High Performance Meals for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Athletes

A healthy and balanced meal can go a long way in helping a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete enhance his fitness and performance. Every Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete must experiment and find the right mix of foods for him. However, the principles and rules that all the athletes have to follow would be the same. A high performance meal helps the athlete gain optimum fitness level and boosts his performance in the sport.

A high performance meal must contain the necessary nutrients within a specific calorie limit to help a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete maintain his weight. It doesn’t necessarily require the athlete to fix the list of things that he will consume. He can simply define his options and pick the right one by weighing the pros and cons.

To start with, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete can decide the best drinks for him. He can opt for skimmed milk instead of whole milk. 8 oz. of skimmed milk has only 86 calories as compared to 122 calories of whole milk. It also has minimal amount of fat content and offers most nutrients of whole milk, including calcium. He could also opt for fresh fruit juices instead of carbonated drinks. Carbonated drinks offer no nutrition and add a lot of calories. Fruits juices offer the nutrients and are also low on sugar.

Similarly, the athlete could pick the food by weighing the pros and cons. He could opt for white meat instead of red meat, which adds unnecessary calories. Look for options high on fiber such as cereal, whole wheat breads and minimally cooked vegetables. A high fiber food should provide 3 grams of fiber per serving. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete should keep this in mind when purchasing packaged food.

A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete also has to control food cravings that can make him exceed the calorie intake. Food cravings occur when a person consumes foods that provide direct fats and sugar that are absorbed quickly in the body. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete could opt for foods like egg whites and fruits that contain complex carbohydrates and are high in protein. These foods can prevent cravings and hunger and also provide energy.

A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete can start by determining the right calorie intake for himself and then go on to decide the food based of their nutritional value. He must also take care to include a wide variety of foods and have a flexible diet plan so that he doesn’t get bored.

Heat Illness and its effect on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes

Our bodies have a natural mechanism of regulating the body temperature through sweat and emitting heat through skin. This mechanism helps our body temperature to stay normal. However, this mechanism may fail if our body is exposed to extreme conditions like high temperature or humidity level. In such cases, the body fails to cool down and its temperature builds up to unnatural and harmful levels. This condition is called heat illness and can lead to problems like heat cramps, heat rash, heat exhaustion and heat strokes. In some cases, heat illness can also be a result of dehydration.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes are more vulnerable to these problems due to their rigorous practice and exercise schedules. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes usually practice for long hours and lose substantial amount of fluid through sweat. They also tend to spit frequently. Usually, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practice sessions and fights are organized in closed areas. This leads to rise in the temperature of the surroundings, due to which the athlete’s body fails to emit heat and his body temperature keeps rising. The body fails to release heat through sweat as the surroundings are very humid too. If the athlete’s body is dehydrated, body fails to sweat and release heat.

In such condition an athlete’s body temperature rises to unnatural level. Due to this Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes can experience cramps in legs, arms or abdominal muscles. This is a result of low sodium and fluid level in the body. It impairs an athlete’s performance and he may also feel exhausted due to lack of fluids in the body. In severe cases, the athlete can also suffer from heat strokes. This is a life threatening condition and the body temperature can soar up to 106 degrees Fahrenheit. It requires prompt medical attention.

Medical assistance should be available for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes when they are practicing or in a tournament. Trainers should have basic knowledge on how to handle heat illness. This will ensure that an athlete’s condition does not deteriorate any further.