 4 - Protein............................................................................................................. Page 26
Chapter 5 - Carbohydrates.................................................................................................. Page 38
Chapter 6 - Fats................................................................................................................... Page 62
Chapter 7 - Dietary fibre..................................................................................................... Page 76
Chapter 8 - Fluid.................................................................................................................. Page 81
Chapter 9 - Antioxidants..................................................................................................... Page 86
Chapter 10 - Putting it all together..................................................................................... Page 91
Chapter 11 - Supplements................................................................................................... Page 101
Chapter 12 - Cutting weight............................................................................................... Page 110
Chapter 13 - Post weigh-in/ competition day nutrition..................................................... Page 121
Chapter 14 - Periodization.................................................................................................. Page 125
Wrap up............................................................................................................................... Page 129
References, resources & further reading............................................................................ Page 130
The ‘perfect diet’
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Many people ask me, “What diet do you follow?”, “what diet should I go on?”, “what do you think about
a modified paleo diet?”, “should I follow an intermittent fasting diet?” and many more ‘diet’ related
questions. Everyone wants to know; what’s the secret formula to never ending energy, huge increases
in muscle mass and how to blow torch away body fat. The secret is; there is no secret. You will realise
after reading this book that there are some simple principles we need to follow in order to achieve our
goals. There are many different ‘diets’ that can deliver us the results we want, but for any ‘diet’ to
work it must obey the simple key principles we will go through. Sure, there are individual variations
and if you feed two people the exact same diet there is likely going to be noticeably different outcomes,
however we are more similar than we are different.
Using training as an analogy; there are several different workouts which will promote strength gains,
upper/lower splits, push/pull splits, full body work outs, power lifting, Olympic weight lifting, Westside
style, a 5x5 protocol, wave loading, pyramid sets etc. Chances are if you bust your ass in the gym, eat
some food, get some rest and repeat, you will get stronger. Therefore, one might say that “These so
called experts in the strength and conditioning field don’t know what they are on about and everybody
is different, so why listen to anybody?”. Conversely if you were to lift nothing but rubber 1kg weights,
or train 8 hours every day and get only 2 hours sleep per night, or only train once per month, or only
do static stretching, chances are you won’t get stronger. So then why does strength improve when
following any of the previous training protocols but not the latter ones? The reason is because the first
examples I shared all follow the principles of strength training, progressive overload, specificity, rest,
frequency etc. Just as you HAVE to lift heavier weights over time in order to get stronger, you HAVE to
eat more in order to get bigger; training whilst dehydrated WILL impair heat tolerance etc. Certain
things are just physics, biochemistry, thermodynamics etc. In other words, certain things are just FACT.
So, like I said, there is not a one size fits all diet that is perfect for everyone. However there are general
principles which do apply to everyone. So when we say “This person needs 1.7g of protein per kg of
body weight in order to gain muscle mass”, the person may actually only need 1.4g or may need 1.8g
(and this is why we always talk in ranges). However you WILL NOT build muscle if you are eating 0.5g
of protein per kg, and your body WILL NOT build extra muscle just because you consume 10g of protein
per kg. See where I’m going with this?
There are many different ways to design a diet that will suit your needs. Many athletes are quite
analytical, obsessive and love numbers (myself included) – in which case talking about food in terms of
energy, protein, carbohydrate and fat grams may be suitable. For others, talking about food in terms
of food groups and serves is easier to understand. In this book I will attempt to present the info in
both forms, so that those who want the detail have it and those who want the straight forward “what
do I eat?” will have that as well.
Following on from the nutrient versus food group discussion I will now discuss the different ‘food groups’, using
the food pyramid or healthy plate models as a guide.
Pyramids, plates, food groups and guidelines
Most people will be familiar with ‘The good food pyramid’, ‘The healthy plate model’ or some other
similar set of guidelines or government health campaigns. If you are somewhat forgetful, allow me to
jog your memory.
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Now these images and guidelines have received much criticism over the years, particularly from
athletes, ‘natural’ food advocates and especially from those pushing the latest fad diets or weight loss
methods. However whilst these guidelines may not be perfect (I wonder just how possible it is to come
up with a simple set of guidelines, alongside an appealing image that will solve the worlds nutrition
problems?) they do have many good points. First, these guidelines are put together by experts with
many years of experience and education (like myself), and are based on decades of scientific
investigation and tens of thousands of research articles. Second, they do all recommend people eat
more vegetables and fruits and less fatty and sugary snacks and junk food. Lastly, they break food
down into ‘food groups’ which make it easy for people to know which collection of foods share similar
properties and contain similar nutrients. For example, if someone is told to “Eat less energy and more
fibre, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals” this may seem more complicated than “I want you to eat
more vegetables”. I will talk more about food groups shortly.
So all in all, most of what these guidelines state are appropriate for the vast majority of the population.
If you were to follow these basic healthy eating guidelines you would maintain your health and perform
adequately. However as fighters, we are a special breed with special needs and in order to not only
perform adequately but OPTIMALLY, there are some tweaks to the general healthy eating guidelines
we can make. For example, the main points relevant to fighters which are either not addressed or not
conveyed particularly well in existing guidelines are; an athlete’s protein intake (the quality, the daily
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spread and the varying amounts) and an athlete’s optimal carbohydrate intake (as this can vary
dramatically depending on your training schedule and your goals).
So in order to communicate efficiently and effectively, I will talk about food in terms of its component
parts (protein, carbohydrates, fats, calories etc.) as well as in terms of food group serves. The food
groups I refer to will be:
• Vegetables: all vegetables and legumes other than starchy vegetables (potato, sweet potato, taro,
cassava, corn). Also including tomato.
One serve = ½ cup of vegetables, ½ cup of legumes or 1 cup of salad leaves (lettuce, spinach, rocket
etc.).
• Fruit: all fruits other than tomato and avocado.
One serve = 1 medium piece of fruit, 2 small pieces of fruit, 30g of dried fruit or 1 cup of diced fruit.
• Grain/cereal foods: all breads, pasta, rice, quinoa, cereals, muffins etc. Also including starchy
vegetables (potato, sweet potato, taro, cassava, corn).
One serve = 1 slice of bread (40g), ½ bread roll or flat bread (40g), ½ cup cooked rice pasta,
noodles, barley, polenta etc., ½ cup cooked oats, 2/3 cup cereal flakes, ¼ cup muesli or ¼ cup
uncooked oats
• Lean meats and meat alternatives: all meats, fish, eggs, tofu.
One serve = 65g cooked meat or poultry (90-100g raw), 100g cooked fish (115g raw) or 2 large eggs
or 1 cup of tofu
• Dairy/dairy alternatives: all dairy milks, soy milks, cheeses and yoghurt.
One serve = 1 cup of dairy or soy milk, 1 tub yoghurt (around 175g), ½ cup of ricotta or cottage
cheese or 40g of other cheeses (cheeses other than low fat ricotta or low fat cottage cheese
should be eaten rarely as they are much higher in fat and lower in protein than other dairy
sources).
• Fats and oils: all fats and oils, nuts and avocado.
One serve = 1 tablespoon of oil/butter/margarine, 30g of nuts or ½ medium avocado.
• Extras: Chocolates, candy, cakes, deep fried snacks, potato chips, takeaway ‘junk’ foods etc. One serve
= 2 scoops of ice cream (75g), 1 thick or 2 thin high fat sausages, 2-3 sweet biscuits, 1 doughnut (40g),
40g sugar candy, 25g of chocolate, 1 can soft drink, 1 bottle of beer, 1 glass of wine, 60g pastry product
or any other snack food around 150kcal or 600 j.
I have made a few alterations to the typical food groupings used by many of the ‘healthy eating’ or
‘pyramid’ guidelines. I have placed starchy vegetables (potato, sweet potato, cassava, taro, corn) with
grains/cereals group rather than the vegetable group as these are carbohydrate dense foods. I have
removed nuts from the meat/meat alternatives group as nuts do not contain significant levels of
protein in a regular serve. I have placed nuts and avocado into the fats and oils group as these are
both rich sources of fats. The following table displays a summary of the food groups I have just talked
about.
Summary of food groups
Food group Example serve Intake Key nutrients / Comment
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Fruit
2+
Serves
per day
Key nutrients include vitamins,
minerals, fibre & carbohydrates.
Can be used as a source of
carbohydrates and may replace
some cereal/grain serves in the
diet.
Vegetables
6+
Serves
per day
Key nutrients include vitamins,
minerals & fibre.
Should be consumed regularly
throughout the day at most
feedings.
Grains/cereals
4-12+
Serves
per day
Key nutrients include
carbohydrates, fibre, vitamins &
minerals.
Greatest intake variability of any
food group. Intake should
match activity level/body weight
goals. Ensure to consume grain/
cereal (or other carbohydrate)
serves before and after training.
Meat/meat
alternatives
2-4
Serves
per day
Key nutrients include protein,
iron, & zinc.
Small feedings, consumed
regularly throughout the day to
provide ‘protein spread’. Intake
depends on athlete size and
requirements. Ensure to
consume a meat/meat
alternative serve as soon as
possible following training.
Dairy/dairy
alternatives
3-5
Serves
per day
Key nutrients include protein,
carbohydrates & calcium.
Low fat dairy are good sources
of protein and may be used to
help support protein
requirements/ replace meat
serves.
Fats/oils
1-4
Serves
per day
Key nutrients include essential
fatty acids and energy.
Intake will vary depending on
energy needs/training
volume/body weight goals.
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You will have noticed that the ‘extras’ food group was not included in the previous table. These foods
should not make up part of a fighters day to day diet and should only be consumed in rare
circumstances. Fighters who are aiming to increase weight or who struggle to meet high energy
requirements may consume limited serves of extras to help increase energy intake (usually no more
than 1 per day), but in general there is not room in a fighters diet for these foods (no more than 1-2
serves per week if at all).
As you can see from the previous table, different foods are categorized into the different food groups
based on the nutrients they provide. So although we can talk about foods in terms of “Vegetables are
important in keeping you free from illness and preventing deficiencies” or “Grains/cereals are important
for fuelling your training”, its actually the compounds in the foods that provide the benefit (i.e. the
vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates, fats etc.). The following chapters will discuss food from the
perspective of the various nutrients contained within foods, the energy they contain, and why these
things are important. In this way you will gain an understanding of what makes a food suitable for a
certain purpose, and it will teach you to be flexible in your diet approach.
Once again, I suggest reading these chapters in their entirety the first time through. This will provide
you with a step by step explanation of the relevant physiology and biochemistry and instructions on
how to optimize intake for a particular nutrient or food group. Relevant tables will be introduced
throughout the chapter to illustrate key points, and at the end of each chapter, detailed tables of food
sources of nutrients will be presented for reference. If you have never educated yourself in the areas
of nutritional science, exercise physiology or biochemistry, you are in for quite a ride…
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Energy, kilojoules and calories
In order to live, grow, breath, talk, think, sleep and move we require energy. We get energy from the food
and beverages we consume and this energy can be quantified and is measured.
A kilojoule (kJ) is a unit of measurement used for energy, just as a kilometre is unit of measurement
used for distance. Kilojoules are what’s known as an SI unit of measurement, (SI being the modern
form of the metric system and the official and preferred system of measurement used in science). Also
used as a unit of measurement in nutrition is calorie, although what most people refer to as a calorie
is actually a kilocalorie (kcal). Many people prefer to use kcal when expressing energy in foods as there
is a long standing history of its use (particularly in the USA) and they are smaller numbers compared to
kJ. If you want to become nutritionally literate it is a good idea to be able to talk in terms of kJs and
kcals, and convert between the two.
**1 Kcal = 4.18 kJ, 1000 Kcal = 4180 kJ (just remember that 100 kcal is roughly 400 kJ)
Energy requirements, weight gain and weight loss
Put simply, our daily energy requirements are made up of two factors: 1-our resting metabolic rate
(which is determined predominantly by our height and muscle mass), and 2-energy expended through
any and all types of movement (training at higher intensities and for longer durations therefore
requires more energy than training at lower intensities for shorter durations). Therefore the equation
looks like this:
RMR = Resting metabolic rate, PA = Physical activity, EE = Energy expenditure
Logically, a bigger athlete who trains 6 days a week requires more energy than a smaller athlete who
trains 3 days a week. Also, for a given training load, a 75kg fighter who has 10% body fat will require
more energy than 75kg fighter with 20% body fat, as the leaner athlete will have more muscle mass.
1 kcal 4.18 kJ
RMR
PA
EE
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The following table displays the varying energy requirements of different age/activity groups. The
tables below display average daily energy requirements for males and females.
Females average daily energy expenditure
Sedentary Active
4-8 years 1200 Kcal / 5016 KJ to 1800 Kcal / 7524 KJ
9-13years 1600 Kcal / 6688 KJ to 2200 Kcal / 9196 KJ
14-18years 1800 Kcal / 7524 KJ to 2400 Kcal / 10032 KJ
19-30years 2000 Kcal / 8360 KJ to 2400 Kcal / 10032 KJ
31-50years 1800 Kcal / 7524 KJ to 2200 Kcal / 9196 KJ
51+ 1600 Kcal / 6688 KJ to 2200 Kcal / 9196 KJ
Males average daily energy expenditure
Sedentary Active
4-8 years 1400 Kcal / 5852 KJ to 2000 Kcal / 8360 KJ
9-13years 1800 Kcal / 7524 KJ to 2600 Kcal / 10868 KJ
14-18years 2200 Kcal / 9196 KJ to 3200 Kcal / 13376 KJ
19-30years 2400 Kcal / 10032 KJ to 3000 Kcal / 12540 KJ
31-50years 2200 Kcal / 9196 KJ to 3000 Kcal / 12540 KJ
51+ 2000 Kcal / 8360 KJ to 2800 Kcal / 11704 KJ
Energy consumed above what is required for our daily expenditure will be stored as body fat (our
body’s long term fuel storage site) or possibly can be used to help build muscle mass if an appropriate
strength training program is used. If you do not consume enough energy to meet daily energy
expenditure, than your body will burn some body fat in order to meet energy needs.
**Weight management is energy in vs energy out, it is that simple! (almost… I will talk more later)
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EI = Energy intake, EE = Energy expenditure
Breaking it down further
The food we eat can be broken down into ‘macronutrients’. Macronutrients describe the classes of
chemical compounds which humans consume in the largest quantities and provide the bulk of our
energy. The 3 main macronutrients are carbohydrates, fats and protein. Alcohol is also a
macronutrient which provides energy however isn’t considered a large part of the diet (or at least it
shouldn’t be). Due to the varying chemical properties of the macronutrients, they contain different
amounts of energy.
Macronutrient KJ content Kcal content
Carbohydrate (1 gram) 16.7 4
Protein (1 gram) 16.7 4
Fat (1 gram) 37.7 9
Alcohol (1 gram) 29.3 7
Most foods contain a mixture of macronutrients, and so the total energy in a particular food can be
calculated from the sum of the protein, fat & carbohydrates found in that food. Take a look at the
following example of one cup of regular full fat and one cup of low fat milk:
250mL Full fat milk KJ content Kcal content
Carbohydrate (12.5 gram) 209 50
EI EE
Weight
gain
EI EE
Weight
loss
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Protein (8.8 gram) 147 35
Fat (10 gram) 376 90
Total energy 732 175
250mL Low fat milk KJ content Kcal content
Carbohydrate (15 gram) 251 60
Protein (10 gram) 167 40
Fat (2.5 gram) 92 22
Total energy 510 122
We can see that due to the different macronutrient make up (in particular the amount of fat present),
the full fat milk contains more energy than the low fat milk although both beverages are 250ml –
making the full fat milk more ‘Energy Dense’ (remember the term energy).
Foods which contain more fibre and water are generally less energy dense than foods with minimal fibre
and water. Let’s look at more examples.
Food 1 kg Broccoli 1kg Butter 1 kg skinless chicken
breast
Protein 28g 10g 310g
Carbohydrate 22g 5g 0g
Fat 6g 810g 36g
Energy 1062 kJ / 254 kcal 30723 kJ / 7350 kcal 6521 kJ / 1561 kcal
Energy density 1 kJ / 0.25 kcal per gram 31 kJ / 7 kcal per gram 7 kJ / 2 kcal per gram
It’s easy to see how fat can have such an impact on the amount of energy in a food. Thus as a general
rule, foods which contain more fat are more energy dense. The following example compares two
foods, both which are primarily carbohydrate foods.
Food 150 g cooked rice 150 g jelly lollies
Protein 4 g 8 g
Carbohydrate 33.9 g 117 g
Fat 1 g 1 g
Energy 660 kJ / 158 kcal 2115 kJ / 506 kcal
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Get more out of your Combat training! This book explains how you can get the most out of your Brazilian Jiujitsu,
Wrestling, Boxing and MMA Training.
With the eBook you will:
Discover how proteins carbs and fats affect your body
Increase Your Training Performance and Recovery
Which foods to eat to perform at maximum capacity.
Start cutting weight properly and effectively
Receive meal plans for you to perform well and recover even better.
Learn the optimal amount of Protein, Carbs and fat you need on a daily basis
Discover how important vitamins and minerals are to combat athletes
and lots more!
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Download your copy for only $19
Reid Reale
About the Author
BJJ Brown Belt and all around nice guy
I pride myself in helping others understand their own bodies and on being able to communicate
nutritional science in an understandable way. I am fascinated with nutrition, martial arts, strength and
conditioning, and interplay between all of these areas.
My formal nutrition and exercise science studies span 10 years but my interest extends far beyond this.
Throughout my university life I have trained, coached and competed (very often) whilst completing a
degree in health science (majoring in nutrition & exercise science); achieving 1st class honours for my
research thesis in molecular nutrition, as well as a master’s degree in dietetics.
I hold both Accredited Sports Dietitian and Accredited Practising Dietitian status with Sports Dietitians
Australia and the Dietitians Association of Australia respectively. To further fuel my personal and
professional attributes, I am currently pursuing my PhD, focusing on weight cutting techniques and
body composition of combat sport athletes.
I also routinely work with Olympians, BJJ athletes, MMA fighters, Boxers, Judo players and even a
world championship kickboxer. Furthermore I am able to exchange ideas with leading sports scientists
from around the world and I act as reviewer for combat sports, nutrition and exercise science articles
for multiple peer reviewed scientific journals
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NOTE: Combat sports Nutrition eBook is a downloadable product. No physical products will be shipped.
After you order, you will get INSTANT ACCESS to download the e-book onto your computer. The e-book
format is adobe acrobat PDF, which can be viewed on Mac or PC. If you have any questions regarding
this product please contact me at reid(at)gmail.com
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