Taiji Quan Diet?

[J HepworthYoung]

I know several training regimes for various martial arts follow a strict diet, sometimes early in the training, sometimes later.

Is there such a diet for taiji arts?

[Tomita]

This is a personal thing, as diet is linked to what type of training you do, your body weight, etc.



I don't know of any specific taiji diet, but there are a few guidelines I could give you, which you already know, I am sure.



Generally, the pie is divided as follows, based on a 2000 cal diet:



40 % carbs - 800 calories

30% protein - 600 cal

30% fat - 600 cal



Since your body needs all of these, be sure to stay away from low fat, low carbs and low protein diets. Carbs are the primary energy supplier to your system. These days, carbs have a bad reputation for making you fat. They don't. Taking in too much cabs will make you fat, because you will have taken in more calories than needed.



Why would you need fat? Well, fat is your secondary fuel tank. And you need some of it to keep a healthy skin, carry fat-soluble vitamins (A,D,E,K) into the body, stengthen your immune system, protect your organs, ... So fat is not the absolute bad guy.



What to drink?



Water!



How much? Divide your body weight(in pds.) in half, and the answer is the number of ounces of water you should drink for daily maintenance.



I could go on, but maybe others can give you more specific taiji diets.



If you are adamant to know more, there is a good book I can recommend to you: 'The fighter's body. An owner's manual. Your guide to diet, nutrition, excercise and excellence in the martial arts'



It's a start, and a good one.



ISBN 1-880336-81-2



You can find it on amazon.





Kind regards,



Tomita

[J HepworthYoung]

Thanks, i am a bit familair with nutrition and a few martial diets, i have even tried a "ninja" diet but it was too soy rich for my tastes. I did learn to love sesame seeds and live foods from it though, it gave me higher energy levels than meat based diets did and taught me more about the importance of mood and technique when eating.

[josh stout]

I don't know about taiji diet specifically, but there are many general ideas in Chinese diet that would apply. First of all, it is very common for a traditional teacher to order their students to make a change in the students? diet prior to the upcoming full moon day on October 6th. Being a vegetarian for a set number of days before the festival would be typical. More generally, there is a science of ?hot? and ?cold? foods to be eaten in specific seasons. Fried foods are "hot" and good for the winter; steamed and raw foods are "cold" and good for the summer. Thus we see the raw "summer roll" and fried "spring roll" in Chinese restaurants. Martial arts make us "hot", and Taoism teaches moderation, so it might be a good idea to avoid too much fried stuff before working out. Extremes should be avoided, so it is a bad idea to have ice water during or immediately after working out.



I would avoid a "ninja" diet, or a "ninja" anything else for that matter.

Josh

[J HepworthYoung]

I would avoid a "ninja" diet, or a "ninja" anything else for that matter.

I try to keep an open mind and don't base my judgement upon a reputation of something. Ninja is a western term true, but there is more to Ninpo or Budo than what is thought of when one heards or reads the word ninja. Budo is a tradition unto itself and is worthy of genuine study and research, like many martial arts it is a path to self mastery. Like many martial art traditions is has some myths and distortions but as is the case with other martial arts; once those myths are brushed aside a pragmatic beauty emerges. Budo isn't right for everyone, but it can be rewarding.



One of the ninja diets consists of brown rice, tofu, sesame, miso soup, no extra salt, no extra sugar, uncooked foods and colored vegetables. It has some common elements with religious diets and there are many religious/spiritual aspects involved with Budo.



While black suits and straight swords, along with armed turtles, have corrupted the western perception of this tradition, most people would not object to what some consider the core essence of the tradition and belief system, not including the 8 external aspects.

That core can be summed up in the following:

?Whatever hardships we may endure are temporary.

? Always behave IE manners and ethics

? Do not fall prey to avarice, indulgence or egoism

? Sorrow and hate are a part of life and have their purposes

? never stray from the path of the spirit, nor that of the martial arts; be ambitious in the ways of both pen and sword.



Sorry about being so offtopic though.

I am myself skeptical whenever I hear the word ninja, but I have found more than just the diet to be rewarding. I quit the diet after reading a paper showing phytoestrogens in soy can cause decreased cognitive skills in old age when taken over time and during the middle ages (30-50). Still when I was on it I had a lot of energy and felt good, likely due to how healthy the food was and the fact that I savored and loved it.

[josh stout]

I would like to see a reference to that paper on phytoestrogens. I sincerely doubt that soy sauce makes you stupid, but there is no point arguing about it if there is a published paper I can criticize instead.

Josh

[J HepworthYoung]

http://www.mercola.com/2000/sep/17/soy_brain.htm

In a major ongoing study involving 3,734 elderly Japanese-American men, those who ate the most tofu during midlife had up to 2.4 times the risk of later developing Alzheimer's disease. As part of the three-decade long Honolulu-Asia Aging Study, 27 foods and drinks were correlated with participants' health. Men who consumed tofu at least twice weekly had more cognitive impairment, compared with those who rarely or never ate the soybean curd. [1,2]...



What's more, higher midlife tofu consumption was also associated with low brain weight. Brain atrophy was assessed in 574 men using MRI results and in 290 men using autopsy information. Shrinkage occurs naturally with age, but for the men who had consumed more tofu, White said "their brains seemed to be showing an exaggeration of the usual patterns we see in aging.

I don't think soy sauce or miso is going to be an issue, but a lot of soy products are, tofu being one of them. [/quote]

[josh stout]

Thank you for the link, and I apologize for my overly strong skeptical stance. You hit two of the major indicators of nuttiness online, food fads, and reference to "ninjas". However I see that you were practicing a legitimate martial tradition, and had decent evidence to base your food choices on.



The link you provided shows a well researched article. The protein inhibiting enzymes in beans are well known, but the article does not mention that usually this is not an issue as they are broken down by cooking. I wonder if the same is true for the phyto-estrogens? Tofu is often eaten raw. Anyway you have added some new arguments for dietary moderation in all things, including apparently healthy things like tofu. Talking of brain health and counterintuitive findings, I saw an article a while ago showing a link between smoking and reduced occurrence of Alzheimer?s. When you combine that with the findings that drinking alcohol lowers the risk of heart disease things start to sound like Woody Allen waking up in Sleeper and being told that tobacco is healthy.



Increasingly it is looking like moderation and a varied diet are the keys to health rather than rigid dietary rules and abstinence.



Thanks,

Josh

[J HepworthYoung]

I still want to learn to make the sesame seed based tofu, it is a nutritious food. I love to cook.



Ninja is a bad word and often has too many myths and mistruths applied to it. You are right about food fads too, I tend to ignore them but honestly I could eat better.



After some thought I realized that a taiji diet would pretty much be a healthy diet, it need not be tailored to taiji, but should be conducive to good health, in theory. I figure the body, and mind, can be cared for, fed well and given exercise no matter what I am doing. Still I like cheeseburgers more than I should.

[roninroshi]

O'Sake,Pork and Hot Peppers...

[roninroshi]

O'Sake,Pork and Hot Peppers...

[CERogers]

Fat is also essential for brain function. Just my two cents. I have since changed my diet to exclude red meat or any other land roving animal. I still do not feel lighter or 'correct' like I did when I when I was about 19. I never thought that my bones would be as brittle and old as they feel today. It will take a very very long time before I can find the flexibility I once had. Eventually, I hope once again to integrate flax and fish oil for my aging joints (turning 30 next week) For the most part, I get the bulk of my (trace) minerals, etc. from seaweed. I get my proteins from legumes and beans. Its hard to maintain a diet like this and find balance without supplementing what you would generally get out of meats. In beef a good percentage is fat and water so you have consume a lot to get a good amount of protein out of it which may not be so great for the gut if it is not consumed by itself (from a trophological stand point). Without that fat consumption, I need to find something to replace it however. Nuts are said to be a good source of fat, but I am unsure if this would be a sufficient source of fat. I know that water is the most important aspect of my diet, especially now when the average (American) Joe usually has a soda or something with highfructose corn syrup nearby instead of it. Soda's can get addictive. My biggest enemy is caffeine/coffee, because it basically dehydrates me. Any ideas on a good source of fat would be appreciated.

Oh and this is my first post. Thanks for having me.

[CERogers]

J HepworthYoung,



You have made me think about tofu since you mentioned the Japanese-American study. Since there is a genetic predisposition to Alzheimers in my family, I have to think long and hard about how much I consume and how. Thanks for bringing this to light, it is worth it to research further.



Also, you make mention of ninjutsu quite a bit, I was wondering if you have actually practiced the art? I am curious because I myself have had a long interest. I am going to a taijutsu seminar this weekend as a matter of fact. Are you familiar with Shidoshi Jack Hoban, student of Grand Soke Misaaki Hatsumi?

[Tashi James]

As a vegetarian of six yeays I haven't noticed myself getting stupid..I've had the opposite happen actually but I guess iut depends how one "exercises" their mind I guess..



Soy product if eaten alot particularly for women can cause an imbalance due to overproduction of oestrogen according to some friends of mine. Tofu tastes terrible raw...No one I've met eats it that way...but each to their own...

[J HepworthYoung]

J HepworthYoung,

Also, you make mention of ninjutsu quite a bit, I was wondering if you have actually practiced the art? Are you familiar with Shidoshi Jack Hoban, student of Grand Soke Misaaki Hatsumi?

I have not practiced, I have only studied. I have implemented some aspects of ninjutsu into my own life, but I do practice or take upon myself any label or categorical practice. Though some might dismay, I am very anarchistic, in the philosophical sense, in that I try to confine myself to nothing and instead attempt maintain pragmatic views and practices in freedom. Much like the concept of being fluid in motion, this is the motion of being fluid in practice and philosophy.



The name you mention sounds familiar, but I do not know it, though I have read many of Hatsumi's works over the last 2 decades. He is an inspiration to me, no doubt about it, but one of many. I should very much like to attend a taijutsu class or seminar, even regularly if possible, it reminds me of taiji and jujitsu and I wonder if Hatsumi's teacher drew upon taiji during his time in China. All this is rather off topic I suppose, but interesting to me none the less. I like the ninjutsu ideal of cultivating mind, body and spirit; together, as well as it's plasticity and way of life aspects.





Tashi James, in the study the symptoms of mental problems came after many years and were quite credible, the problem emerges late in life, not after six years, and the problem is linked to the chemistry of soy.

I believe that biochemistry has a tremendous influence on neurofunction and that mental exercise, though a great thing, is only one facet of mental health. Vegetarianism is not itself problematic or a drawback, like any practice it has both positive and negative aspects, or pro's and cons. Overall it can be practiced in health or in poor health, since there are so many factors and variables it is not pragmatic to render a judgement upon so complex an issue. I don't know about what your friends claim about soy and women, but I do pay a lot of attention to peer reviewed scientific journals, though they too can have their flaws.