Consuming the right stuff for a) Building and b) High Performance... Questions

[RagsToRiches]

I'd like to know what people's experience of what to consume for building and seperately performance.

Personally for building I tend to consume a lot of protein (meat, fish, eggs) and a bit of carbohydrate (bread, pasta, fruit, nuts).

For performance in the past I have not adjusted my consumption - however I'm getting to a stage in karate where my gradings are becomming very chalanging. Within the next couple of years I'll hit black belt and some stage and frankly I'm going to have to start thinking about this sort of thing.

My initial thought is... consume a less than normal ammount of regular food (pasta or something), and then drink caffinated energy drinks (such as lucazade) just before training probably with a couple of pain killers (asprin) for good measure.

Thoughts?

[Fullcrum]

I practice martial arts so I know how it is with the increasing demands of testing and whatnot.

As far as carbs go, the best sources I can think of are fruits. I would drop the bread stuff. Even if you have ridiculous gluten tolerance or whatever, bread is still a heavy food that takes lots of energy to digest. I would get most of my carbs from fruit.

How many greens do you eat everyday? I'm guessing not enough (I cannot really assume though ). In either case, eating more everyday (preferably in a blended or juiced format) would probably help. Fruit and greens sure help me with the muscular and cardiovascular endurance issues.

What protein supplements do you use, if any? Give a little more detail on your diet, including times of day you eat, in what quantities, how big you are, etc.

[RagsToRiches]

Originally Posted by Fullcrum

What protein supplements do you use, if any? Give a little more detail on your diet, including times of day you eat, in what quantities, how big you are, etc.

I don't eat many greens at all. About once every two weeks I eat brocalli and that is literally it. I don't bother with lettuce or cabbage, and I'm allergic to Green Peas. What other greens are there?

I don't use a protein supplement. I most likely get enough from eggs, meat, and fish. Are there advantages over natural protein?

I probably eat way too much meat to be honest. I'm considering alternatives...

How big... I'm 5'11 and I'd estimate I'm about 13-14 stone. I don't have much fat. I've got big legs and big arms - but I don't look like those body-builder dudes who walk like they have a cabbage stuck up their arse, but people think of me as a "big guy".