Part of the Gracie Barra philosophy is to live the jiu-jitsu lifestyle outside of the GB school as well. The jiu-jitsu lifestyle includes not only training at the academy, but paying attention to the food that we put into our bodies.

Most of us know that we should eat better. And most of us know that fast foods, high sugar junk foods and over eating are bad for us.

The big challenge is putting that awareness into action. Sure, you understand that you should eat more fresh fruit and vegetables, but when you are rushing from school or work to get to class or pick.up children, time is short. It is more convenient to “pick up something quick” that is not a healthy meal choice.

This is where many good intentions get tripped up. Here are a few practical tips that will help improve your general level of nutrition.

1) Shop and prepare meals instead of eating out when possible. Not only is it far more economical to shop for food at the supermarket than eating at restaurants, you have more control of the amount of fat, sugar and portion sizes going into your diet.

You must make it a priority to schedule time to visit the supermarket every few days and replenish your healthy foods.

2) Substitute water for soft drinks and other sweetened beverages.
More and more evidence is surfacing that consuming sugar is a MAJOR contributor to many of the health problems (look up metabolic syndrome) that seem to be worsening in modern society.

The thing about drinking calories is that it is so.insidious. Most people don’t realize just how many grams of sugar they are getting with a couple of colas or sweetened ice tea every day.

A squeeze of fresh lemon / lime will add flavor to plain water. One of my favorite habits is to make a kettle of flavored peach / jasmine tea and cool it the night before. Then you have a zero calorie flavorful drink convenient instead of opting for a soda.

3) Buy a bunch of plastic food storage containers. This is SUPER helpful when you want to make enough food to last more than a single meal. Having to cook every single meal at the time you are hungry is impractical and leads to “just grabbing something fast” and derailing your healthy eating plans.

When you cook chicken, cook 5 or 6 portions at the same time. Prepare rice and green beans at the same time and portion the meals out into your handy, available good storage containers. Done! The next morning when you are off to start your day, you simply toss a couple of meals in your bag and you are off. Simple!

4) Develop a few “go to” recipes that you like and are convenient to prepare. The supermarket will have a variety of different marinades for chicken breasts that will keep your palate from getting bored. Easy to do.

I learned a very simple way to get more raw vegetables in my diet from a chef. Rough chop broccoli, carrots, zucchini and celery (or your favorite vegetables) and toss in a small amount of salad dressing (your supermarket probably has 50 different flavors to choose from!) and store in one of those plastic food storage containers you bought earlier.

Takes a few minutes only and now you have a healthy meal option easily available.

Hope these tips help you eat healthier outside of the Gracie Barra academy.

See also on Gracie Barra : Nutrition – Green Smoothies
https://www.graciebarra.com/2014/08/green-smoothies/