Soup
38
Ice Cream
36
Chickpeas
36
Milk (whole)
34
Black-eyed Peas
33
Milk (skim)
32
Non-Fat Yogurt
32
20 to 29%
Lentils
29
Peaches
29
Grapefruit
26
Plums
25
Cherries
23
Fructose
20
10% to 19%
Soybeans
15
Peanuts
13
Fruit juices
High
Banana
Moderate
Pear
Orange
Apple
Grape
Low
Peaches
Plums
Cherries
Grapefruit
Note: Since the glycemic index of each of these fruits can differ drastically, categories denoting high, moderate and low are used instead of percentages.
Unfortunately, carbs have become associated with obesity, an underserved reputation based on their easy availability. Well, ignore the rep. Carbs don’t make you fat; taking in too many carbs does, because that means you are getting more calories than you need, which is the real villain that gives you a jelly belly. Follow what the old, white-bearded sage always says (the ancient master who sits naked at the entrance of high-mountain cave and says profound things all day): “Everything in moderation.”
The key is to consume only the carbs you need based on your activity level. Always remember that your body doesn’t waste much and unfortunately it doesn’t discard unused calories like a dog shaking water from its coat. If you need 2,000 calories a day to do all your activities but you over indulge in carbs to the tune of 2,500, your body stores the extra 500 as fat. It doesn’t care if the calories came from carbs or that lint that collects under your bed.
Once again we have to speak in generalities. Though this is still a point of debate among experts, many recommend that 40 percent of your daily calories consist of carbs. Competitive bicyclists pedaling 300 miles a week require a diet of 60 percent carbs to satisfy their tremendous outpouring of energy. For the average martial artist, it’s been our experience that 40 percent is a good starting point. Now, if your job is an extremely physical one, such as a construction worker, bricklayer or high-rise window washer, and you also train hard in the martial arts every evening, you may want to nudge your carb percentage up to 45, 50, 55, or 60 percent. The same is true if you are a student dashing from class to class, including a tough physical education class, then off to an after-school job stacking crates in a warehouse, and then to martial arts training four evenings a week.
If you find yourself exhausted at the end of the day and still feeling tired after a night of sleep, 40 percent carbs might be insufficient, so you need to adjust. Do it slowly, though, adding, say, five percent every week so you can monitor the changes in your energy, progress, strength, motivation and weight loss or gain. More on this in “Protein, carbs and fat: How much?” later in this chapter
A rule of thumb is to consume roughly 2-4 grams of carbohydrate daily for each pound of body weight. If you weigh 150-pounds, you should consume between 300 and 450 grams. Pick up a book that lists carb grams (some super markets sell them in booklet form on racks by the checkout stand). If you make a habit of referring to the list every time you eat something, you will quickly memorize the gram count of those foods you eat the most often. Remember, eat mostly low scoring complex carbs on the GI chart so your energy holds constant throughout your activities.
Protein is necessary to build and repair your muscles after a hard workout and to continuously feed your tissues, hair, red blood cells, fingernails, organs and other precious parts. Once you ingest that tuna, beef, milk or nutrition bar, the protein is broken down into amino acids, of which there are 20, eight referred to as essential since your body can’t manufacture them. If you lack any of the essential amino acids (a common problem with vegetarians who don’t properly combine their foods to get a complete protein), your body’s repairing processes suffers.
We know that you need a steady supply of protein to function at your best in your daily activities and in your martial arts training, but steady supply are two vague terms that for years have caused misunderstanding and debate among nutritionists, bodybuilders and martial artists. How often is steady? How much is supply?
Much of the confusion is based on a truth that says protein is vital for building and repairing muscle. Armed with just that tidbit of information, many athletes, mostly those in the more-is-better camp, think, “Hmmm. I’ll eat pounds of the stuff and get really big and strong (and their super secret thought: ‘and I’ll be admired by both sexes and have more friends and get invited to more parties’).”
3 Case Studies
Co-author Christensen used to lift weights with an NBA player and two hardcore bodybuilders. The basketball player, all six feet 11 inches of him, was a vegetarian who had been plagued with injuries for several years that would sideline him from the game days at a time, sometimes weeks. One day, the gym owner and the player sat down and discussed the player’s diet, which the gym owner quickly determined was drastically low in protein. The basketball player had been making the common mistake of not properly combining his vegetables and beans, and therefore not getting all eight essential amino acids. The gym owner formulated a
