Gracie Diet – The Ultimate BJJ Diet Plan

Carlos Gracie was the developer of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, basing its teachings and practices on Japanese Judoka. For most of their life, the Gracie family concentrated on their fighting skills. They could not afford to get sick on fighting days and had to eat enough food to give them enough energy and strength to help with bodybuilding. Consuming the right balance of all necessary nutrients helps practitioners stay stable and robust in BJJ fights. Alkaline foods contain sodium which acts as a natural buffer against acidity.

Gracie used his knowledge of food and nutrition to develop a diet plan which helps BJJ fighters gain power without losing energy and muscle mass. He concluded that an adequate combination of nutrients is vital for the performance of BJJ athletes

Many Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu trainers prefer to follow the Gracie Diet Plan as it grants multiple health benefits and improves one’s well-being.

The philosophy of a balanced diet can be understood by examining the functions of your digestive system. The quality of food matters a lot in a diet. Sometimes the nutritional benefits of food vary between BJJ practitioners. Certain food mixes can be digested more easily than others while food that is hard to digest may hinder the full absorption of nutrients.

The right combination of different foods promotes better physical and mental health. Digestion exerts less pressure on the system, eliminating the chances of fermentation.

 All the above mentioned details are keenly addressed in the Gracie Diet Plan.

The essence of the Gracie diet is:

• Digestion consumes less energy. If BJJ practitioners consume adequate amounts of nutrients then the body will require less energy to finish digestion
• Foods can be categorized according to the digestive enzymes needed to break down the specific types of food. This will help prevent indigestion.
• There should be at least a four to five hour gap between meals. Properly chewing food helps encourage proper digestion.
• Avoid packed and processed foods.

Most studies on interpretations of healthy eating have mentioned that the word "balanced diet" is generally interpreted as almost the same as a "healthy diet." Few studies have shown how people perceive the concept of "eating a balanced diet" in everyday life. Gracie, while practicing and supporting jiu-jitsu, adopted and prescribed a vegetarian diet that would later become the Gracie Diet. Although he claimed authorship of the diet, it was the brainchild of Argentinean physician Juan Esteve Dulin who lived in Rio de Janeiro in the early 1920s. Dulin traveled extensively in search of centenarian individuals to study their habits and gather data to produce an ideal diet plan. As a result, a vegetarian diet became one of the backbones of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Carlos Gracie's main goal behind the Gracie Diet was to maintain the body’s equilibrium with the perfect nutritional plan. He divided the food into six groups.

Group One meals consist of protein-rich veggies, fats, and oily foods such as broccoli, cabbage, carrots, celery, eggplant, cucumbers, spinach, dry fruits, melted cheese, olive oil, butter, fish, eggs, oysters, prawns, chicken, lobster, etc.

Group Two consists of starch-rich foods including different grains like wheat, rice, pasta, lentils, potatoes, chestnuts, barley, yams, oats, quinoa, etc. According to the Gracie Diet Plan, starches cannot be combined with each other.

Group Three consists of sweet fruits and fresh and creamy cheeses such as apples, bananas, coconuts, cream cheeses, plums, raisins, watermelons, figs, herbs, ricotta cheese, etc. They can be combined with each other and with one member of Group Two. Make sure the member of group two is not butter or oils.

Group Four consists of acidic fruits like lemons, plums, grapes, pomegranates, lemons, tomatoes, cherries, grape fruits, blueberries and pineapples. They don't combine with each other or with anything else.

Group Five consists of dairy products, kefir, yolk, and baked milk derivatives. They don’t combine with oily fruits, olives, avocados, egg whites, and other fats.

Group Six consists of bananas that can be combined with milk, papaya, pears, watermelon, grapes, melons, and cream cheese but they cannot be combined with butter, avocados, oily fruits, dry fruits, honey, and olive oIls.

Helio Gracie considered meat unhealthy for the body and preferred to follow the vegetarian diet plans from the age of 27. His main focus was adequate combinations of foods and a balanced lifestyle between nutrition and physical activity. All of this requires proper digestion to promote the general well-being of BJJ practitioners By preventing harmful acidity and reducing the chances of fermentation.

A substitute for meat and fish can be avocado as it is protein-rich and toxin-free.

Helio Gracie incorporated following foods in his diet plan:

• Apples, Bananas, Melons, Watermelons, Papaya, Pears, Prunes, and Coconuts,
• Cream Cheese, Cottage Cheese, and Ricotta Cheese,
• Persimmons, Plums, Dates, Grapes, Guava, and Honey,
• Figs, Raisins, and Sugar Cane
• Tea of Leaves, Lemon Peels, Black/Herb Tea, and Decaf Coffee.

The balanced diet prepared by Carlos Gracie meets the daily intake requirements for every BJJ athlete. The basic philosophy behind the Gracie Diet is not to mix foods of different groups. You cannot mix sugary nutrients with starchy foods. The mixing of cereals with grains is also not allowed.

The four to five hour gap or smaller meal portions is ideal to follow the Gracie diet. Gracie also discussed that his diet plan could effectively treat and reduce the risk of various ills and diseases. In Carlos Gracie Jr.’s own words,

“Our body is a machine whose oil is blood. If blood is pure, that machine will work well. My father’s goal was to keep the family fighters well, i.e. free of any disease that might appear by any chance and hinder a possible fight.”

To follow the Gracie Diet, you need to give yourself time. You cannot expect to gain or lose weight in one night. The process requires patience and discipline to be able to get in shape.

If you want to commit to weight loss and want to improve your eating habits, then you need to learn how the Gracie Diet works. The Gracie Diet is not suitable for instant weight reduction. Most BJJ fighters give the opinion that the Gracie Diet Plan is not technically a “diet” because it doesn't encourage or prohibit eating food of a specific type.

You need to learn to manage your cravings and resist temptations for food which adversely affects your health and meal times. If you can change your eating habits, you will see an incredible change and improvement to your digestive system.

By following this jiu-jitsu diet plan, you can attain maximum results with minimal effort. As Carlos put it,

“Like fish, most people die through their mouths!”

If you follow the Gracie Diet, you may gain the following benefits:

• More energy
• Less headaches
• Decrease in irregular bowel movements
• Stomach aches
• Less chance of heartburn
• Efficiency in physical combat

Rorion Gracie commented upon the family diet by stating,

“I am so confident of the benefits from the diet that if I had to choose between my knowledge of jiu-jitsu or my diet, I would choose the diet!”

For most individuals, weight management is a difficult task which has led to the increased numbers of obese people in the world. For a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete, weight management is an integral part of BJJ training and only the consumption of healthy foods guarantees good physical, emotional, and mental health. Health professionals and sport nutritionists need to understand dynamic energy balance to better prepare effective dietary approaches with evidence to help BJJ athletes achieve their weight goals.

To manage weight, you need to keep in mind that:

• Nothing is too complex
• Jiu-jitsu empowers the weak
• Encourages you to trust yourself
• Overcome your weaknesses
• Weight loss builds confidence
• Small changes are easier to make
• Weight management helps reduce stress

The fight to attain optimum health is not easy but the rewards are great. Thousands of Jiu-Jitsu fighters and BJJ athletes have followed this Gracie Diet Plan with outstanding results.

When following this diet plan, keep yourself hydrated, stretch, and exercise regularly. Take a sunbath. Experiment with your meals, develop, and share new recipes with other BJJ athletes. Consider adopting the following to achieve your goals.

• Fast once or twice a month
• Opt for organic quality foods. Avoid farmed food
• Quit smoking
• Avoid alcohol, sodas, or sugary drinks
• Take naps

Gracie has written in his book that,

“The key to weight loss is to find the right balance of time and exertion that you can sustain given your personal schedule, interests, and physical abilities.”

The 14-day Gracie meal plan requires your full attention, will, and concentration to gain the full benefits. In case you feel hungry, increase the amount of green vegetables you eat but do not opt for eating large portions of food between two major meals. Avoid eating junk food and sweets. Drink two to three liters of filtered water.

Click to watch a video of Kron Gracie and his opinions about his diet’s effectiveness.

The Gracie Diet Plan was created with rules specific to different belt ranks from white to black. The diet will provide appropriate workloads to help you to build up stamina, adopt good habits, and prepare the proper food.

• Treats inflammation
• Removes Toxins
• Enhances performance
• Promotes health and longevity
• Aids in building muscle mass
• Prevents gastrointestinal infections
• Boosts energy and immune system
• Helps to heal Injuries

The daily diet intake requirements designed by the Garcie family for BJJ fighters is essential to adopt optimum health.