Diet for Tae Kwon Do

DevAdvent · Post by **DevAdvent** » Feb 11, 2006 21:10

Im going to be doing Tae Kwon Do soon. Any diets i should be on?

strangedejavu · Post by **strangedejavu** » Feb 12, 2006 12:26

One of the books recommended by Stadion is "Mastering the Zone" by Dr. Barry Sears. I picked it up and found it to be an easy read packed with good information. It details the 40-30-30 diet (calories are 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, 30% fat). However, I don't follow it to the letter anymore. I did for about a week, but I have such a high metabolism that I was always hungry and I lost some weight (and it couldn't have been all fat because I don't have much fat to lose). If I did eat the number of calories I need to maintain my weight and not feel hungry all the time while maintaining the 40-30-30 ratio, it would require a scary amount of protein. Nevertheless, I did learn to make sure I got plenty of protein (especially when I'm more active) and to eat from each of the three macronutrient groups whenever I eat (getting the protein is the most inconvenient and takes some planning). It will also show you the good vs. bad foods and teach you the basics of nutrition. It has helped to maintain my blood sugar level so I don't get "sugar lows" anymore and I don't get headaches like I used to from eating too little or too much. It has also solved most of my former digestive problems. Good luck learning the way of hand and foot fighting!

mmeloon · Post by **mmeloon** » Feb 24, 2006 17:14

DevAdvent, good luck with starting off in training. One thing to keep in mind is that the white belt is the time where you are just trying to get a sense whether you like this martial art (or martial art school & instructor), so it might be a bit premature for you to be worrying too much about optimal nutrition.

However, far be it from me to discourage interest in such things. I have one of (famed trainer and fan of Mr. Kurz) Charles Staley's books and was surprised to see him endorse the Balance-Bar-promoted 30/40/30 ratio. In the book, he himself said he was surprised that he would ever believe in such a thing but he claims the research speaks for itself. Personally, I think it's probably just enough to cut out the junk food and increase your consumption of vegetables, fruits, lean meats, and healthy oils. I think the short chapter on nutrition in Science of Sports Training is probably all you really need to know and follow.

-Mark

strangedejavu · Post by **strangedejavu** » Mar 04, 2006 22:35

If you need some motivation to start eating right, watch the movie "Super Size Me". Not only will it give you a good laugh (and perhaps a good vomit), but you'll never eat another french fry again.