The Role of Nutrition in Martial Arts, Police & Military Personnel

for a considerable amount of time, nutrition has not played an important role in the life of many martial arts, police and military personnel as a means to improve performance. Top athletes are always looking for an edge. Although martial arts are more than a way of life and lifestyle of the sport itself, the need for martial artists are the same as that of the elite athletes.

does not withstand the mental aspect (ie, mental awareness, strategy, cunning, etc.), Need for Speed​​, agility, strength, flexibility and ability to recover from heavy exercise (and ill-sparing partners) is paramount nauspjeh athletes and martial artists and the like. Police and military personnel also may have unique requirements that require them to perform at peak physical and or psychological level.

During the past decade, our knowledge of sports nutrition has evolved into a science that has swept the athletic world and is partly responsible for an increasing number of athletes who are pushing the boundaries of human capabilities and performance. Although a handful of the worlds top martial artists, police and elite military units use 'cutting edge' diet is used by top athletes, most of these communities has not taken advantage of the new science of sports nutrition.

the advantage of improving one's performance through diet and proper supplementation is obvious for the athletes, but as a martial artist? Obviously technique, form, and a knowledge of the chosen martial art is essential to the mastery of that art, but what if a person, regardless of skill level, it becomes a little faster, stronger and more able to resist and repair of injuries and training better?

Will not be an improved version of their former self? Of course they will! Proper nutrition can make a martial artist, as it is for many of today's top athletes, to improve and potentially realize a practitioner of his art, plain and simple. If the officer is able to stay alert, have more endurance or strength, etc., will he / she is an added advantage to work? Sure .. Use the soldier are obvious. The bottom line? Do not use the science of nutrition and supplementation, is short for change in martial arts, police and military personnel.

As a trainer for many athletes from various sports, police and military personnel, and author of numerous articles on sports nutrition and training, I came to a few general guidelines that should be of great help and interest to martial artists, police etc. who want to improve the health and performance. Although nutrition is a complex topic, I have devised a basic guide for the main and auxiliary substances which should be useful for martial artists, police and sportsmen 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 can be applied, but as a basic guide for the examination of these nutrients, it can give you the edge you're looking for.

Proteins

Proteins are composed of amino acids which are structural units of the protein molecule. There are about 20 amino acids. Eight of them are considered "essential" because the human body can not make them on your own - and this is the definition of essential nutrients. Link a few amino acids together and you get a peptide. Link a bunch of peptides together and you get your protein. The shape of individual amino acids (proteins and result) is a unique and very specific, so I will not go into great detail about it here.

Suffice it to say, proteins are an integral part of almost every function in our body from the muscles, to certain hormones, to help our immune system (e) and a whole lot more. Specifically, amino acids known as the "branched chain" amino acids (leucine, isoleucine and valine) and the amino acid L-glutamine is of particular interest to active people, such as anti-catabolic (muscle sparing) and immune augmentation, to name just a few features and benefits of these particular amino acids.

Although the RDA for protein is generally sufficient for couch potatoes (with some debate) the majority of athletes and / or very active people will benefit from increased intake of quality protein. Proteins with the highest biological value (BV) proteins, which should make the most active person's diet, such as superior for maintaining positive nitrogen balance, reducing the recovery time from workouts, improving immune system, etc.

Whey protein concentrate (WPC) and isolates (WPI) have the highest BV of any protein, almost 50% branched chain amino acids and high in L-glutamine, which is why I recommend several servings a day of WPC / WPI for all athletes / martial artists / police I work with.

There are several brands of WPC / WPI on the market. Other high-quality protein such as skinless chicken, fish, eggs, soy, and lean red meats, have relatively high BV values ​​and good protein. Another thing that is important to know, higher quality protein, less people have to eat, and it allows a person to keep total calories lower follow these high BV proteins.

For a person who has been active in martial arts, has a busy job, and probably some weight lifting and / or aerobics, enter of.7? 0.8 grams of protein per pound of lean body weight is what I generally recommend. For high level bodybuilders and competitive distance athletes, the protein intake will be higher, approximately 1g of protein per lb / bodyweight as the most common.

In certain situations, amino acids is useful, but most people will have no problem getting what they need to eat lots of food of high quality protein. Low-grade, high-fat, preservative loaded, protein such as lunch meats, hot dogs, etc., should be avoided for obvious reasons.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are primarily of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms that cycle into the ring. They can be "simple" or "complex", depending on the number of rings that are hooked together and the way in which the effect of carbohydrates your blood sugar (1). Although the rings may be slightly different in shape, their common theme is the ring structure. Similarly, the amino acids that make up proteins, when the connection simply units (sugar) together you get carbohydrates with different properties.

As most people know, carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for tijelo.Najbolja types of carbohydrates to eat are those that are high in fiber, vitamins and minerals.

Although foods such as pasta, bread, white rice and are considered 'complex' that they are highly processed foods, totally inadequate in fiber, vitamins and minerals and should not constitute a high percentage of carbohydrate intake person. Although these foods are often fortified with certain vitamins, in my opinion it does not really replace what was lost during processing, not to mention the many nutrients that are not replaced.

Americans are known for low eaters of fiber, and heavily processed foods mentioned above do nothing to correct this deficit. High fiber carbohydrates such as brown rice, beans, lentils, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and many others, are preferred carbohydrates for health, performance, steady blood sugar levels, and reducing bodyfat levels.

Although a high carbohydrate / low fat diet is all the rage these days, it's not in my experience the optimal diet for many athletes, martial artists, and? Normal? people I worked (see fats below). Data continues to support the fact that a high carbohydrate low fat diets are not optimal for health or for weight loss. Eating too much anything, including carbohydrates, will make one fat (bad makers of non-fat foods do not say this) and cause other diseases do not have 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 enough to fuel the energy needs of most athletes if other aspects of their diet is adequate (ie correct use and amounts of certain fats and proteins). And, as mentioned earlier, the source of those carbohydrates is of paramount importance.

fat

The very word sends chills down the back of the leanest people. No more wrong all the nutrients in food rather than fat. Many people know that there are big differences in how various carbohydrates effect the body and some people know that different proteins have different properties, but "fat is fat, no?" Is what most people would say if asked about how maligned of nutrients.

Fats are just as many biochemical differences in the human body as well as carbohydrates and proteins, and thus are as many different effects on the body that can range from very good to very bad. It really depends on the type and amount of fat (e) we eat (2). Americans tend to their dietary fats from saturated fats, rancid fats, and highly processed fats (which contain by products such as trans fatty acids), which gives the fats a bad name.

As mentioned earlier, an important nutrient is all the human body can not produce on its own and must be obtained from the diet, or the person will become sick and / or perish if nutritional deficiency is not corrected. We know that there are a multitude of vitamins and minerals, eight amino acids, and two types of fats that are considered essential nutrients for life and beyond.

You should be aware that there is no such thing as an essential carbohydrate, but it'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 acids and alpha-linolenic acid (LNA), which is an omega-3 fatty acids. Both of these fats can be found in various foods that are not heavily processed.

These two fats are highly reactive and sensitive to heat, light and oxygen (ie they go bad quickly), and were completely destroyed or lost during the processing of our hrane.Razlog poly-unsaturated vegetable oils that line the shelves of most super markets can sit for years on end, because the heating, deodorized, and generally processed to the point that the nutritional equivalent of white bread and table sugar. I recommend people avoid those oils.

Because of all the fat bashing in 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 istine.Membrana that surrounds each cell in the body, the sheath around nerves, various hormones, prostaglandins, and countless other parts of the body (especially brain) depend on the input of the right fats.

The importance of essential fatty acids for health and can not be understated. It is true that certain fats, like saturated fats, rancid fats and trans fatty acids (found in margarine, Crisco, and other products), can cause numerous health problems ranging from heart disease, cancer and insulin resistance, to name only a few diseases and diet high in the wrong kinds of fats.

, however, essential fatty acids (especially omega-3 fatty acids) and anti-lipolytic (stop fat storage), anti-catabolic (stop the break down of muscle tissue), increasing metabolic rate and beta oxidation (burn calories / increase fat burning), improve insulin sensitivity, reduces the chances of heart disease, and a whole lot more (3 ).

Though early research told us that we need a bit more LA (omega-6 fatty acid) than LNA (omega-3 fatty acids) in our diet, we find in practice that a diet containing large amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids (LNA) gets the best results in health, bodyfat levels, and performance.

the richest source of omega-3 fatty acid LNA is Flax oil, which also contains a small amount of omega-6 oil LA (4). Flaxseed oil can be found in the refrigerated section of any good health food store, and comes from the careful processing of flax seed (5). As a nutritional consultant to various athletes, I was flaxseed oil, with many of the country's top bodybuilders (a group of athletes notoriously afraid to eat fat) reduced their bodyfat levels and improve your performance and health. Two / three tablespoons a day for salad, taken straight, or a protein drink does the trick (6 ).

Another great source of Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in deep cold water fish such as sardines, mackerel, salmon, and (7), and I recommend that people eat two fifty-eight 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.

fat to avoid highly processed vegetable oils and other processed vegetable products (such as margarine), rancid fats, and to a lesser extent, saturated fats. The key to the health and performance of 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 apparatus of carbohydrates and proteins .

Vitamins / Minerals

Obviously, a full description of each vitamin and minerals and all of its functions will take several large text books, so I did not even try to ovdje.Dobar multi vitamin is an insurance plan to make sure we get all the major vitamins and minerals to for whatever reason we were able to get from our food on any given day.

There is not a single cell in our entire body, which does not require the use of, or interaction with, a vitamin, mineral or biological functions that depend on the above nutrients in adequate quantities. If you think you'll get all the vitamins and minerals we need from our highly processed food supply (such as some health care workers and maintenance), then I have a bridge in Brooklyn I want to sell. Some (but not all) nutritionists and other health professionals will often say something like "vitamin supplements just cause expensive urine'.

Last time I checked, chemo therapy, heart bypass surgery, 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 one to say of 100,000 people, it would be worth every cent in my book. In my opinion, the correct use of vitamins, minerals, herbs, essential fatty acids, and many other nutritional substances is based, is the best way to optimal health and performance. Any major brand of multi vitamin from such manufacturers as Twin Lab, Solgar and Nature's Best, to name just a few good brands, would be fine.

Anti - oxidants

'Anti-oxidants' and 'free radicals' are hot buzzword these days on television news shows, newspaper articles and magazine features. Although researchers in health and nutrition field knows about them for decades, have recently been getting lots of attention from the mainstream media and more open to medical researchers.

anti-oxidants are a special class of vitamins and other substances that are not vitamins neutralize free radicals before they can damage cells in our body. What is a free radical? Free radical is highly reactive molecular fragment that has an unpaired electron elektron.Nesparen wants? Pair up? with other electrons.

free radical will steal this electron from virtually anything it comes into contact with, including our cells. This reaction, if left unchecked, leads to free radical chain reactions and damage to various parts of the cell depending on where you odvija.Anti-oxidant can donate an electron without itself becoming a free radical and thus can break the chain of events that lead to uncontrolled free radical chain reaction (8 ).

Free radical pathology is now believed to be associated with 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 toxins found in air, food and water, disease, 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 name but a few, will help recovery from heavy exercise, improve immunity, can prevent some diseases, and improve your health in so many different ways to the second article objasniti.Dobar anti-oxidant formula of either one of the brands i mentioned earlier, should be added to the diet with a multi-vitamin. Whey protein can also greatly improve anti oxidants status and is recommended.

Sport Supplements:

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 but a few, is beyond the scope of this article. Each supplement has its potential benefits, dawbacks, dosage and other variables that need to examoned indavidual basis. People in the martial arts, law enforecement or the military who want to understand these supplements, whether or not they are worth using, dose, species, etc., should be considered read my book on the topic of sports nutrition supplements, nutrition and training called Muscle Building Nutrition.

Conclusion

The above list of foods and supplements in any way or complete the whole picture when it comes to additional ways the martial artist, police and military personnel can improve their health, strength, bodyfat levels, and recovery capabilities. However, the information presented here can make a foundation for health and performance that could add significant benefit to those who seek it.

If you want to learn more about training, supplements, nutrition, and other topics relevant to the law enforcement / military performance and health, check out the practical training of applied stress (past) program designed to be a tactical LE to the next level.

Notes

(1) Method of carbohydrate effects blood sugar after eating is known as odgovor.Glikemijski glycemic index (GI) is a list of foods and how they impact blood sugar. Some foods we think of as 'complex' actually raise blood sugar more quickly than many foods we think of as "simple'.

(2) health problems associated with fat is far more complex than most people cijeniti.Patologija disease (s) due to high fat intake of the wrong kinds of fats complex interactions between fats, carbohydrates, lack of certain vitamins and other nutrients, free radical / anti-oxidant mechanisms, and other factors that are poorly understood.

(3) For more information about the many benefits of essential fatty acids and learn more about fat and health in general, see? Fats heal fats that kill? Dr. Udo Erasmus published by Alive Books.

(4) LNA and LA in a 04:01 ratio of linseed oil.

(5) Like fresh eggs, milk, meat, etc., all fresh unprocessed oils will spoil (go rancid) if not refrigerated constantly and eaten immediately after opening the bottle.

(6) All highly unsaturated oils, including flax, never used to cook with because it will change the structure of theses oils making them toxic and of little use for the purpose they are intended.

(7) "fish oil" 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 normal and essential part of metabolism. This is an uncontrolled free radical chain reactions that we are dealing with.