Nathalia and Livio Ribeiro. Photo: Personal Archive

The type of work done by Nathalia Chantre, 31, is a key part of the process of professionalization of BJJ as a sport. Playing a fundamental role in the performance of a number of elite athletes, this nutritionist is responsible for building a nutrition plan and enabling fighters to go into their matches healthy, living up to their full potential.

If in previous eras of the sport, it was possible to see athletes cutting weight in wrong ways and consuming fatty foods and sodas, nowadays this sort of behavior has to be kept to a minimum. The professionalization of BJJ has arrived in all spheres, from prize money to the care athletes have for their performance.

A nutritionist certified by the International Sports Sciences Association, Nathalia has monitored more than 300 athletes across more than five years in the field. In her opinion, a high-performance athlete who takes meticulous care of the details of their nutrition tends to come out on top.

“A time comes when the athlete’s key has to turn, so to speak, and they understand that in order to stay at a high level these days, it’s necessary to have more than good training; they need to be more than just talented,” said Nathalia, who’s also a BJJ student, in a recent interview. “It’s important to surround yourself with a multidisciplinary team that’s going to put you at your 100% to perform with excellence.”

She added: “One of the great differentials of my work with athletes consists of investing time with each of them. I treat athletes individually to understand their goals in a thorough way, their training, possible flaws, difficulties, and to not spare any efforts to develop a nutrition plan. I want the athlete to have adherence, for the plan to be compatible with their reality, making it easier to conquer the desired goal. That’s why I say that I don’t do consultations; I do nutritional monitoring with athletes and practitioners of BJJ. Our contact is very close; I make adjustments daily, if necessary, in the pre-competition phase.”

At this year’s IBJJF Pan, one of the biggest events of the calendar, Nathalia had multiple of her athletes come out victorious, not the least of which was Lívio Ribeiro, the roosterweight champion. The nutritionist went into some detail on her work with him.

“Lívio speaks openly of the crazy stuff he used to do to hit the weight before he had nutritional monitoring,” she said. “He, for example, used to cut water in the week that precedes a fight. Additionally, he would cut foods rich in carbs and use laxative drugs. It’s unbelievable how someone can train and fight in those conditions, completely dehydrated and without glycogen reserves. Certainly, he would sleep poorly, and his immunity was extremely low. When I became aware of this situation in March, the first thing was to get the house in order and adjust the basic: improve intestinal health, increase water intake and improve sleep quality.”

“He understood that he’s not supposed to starve to hit the weight, he doesn’t need to dehydrate, and he has no reason to cut foods with sources of carbs,” Nathalia continued. “So I included in his diet: rice, cuscuz, pasta, potatoes, various fruits, oatmeal, tapioca, beans and many other foods rich in micro- and macronutrients. I also used some supplements such as: beta alanine, probiotic, vitamin D3, magnesium, omega 3 and creatine. By the way, creatine does no harm when it comes to cutting weight. Quite the opposite: it’s an extremely safe supplement; it improves tolerance to straining, muscle recovery, on top of improving adaptive response to the training.”

In previous tournaments, Lívio had chosen not to eat before the first round, because his main opponent was the scale. This time, in 2021, everything has changed, and Lívio had the best performance to date in his early days as a black-belt.

“I followed Lívio’s training up-close, and his evolution was visible — especially in the final stage of the training, close to the competition, where usually he already felt extremely saturated, stressed and fatigued,” said the nutritionist. “I was very excited to see him in the competitions. It was going to be the first time he would eat on fight day! I was sure his performance was going to be special, and it was! He knew he was able to be explosive from the start until the end of the match; he knew he had energy reserves and was well trained, because he had the physical preparation provided by Itallo Vilardo and the training at Ares academy in Modesto, led by Prof. Samir Chantre.” She subjoined: “Those who think nutritional monitoring makes no difference certainly have never had the opportunity to be followed by a good nutritionist.”

Nathalia is a Health Coach with Integrative Nutrition (IIN) and is currently getting a postgraduate degree in nutrition, metabolism and physiology in sports.

Cantaloupe. Photo: Morguefile

Have you ever tired mixing a variety of melons to make one unique juice? Besides being tasty and refreshing, this laudable drink can provide many health benefits to Jiu-Jitsu practitioners.

According to www.diethealthclub.com, Melon juice has a cleansing, diuretic, mineralizing, and alkalinizing effect on the body and is very effective in eliminating harmful toxins. It is easily digestible and helps maintain an acid-alkaline balance in our body.

Melon juice is a rich source of antioxidants like lycopene, lutein, beta-carotene, neurosporene phytoene, and phytofluene. These antioxidants not only help protect against a number of diseases and disorders, they also boost stamina and metabolism. The vital antioxidants also help neutralize the harmful free radicals found in the body.

It contains no cholesterol and helps prevent the build up of cholesterol in the arteries and other blood vessels. Furthermore, melon juice increases the good cholesterol in the body and lowers the risk of cardiovascular disorders.

While studying about the nutritional facts of melons, it is also important to shed light on some of the vital nutrients in melon juice. Some of the important vitamins are vitamin A, B6, C, D and folate. Similarly, some of the main minerals found in melon juice include: Magnesium, Potassium, Sodium, Calcium, Iron, Zinc and Selenium.

In addition to these nutrients in melon juice, there are also a few amino acids found in trace amounts such as: Tryptophan, Aspartic acid, Glutamic acid, Glycine, Lysine.

Thus, after finding out about all these miraculous health benefits of melons, GRACIEMAG searched for a delicious and powerful melon juice recipe to share with our faithful readers. Check it out!

*Melon Combo

Ingredients:

½ Cantaloupe (peeled and seeded)

½ honeydew (rind removed and seeded)

½ seedless watermelon (rind removed)

1 bunch of mint

Instructions:

Wash all the ingredients in running water. Then, you should peel; remove the seeds and rinds off. Cut the melons in small pieces. Now, use a power juicer or a blender to mix it all up.

Drink it fresh!

*Jack La Lanne’s Power Juicer – Fresh recipe collection

Watermelon. Photo: Morguefile

Hydration is a full-time job. Photo: Erin Herle

When you work out in the heat, your body needs a way to cool down and it does this by sweating. If temperatures soar above the level of your body heat, then dripping sweat can mean that your body isn’t able to do its job. Sweat must evaporate and intense heat environments prevent this.

Drink water: This is a no-brainer but the amount you need to drink and the consistency is important. If it becomes a chore to keep your water bottle filled, then you’re probably doing it right. Experts suggest that you drink constantly throughout the day, especially with meals. Eight cups a day is the average but in the summer heat bump that number up to twelve.

Before exercise drink four cups, splitting the amount between two hours before and one hour before. When you exercise your body loses water through breathing and sweating. Your body can lose up to 2-3 liters of water per hour. During exercise drink half a cup every half hour and directly after, drink two cups or 16 oz per pound of water lost.

Avoid any caffeinated beverages and especially sugary drinks or sport drinks as the necessary H20 is hindered. All of these amounts will vary between experts but the as long as you are urinating regularly, drinking consistently throughout the day and have reached your minimum per day, you’re in better shape than most.

Know the signs of dehydration: If your urine isn’t a light shade, you need to drink more. If you’re working out in an environment where heat is high or the sun is on you, make sure you’re adequately hydrated beforehand for preventative measures.

Dripping sweat means your body isn’t evaporating and therefore it’s not properly cooling your body. If you feel nauseas, your muscles are cramping, your face is flushed, your pulse is rapid or your skin is cool and clammy, you could be suffering from heat exhaustion.

Even dizziness and feeling really fatigued is a bad sign that could escalate. Dehydration to heat exhaustion to deadly heat stroke, know when you or your training partners are in bad shape and cool them down/hydrate them before they get worse.

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Galvão against Pablo Popovitch in absolute final / Photo: Daren Bartlett

The winner of the absolute and the under-88 kg divisions at the ADCC last September, André Galvão was one of the characters highlighted in an article coming up in the next issue of GRACIEMAG.

Speaking with our editor Marcelo Dunlop, André shared pointers and teachings about rehydrating during Jiu-Jitsu and MMA training, and proved that drinking water is an art unto itself and a vital aspect in a competitor finding success.

The article already complete—you can check it out next month—,André Galvão explained the changes his career has undergone since winning the absolute title of the burliest grappling tournament on the planet.

“Keeping with the same topic, I really was thirsty to win that championship; I was truly craving that title. Life now is just beyond great. The academy in San Diego is going awesome—so many new students and visitors coming in since I won. I was able to expand the academy, set up a much bigger dojo area, and I’m just waiting on some finishing touches to send you guys photos. It’s awesome, now I have more room for physical conditioning. It’s good for everybody, great for the team,” he said.

“These days I’ve been getting a lot of emails with different offers—invitations to do seminars and from MMA teams. I sealed a sponsorship deal with Zebra Mats. I’ve been getting a lot of offers from gi brands as well. I’m overjoyed; I think it’s the first time I’ve ever turned down sponsorship deals [laughs]!,” recalls Galvão, adding that he doesn’t have any fights lined up at the moment.

“I don’t have any fights coming up; I’m just working with my students and investing a lot in them. I want to see the team coming up with results, and for that to happen I have to be dedicated to them, too. I’m so happy,” he added in closing.

“As a Jiu-Jitsu student you may have had the experience of withering dehydration which can cause weakness, disorientation, nausea. Yet oftentimes even after that kind of firsthand knowledge of the discomfort and danger of dehydration it may still be hard to understand how to properly address the problem.

So here are some tips and insights that will help you separate the facts from the fiction regarding how to stay fully hydrated and safe while you’re learning and practicing your Gracie Barra Jiu-Jitsu.
Many times dehydration happens because of three common misconceptions. Now let’s examine those and find out the truth about healthy hydration.

Myth #1

Water Breaks are for Wimps

Once upon a time it was considered macho to go without water. Old-school coaches often deprived their teams of water during practice, for example, and hard-core drill instructors denied water to their cadets. But dehydration should never be taken lightly because in severe cases it can be lethal. That’s right. Many well-trained soldiers and disciplined athletes have died suddenly as the result of accidental dehydration.

Taking water breaks as needed is part of a solid training regimen, and those who skip out on drinking water are not macho or brave, they’re just uninformed or downright irresponsible and reckless. Be smart. Train harder to fight easier. But never forget that good overall training includes drinking plenty of water in order to remain in tip-top condition. It also means keeping an eye on your training partners or BJJ students to make sure that they are doing the same.

Myth #2

Dehydration Begins with Thirst

An even more prevalent misunderstanding – even among those who fully understand and respect the need for drinking plenty of clean, pure water to stay hydrated – is that thirst precedes dehydration. But that’s a myth that can give you a false sense of security. If you wait until you’re thirsty to begin drinking water you’re going to be too late.

Drinking water when you’re thirsty is the right thing to do, of course, because that is how you’ll counteract the dehydration and regain your physiological equilibrium. Drinking water restores you to a balanced, hydrated state. But health care professionals and successful Gracie Barra students know that once you are thirsty you are already in a state of dehydration. So consider thirst a warning sign that tells you that your body is depleted and that you are headed into the red zone in terms of dehydration. The onset of thirst, in other words, is the body’s way of tapping out before a bad situation gets even worse. Drink water before you train, while you train, and after training so that you never actually feel thirsty. That’s the best way to ensure you stay fully hydrated.

Myth #3

All Fluids Hydrate the Body

The third big persistent myth and misconception has to do with the idea that dehydration is cured by drinking any kind of liquid. That’s only true, however, when you drink the right kinds of fluids that deliver fresh water and vital electrolytes.

Beverages like alcohol and those that contain certain artificial ingredients or caffeine, for instance, may actually increase risk of dehydration because the chemicals in them dry out the cells in the body. Don’t be fooled by pumped-up labels or the feelings you get from a jolt of caffeine or a sugar rush. Those kinds of drinks may be okay in moderation, but they are never an adequate replacement for your daily intake of water and they are no remedy for dehydration.

To maintain a healthy level of hydration drink plenty of good clean water. To get an appropriate amount of the chemical electrolytes or special chemical salts that the body must have to perform, eat a balanced, nutritious diet with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.

When in doubt you can also consult one of the many informative Gracie Barra books or talk to your Gracie Barra instructors to come up with an appropriate diet and hydration plan. Once you have that aspect of your training under control you can practice your heart out at Gracie Barra without worrying about your body giving out due to dehydration.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QleTD7xTgEc