Plant based diets for BJJ athletes?

[Ice 9 Cobra]

Linthec, you're not worried about all the toxins prevalent in fish and seafood? Not to mention that, the farm raised, they're all fed trash?

Its been awhile since I have looked into it, but the only fish safe to eat daily was Idaho raised trout.

[DPS831]

Originally Posted by TheeFaulted

Dave Asprey is a quack.

Dude's a little out there on certain things, but his diet recommendations look good to me. It's basically a paleo diet with an emphasis on grass fed meat, fruits/veggies & lots of healthy fats (mct, coconut, grass fed butter). What makes you say he's a quack?

[suzaku]

Originally Posted by Linthec

The only reason meats are useful is because they give lots of balanced protein. If you can get that from vegetables, which you can, then do because you will also be getting far more nutrients in a far more alkaline diet through plants. But it's more difficult and requires spending much more time consuming food. So I meat no more than 1 time per day and it's always fish or seafood.

By the same tolkein, the only reason grains are useful is for the carbs and fiber, which you also get from more nutritious plants and vegetables.

That said, make sure to get B12 somewhere.

You're aware you can only get B12 from animals correct (supplementation not included) ? Everything else is simply a non functioning analogue. The human diet is meant to be omnivorous. Without B12, we would die. Ask any Vegan where they get their B12 from and if they can do it without supplementation. They will not have an answer. Humans are meant to eat meat.

If you cannot do something without supplementation (assuming you are healthy and not born with a disease etc) you aren't meant to do it. Supplements can make things easier, or add to an existing diet. But take them away and you have to eat normally. Fortunately, the human body is capable of storing B12 for 7-12 years roughly, and the most dramatic effects won't take place for some time. Factor in supplementation and you have the reason many vegans and vegetarians aren't as deficient as they would be without it.

The proteins are also a complete protein, that doesn't require getting amino acids from several sources such as with plant based diets. Though yes, you can get them if you plan it in advance. If you have that time, kudos.

As for the fish, mercury levels in tuna and salmon, unless abnormally high, are balanced out by the selenium which rids the body of heavy metals.

[Ice 9 Cobra]

There's more issues with fish than heavy metals. The majority of fish comes from foreign countries and isn't FDA regulated.

[suzaku]

In that case, i can't speak on all the issues, and you may have a point there indeed. However, the FDA allows some of the nastiest things to be legal in food. I hardly put any faith into them when evaluating dietary conditions. Weston Price Foundation, Mary Enig are some good places for information if you're curious for some reads. I also recommend listening to "The Vegetarian Myth" by Lierre Kieth, a former vegan turned omnivore.

Side note: most plant sources of food are GMO, so unless they can get it from a natural farmer market, it isn't inherently any better than eating a steroid/antiobiotic animal.

[lts5025]

Lol at citing Prince Fielder as inspiration to go vegan.

That said, there's no reason beyond ethics to eat vegan. There are plenty of reasons to eat much much more fresh fruits and vegetables and minimize your intake of processed foods.

[Ice 9 Cobra]

I'm not pro vegan by any means.

And I agree the FDA let's some nasty shit slide. That's why it scares me what foreign companies do when they aren't being loosely regulated

[suzaku]

Typically if i want a regulated opinion on things, i'll look at Norway, Germany, Poland etc. They have some great aspects to their regulation for diet and farm, as well as health care. (see H1N1 with poland) But that is aside from the thread.

[shunyata]

Originally Posted by StevenCrowder

Alkaline. lol.

When someone mentions alkalinity in the context of diet or drinking water, all I hear is a chorus of ducks.

[Linthec]

Meat is good guys, but we don't need anywhere NEAR the amount that most humans consume, let alone Americans. Nor do we need nearly as much grains as we get. Humans are supposed to get more of their calories off fruit, nuts, vegatation, which means less saturated fat, less cholesterol, and more fiber and nutrients and energy food. We came from apes after all.