How All Grapplers Can Benefit From The Gracie Diet

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How All Grapplers Can Benefit From The Gracie Diet
By Ognen Dzabirski -May 18, 2018

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a complete martial art. It has its philosophy, it�s

lifestyle and even it�s own diet. The founders of the art came up with everything
you need to make the BJJ lifestyle a wholesome experience. The Gracie Diet is a
nutrition plan straight out of the Gracie household. Grandmaster Carlos Gracie came
up with the system and it stuck. It is simple, it works, it is going to make you
more healthy and it is going to keep you on weight.
In grappling martial arts, you can�t go far without proper nutrition. As athletic
or technical as you might be, you won�t be able to outrun a bad diet. Hours on the
mats followed by hours in the weight room mean nothing if you�re diet isn�t clean.
One search on the internet is going to spit out countless results on the BJJ diet
subject. Most of this area a pure waste of time and have absolutely nothing to do
with Jiu-Jitsu. luckily there�s teh Gracie Diet. This is the one plan that can
really benefit grapplers of all levels. And it is very easy to follow, despite the
original impression that it is very complicated.

The Gracie diet is the brainchild of Grandmaster Carlos Gracie Sr. He developed the
diet primarily for himself, but later put the whole family on it. Before you even
consider it, though, know this. There�s absolutely no science behind the Gracie
Diet methodology. Even Grandmaster Carlos Gracie Sr. is blatantly honest about this
part. It is based on common sense and years of experimentation. Now, the one thing
that should make you look into it is the fact that both Carlos and Helio ate in
accordance with the Gracie Diet. Both ended up living for more than 8 decades.

A Few Gracie Diet Staples

The one basic principle behind the Gracie Diet is simplicity. What this means is
that you eat food that your body can handle. Furthermore, you combine the food in a
manner that optimizes the body�s ability to digest it. Also, there�s no overloading
of the body and digestive system with constant snacks and timing. There�s hardly a
diet that makes sense more than the Gracie Diet out there: fresh fruit, greens,
some meat, cheese and plenty of water.

Gracie Diet First things first, when to eat. If you�re lethargic and can barely get
out of bed in the morning, the reason might be your diet. The reason is that you
have a lot of food in your digestive system that the body still needs to break
down. This makes it work during the night, which impacts rest and recovery. This is
not to say that you should starve yourself before bed. Just make sure you eat
enough to keep hunger away and not stuff yourself. Eat light before going to bed
and, if you�re really really hungry, eat big but only vegetables. A good salad is
never a bad idea, no matter the portion size. Another great option is fruit.

As far as time between meals, the Gracie Diet advocates 4-5 hours. This is not in
agreement with the bodybuilding based system of eating every couple of hours. The
basic idea is that you need to give your body enough time to process your last
meal. Adding something every couple of hours means your digestive system is not
getting any rest.

And finally, water. While you need to be hydrated at all times, you shouldn�t drink
anything while eating. This dilutes the digestive juices, slowing down the
breakdown of food.

Fruit And Vegetables

If you�re on a diet that says fruit is bad for you, ban it immediately. Our bodies
are made to process fruit, vegetables, and meat. So, excluding any of these
categories is only going to negatively impact your health. Fruit is arguably the
best food in the world. It takes very little energy to digest and it provides our
bodies with a huge return. Least effort � maximum benefit. Just like with Jiu-
Jitsu, isn�t it?

Furthermore, the only food that makes your brain work is glucose. The fruit has a
high content of fructose, which can later turn into glucose. Fruit also has a very
high content of water. 90-95% water means that fruit both hydrates you and feeds
you at the same time. Eat fruit after getting up in the morning on an empty
stomach.

Vegetables are not much of a puzzle. The Gracie Diet is no different than any other
diet worth anything in terms of vegetables. Eat a lot of them, eat them often and
make sure you have plenty of colors on your plate. Also, make it a daily habit to
go for some dark leafy greens. I told you, it�s simple.

Easy On The Protein

There�s a widespread notion amongst athletes that they require huge amounts of
protein. While this is true for certain athletes, like bodybuilders and
powerlifters, grappling is very different. You need a body that works and has the
energy for hours.

Just to make things clear � you absolutely need protein. A meal a day has to
contain protein, at the very least. If it�s animal protein, perfect. If it�s plant
protein, you might need to look for a few supplements to complete your nutritional
requirements.

But what about the myth that protein is good for, well, everything? This one has
been debunked for a while now. Too much protein overloads your system with
nitrogen, which can cause fatigue. Excess protein has been linked to osteoporosis,
degeneration, and weakening of the bones.

The Food Combinations

So, we arrived at the very essence of the Gracie Diet. The basic thing that deters
most people is that they see groups of foods that need to be combined correctly.
The moment people see this, they think its too much of a hassle and they give up
before even giving it a try. Personally, I also passed the Gracie Diet on a few
occasions for the same reason. When I finally got to try it, though, it turned out
I was wrong. IT won�t take more than a week, or two at most to settle into it. It
is very simple actually.

Gracie Diet There are 6 food groups, each containing certain products. For example
group, A contains vegetables and protein sources, along with healthy fats. Group B
is all carbohydrate. Group C and D are fruit and cheeses and E and F concern milk,
curdled products and bananas. There�s a bit more to it than this, but this is the
general situation.

So, when you sit for a meal, first, remember that you can�t have two carbohydrate
sources at one meal. It�s either the bun or the potatoes with a burger, you can�t
have both! Furthermore, all the protein and vegetables (and fats) go with each
other and a carbohydrate of your choice. If you�re not feeling like eating meat,
you can combine a carbohydrate source with fruit and cheese (group C). Just don�t
mix meat and cheese.

The one small catch is group D. It is the �acidic fruits� category. Anything in
this group should be eaten alone. There�s no combining it with other groups, or
anything from the same group. Simply put, if you want an orange, eat it. Or better
yet, eat 5 or 6, just don�t eat anything else at that meal.