The Hard Truth with John Joseph/Dietary Changes I've Made as an Aging Grappler

Made some gradual but also some significant changes to my diet in the past year. I'll detail the changes over the course of actually about 18 months so as to make clear that it wasn't some one day, everything was different path but rather the accumulation of information and trial and error and experiencing the benefits of the changes.
I got MRSA last April, but in retrospect and in talking with my doctor and doing research, I had made my body an inhospitable environment for taxing physical duress.

I overhauled my diet and largely eradicated artificial sweeteners and processed sugar. Sure, I have a soda or 2 a week, sure I'll have a snickers or Peanut M&M's on the Subway, but the days of piling that stuff in my face are long gone.

I now rarely consume pork other than Bacon, but soon that will be all but gone.
I now rarely consume red meat as I can simply feel how heavy it is in my gut the day after when I'm training midday.

I now juice fruits and vegetables 5-6 days out of the week. I plan to soon add green heavy smoothies to that as well. As a result of the juicing I'm consuming less coffee, feeling more energy at mid-afternoon, and even late evening than previously.

I'm consuming more and more of my protein from plant sources like Brocoli et al, and I honestly feel lighter and cleaner and was able to make 140 lbs for my most recent superfight at Rise Invitational almost entirely by diet, with almost no water sweating necessary. It was supposed to be a dry run for making 135 for the Sub Spectrum event out in Iowa March 2nd (but I'm now booked for ACL reconstruction...so much for the best laid plans).

All this being said....as an aging grappler, I'm unwilling to concede that my best days are behind me...and that means a total overhaul of all my corollary behaviors which impact training: sleep, diet, recovery. I feel as good as I ever have despite the effects of nearly 16 years of combat sports in one form or another.

Do yourself a favor. Start making changes. 

Interview Thursday: Stephen Maxwell (Your Diet Sucks & Fitness Fallacies)

For those who don't know, Stephen Maxwell (father to Zak Maxwell who I've spotlighted on here quite a bit) "was the first man to teach kettlebell classes in the United States. He holds a Master’s Degree in Exercise Science". He is also one of the early black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the United States.
I'm not much for fitness gurus of sorts, but the guys is articulate and espouses a number of training and fitness-related beliefs with rationale for why he believes them; rather than spouting maxims of belief unsupported by reasoning or because "[his] coach told [him] so."
Whether you agree or not, it's good to hear from someone who appears to be in good health, has trained and tried many different methods, and is still involved in sport, fitness, training, and diet methodology.

I don't believe all of the things he espouses, in particular for those wishing to maximize their competitive training, but for overall health and longevity, he appears to have some sounds ideas for overall health in the long term. Most people over-eat, and most of us over-eat food products that cause terrible effects on our bodies.

I also discount those that solely rely on holistic medicine without consulting modern medicine. Folk remedies, holistic healing, and other methods arose due to the lack of human understanding regarding a number of complex biological processes and physical structures within the human body.
My ACL would not have been healed by drinking fluids, fasting, and twisting my leg around.
But, as they say, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.



He looks better at 60 than most people I see walking around at 25.