What is in a Martial Artist’s Diet?

Martial arts are famous for requiring discipline in maintaining rigorous training

regimes. But while martial arts training involves plyometric exercises, sprints, and

body conditioning, all of these efforts must be supplemented with a healthy diet. By

consuming nutritious foods, you continue improving your body beyond training

sessions and improve timing, stamina, reflexes, power, and muscle recovery.

Established weight loss plans emphasize the importance of sustaining a balanced diet

to energize the body. They focus on food’s complex nutritional factors to craft a diet

that maximizes dietary benefits for healthy and lasting weight maintenance. Instead

of simply reducing calories, they account for factors like added sugars, fiber and

protein content, and saturated vs. unsaturated fats. Individuals who want to sustain a

certain physique can practice greater awareness when eating by tracking the food

consumed and how beneficial they are for the body.

These principles are applied to a martial artist’s diet to provide all the necessary

nutrients while maintaining fitness and keeping up with training. Here’s what goes

into their meals.

Carbohydrates

Many diets discourage the consumption of carbohydrates because of their impact on

energy.

But for martial artists, carbs are non-negotiable. Carbs are
crucial for athletes’ diets since they’re made of long chains of sugar that provide
energy.

They increase endurance and reduce fatigue, making them great for pre-

workout meals. Complex carbohydrates like fiber and starch are packed with more

nutrients, serving as longer-lasting fuel for martial artists. To maximize the benefits

of carbs, you can incorporate brown rice, whole wheat bread, and whole grain pasta

into your meals.

Healthy fats

Like carbohydrates, fats are often frowned upon despite being an essential energy

source. Although the body often utilizes energy from carbs when performing more

intense movements during workouts, fats are not expendable. Fats can be stored in

the body, making them a great energy source for lower-intensity activities and

endurance exercises. As such, martial artists with variations in their exercise regimes

must take advantage of them.

In addition, healthy fats protect the organs, help the

body absorb fat-soluble vitamins, and manufacture hormones, making them a crucial

factor in bodily functions. Martial artists can benefit from healthy fats in their pre-

workout meals with vegetable oils, nuts, dairy, fish, and seeds.

Protein

When we think about athlete diets, protein is often the first thing that comes to mind.

That’s because martial arts are full-body sports that engage almost all of the body’s

big and small muscles. Each time they are used, they are torn, resulting in soreness

and discomfort. Protein is essential in the recovery of these muscles and even

contributes to building and sustaining muscle mass. That’s also why protein is

recommended post-workout and on rest days to maximize recovery periods. Great

protein sources include animal-based sources like eggs, animal meat, and dairy and

plant-based sources like nuts and seeds.

Vegetables

No diet would be balanced without vegetables. Often considered powerhouse foods,

they’re rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and phytonutrients that help

keep the body strong and immune to disease. With martial arts training often

subjecting athletes’ bodies to extreme conditions, vegetables can help strengthen their

conditions. They also produce alkaline, which helps preserve bone mass and muscle

tissue and are thus great for post-workout meals. Your vegetables can range from

sweet potatoes and beets to leafy greens.

Martial artists undergo rigorous training to achieve the optimum conditions for a fit

body. By adopting a balanced diet into their regime, they can ensure that their efforts

are sustained outside of training.