WCK - watch your lifestyle and diet!

[Knifefighter]

Hi

Look into Paleo or Primal eating.

Grains and Legumes are B.S. and the biggest indicator of health and longevity in the U.S. is belly fat (especially in men). Fitness is important too, especially in regards to having cardio and muscle reserves for when we are ill. Being able to walk vigorously for an hour a day, lift heavy things and do a little sprinting means we can recover more quickly from injury and as we age will prolong our health and vitality.

Look at Marksdailyapple.com, Paleo diet, neanderthin etc.

Our ancestors may have had a shorter lifespan due to disease, accidents, war, wild animals etc. However, the hunter gatherers of 10,000 years ago who lived till there 30's tended to have longer lifespans by 3 - 4 years and larger brains to boot. There is lots of research out there to support what I am saying and lots of lobbies against it.

Dave McKinnon

Please point to the studies in peer reviewed scientific journals pointing to the efficacy of the Paleo diet and showing that legumes and whole grains are "b.s."

And fitness or lack therof is the chief indicator of almost all health risks.

[anerlich]

and the biggest indicator of health and longevity in the U.S. is belly fat (especially in men).

I assume this means belly fat is an indicator of health risk, and not the lack of it? The above doesn't actually say whether belly fat is good or bad for your health.

[Dave McKinnon]

Knifefighter do your own research! There are books and papers published by anthropologists as well as some modern research showing that many modern diseases did not appear till grains entered our diets. Also beans and grains contain peroxins (sp) an anti-nutrient that is no bueno in large amounts. Along with beans and grains, the usual suspects of dairy, sugar and many types of vegetable oils have inflammatory affects on the body. New research finds carbohydrates from processed foods and grains may be a contributing factor to small LDLs. Something else for you to look into.

But try an experiment... Eat Paleo for 45 days, you will be leaner stronger and have better recovery from your workouts. All that protein, good fat and slow absorbing complex crabs is good for the body but you may feel like crap at first as you kick the complex carbs and your body detoxes.

As for belly fat, it is well documented that a lower hip to waste ratio or less belly fat is healthy. Even in subjects who were overweight, the ratio seemed to be a major indicator for many diseases.

[IRONMONK]

- Dump the supplements. Supplements are a great way to slowly poison your body.

Do you have source/studies proving this?

[sanjuro_ronin]

Moderation is the key, in all things it seems.
Eat foods that are prepared by you, eat them in moderation, eat them in a balanced way, monitor your body for changes when eating a certain way.
If you feel less energitic or gassy or less "well", then whatever changes you made are not working for you ( though they may work for others).
Body shapes and body fat % are not as important as people that want to sell you things make them out to be.
A six pack does not equal healthy, it equal low body fat , that's all.

KF makes a good point, our ability to do something athletic is a direct example of how healthy we are, if you get winded running to the bus, that is not a good sign, if you get winded WALKING up 4 flights of stairs, that is not a good sign, if it takes you a long time to catch your breath, that is not a good sign.

If you eat well and balanced there is no need to supplement anything.

[Knifefighter]

Do you have source/studies proving this?

Just check the published research over the years. Generally, you'll see a variety of negative health effects from supplementation.

BTW, you can see the latest example of this in the last issue of Consumer Reports showing excessive levels of heavy metals in several supplements.

[kung fu fighter]

Oftimes, WCK is too economical in movement. What I mean by that, is for your health, you need to supplement it with proper diet and nutrition, and supplementary exercises. Modern man does not walk enough and problems modern WCK has is health.

Here is something related to diet from Jamie Oliver:

http://www.foodmatters.tv/_webapp_37...ty_and_Disease

The founders ate what they ate, but probably had shorter lives due to war, famine, disease, but they had to do things on the Red Boats by hand and walked more than us. I will say that what is done today as "Chinese Food" is overindulgent in fat, oils, sugar. MSG, salt/sodium, and simple carbs.

Too many simple carbs like rice, noodles/pasta, pho, buns/bao, bread, breadsticks, cake, cookies, chips, soft drinks and juices load up the body with too much sugar that can be detrimental to your health. This easily leads to overweight, obesity and eventually, diabetes.

What Hawkins Cheung always said to me was, "If you survive, your art survives..." It has strong wisdom behind it.

Many WCK teachers see the pounds coming on as they age and have to consistently do something to change their eating habits, build lean muscle, and rest properly. By eating poorly, it leads to many modern diseases like hypertension, high cholesterol, metabolic syndrome, obesity, coronary artery disease, hypothyroidism, diabetes, and cancer. Diabetes (usually type II in overweight or obese individuals) can lead to blindness, neuropathy, impotence, etc. It is important to maintain a healthy BMI.

For example, WSL passed on due to a brain aneurysm (stroke) - it usually means that his diet was not that good, and he smoked and drank alcohol.

Yip Man died at 79 due to throat cancer, which is diet related and due to toxins in the food. Cantonese often like to eat preserved foods like salted fish, preserved eggs, stinky tofu, etc. which are full of cancer causing chemicals.

Bruce Lee's favorite dish of Oyster Beef on rice is full of sodium, carbs and preservatives. Drinking raw beef juice is also not a good idea... some of his diet ideas were very poor.

Late nights talking, extensive Mah Jong, many Dim Sum sessions with students is detrimental to health, as are bobas, sugar cane juices, and shave ices Chinese like. And eating late at night after class is very unhealthy and leaves for bad digestion problems, like diverticulitis, bowel cancer, ulcerative colitis. Gambling, along with smoking and drinking, it is a very dirty habit that some Cantonese enjoy and detrimental to health.

Juicing is also unhealthy as it releases tons of sugar in your system at once. I shudder to think of the many cokes and snapples I drank after long workouts in my youth. Plain old water or unsweetened ice tea would have been better.

It is good to be conscious about health.

I agree 100%! You guys should thank Robert for his great advice. i have always felt this way. That's why I supplement my wing chun training with weight training and Muai thai and BJJ. Along with joging and stationary bike. i also don't eat white flour and sugar.

[chusauli]

Knifefighter/Dale is right. Its true, many supplements are unnecessary and have high levels of heavy metals through processing.

Iron supplements can kill you, and you mainly p!ss away your B-Vitamins. Calcium is one of the biggest farces of all. Multivitamins can actually harm you, especially in taking large amounts of Vitamin A...do your research, but better yet, find a nutritionist or RD.

Excessive protein or high protein diets can hurt you. Very little protein is necessary for survival, let alone good health. Americans eat too much of it and it goes down the toilet! And it is a carcinogen and detrimental to the kidneys in large amounts.

Whole grains is better than enriched white flour, but the new farce. Humans and humanoids were hunters and gatherers initially, and basically ate what they gathered and did not plant grains. Grains aided in the development of society/civilization. Legumes were probably added along the way - the hiding of soy in our foods is why many men get moobs these days .

When people ask me about brown rice better than white, it is in a way, but also a misleading farce - its still a carb, with a smaller glycemic index.

Eat your green leafy veggies mostly (yes, the bitter stuff like: bok choy, broccoli, romaine lettuce, kale, mesclun, mustard greens, spinach, turnip greens, watercress, collard greens – best bet: Gourmet salad greens), some protein and fat, and some legumes. Cut down on a lot of fruit - it can make you a diabetic, too. Occasionally, eat some simple carbs in moderation. But YMMV depending on your body type and diseases. Since I regularly see diabetes, cancer, CAD, Parkinson's and other diseases, I know diets that can help the sick and help them recover. Diet/nutrition and exercise are the 2 biggest areas you can have over your health.

[Knifefighter]

Cut down on a lot of fruit - it can make you a diabetic, too.

Please point to even one scientific study published in a peer-reviewed journal that supports this assertion.

BTW, many members of the Gracie clans eat mostly fruit. Not one case of diabetes has ever been seen in any of those members who follow this regimen.

[Ultimatewingchun]

This is correct. Pure fruits and vegetables are excellent. It's external sugars that have to carefully monitored.

[chusauli]

Dale,

You can do your own research with journals. Here's something I just pulled off the internet:

http://www.drmirkin.com/public/ezine042609.html

and

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetes/AN01691

I've personally had patients who were diagnosed with metabolic syndrome (borderline Diabetic) overindulge in fruits and become full blown diabetics. I'm not saying eating a normal amount of fruit will harm you, but overindulging can cause problems. Look at the amounts on the Mayo Clinic, and see if you're overdoing it.

Many think that fruit juices are safe, but they're dangerous for diabetics or those with metabolic syndrome. The incidence of high fructose corn syrup hidden in foods and soft drinks in our diets is also causing obesity.

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/31/7/1311.full

Regarding the Gracie Diet, I think its a bit more balanced than what you are saying - there is a pairing of fruit with other foods which can balance out the ingestion of excess sugar and insulin.

Again moderation is key.

[Knifefighter]

When people ask me about brown rice better than white, it is in a way, but also a misleading farce - its still a simple carb, with a smaller glycemic index..

All grains are made up mostly of complex carbohydrates (so are vegetables). The only difference between a whole grain and a processed one is the fiber that comes from the bran and germ that is retained in whole grains. Glucose, maltose, fructose, and sucrose are simple carbohydrates and are only found when they are separated from plant materials.

BTW, the majority of fuel needed for exercise and neural function must come from carbohydrate.

[Knifefighter]

Dale,

You can do your own research with journals. Here's something I just pulled off the internet:

http://www.drmirkin.com/public/ezine042609.html]

This was about increased risk from fruit juice.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetes/AN01691

This was about people with diabetes already established. There was nothing to suggest high fruit intake caused Type 2 diabetes. You do know that outside factors do not cause Type 1, right?

Many think that fruit juices are safe, but they're dangerous for diabetics or those with metabolic syndrome. The incidence of high fructose corn syrup hidden in foods and soft drinks in our diets is also causing obesity.

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/31/7/1311.full

Yes, fruit juices are not much better than sodas (other than the fact that they often have antioxidant flavanoids). However, there is a world of difference between fruit juices and whole fruits.

Please learn the difference between processed simple carbohydrates and unprocessed, complex ones that are in whole, fiber-rich, unprocessed foods before making unfounded pronouncements that these foods cause disease.

[Knifefighter]

Speaking of causative factors for type 2 diabetes (which is, basically, a malfunction of the cells' glucose uptake ability), the main causative factors are obesity and inactivity. Type 2 diabetes often disappears once a person has gotten body fat and fitness to healthy levels.

[chusauli]

You do need carbs, but too many are overindulging in simple carbs or unaware they're taking in too many. Excessive carbs like chips, pizza, bread, breadsticks, pasta, rice, buns, muffins, cakes, cookies, tortillas, burritos, tacos, soft drinks, fruit juices – these are carbs with little nutritional value. You need complex carbs (vegetables and fruits) to stay alive, roughly 30-40% per meal - but overdoing with these empty carbs is unnecessary.

But if you go over, with having more calories than you burn, you start to store as fat.

Also fat comes from toxins in the body. But this is more TCM and Ayurvedic tradition.