Randy Couture, Uriah Faber, Jon Fitch, Nick and Nate Diaz and more…

Jake Shields isn't the only UFC fighter getting attention for eating no (or less) meat products. You may be surprised to see the number and level of fighters who are proponents of this diet enhancement.

Randy Couture and Uriah Faber both eat only limited meat. Jake Shields eats no meat at all, and Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, Jon Fitch and Mac Danzig don't eat meat or dairy.  There is a long and growing list of professional MMA and BJJ competitors who eat mostly or entirely only foods close to the source.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has a history of non and low-meat diets, tracing back to the Gracie Diet created by BJJ founder Carlos Gracie.  Gracie believed in eating natural foods raised close to where you live.  He also believed in eating foods similar to what we have been eating for thousands of years, and that meant much lower quantities of meat than people have access to today.

It's great to see what high profile fighters are doing, but the best way to know what works for your body is to take the test.

Why Fuel 4 The Fighter exists

Welcome.

This is the first of what will be many blog posts filled with ideas about eating better and training harder.  I hope you'll take the opportunity to respond with whatever you think, so this can be a two-way conversation as much as possible, and we can all benefit from each others' experience.

My name is David Meyer.  I am a lifelong martial artist, fighter, and now coach.  I made a personal decision to make my diet 100% great "close to the source" (plant based) dishes and eliminate meat, and soon after fish.  I was surprised that not only did I survive, but my energy level increased.  This "experiment" has now lasted 25 years, and I'm at the point now where I eat virtually no dairy or eggs.  For me, this diet has truly worked.  I am 48 years old, still training full tilt with guys half my age, and am in super shape.  Knock on wood, I'm as healthy as can be.

I've been training with MMA phenome Jake Shields for 7 years.  Jake was raised without ever eating meat, and has incredible speed, strength and endurance.  Now that Jake is finally getting the recognition he deserves, a lot of people have been asking about his diet. So we thought it would be good to put up a website to give out some basic info, and let people know that it is indeed possible to be strong and healthy while reducing or eliminating meat products, and lots of fighters are doing it.  We're not telling anyone what to do, but we just want to let people know what is possible, and give you some guidance if you want some.

This site has no agenda other than helping you see a way that could make you more healthy and powerful.  If it works for you , then great.  If not, that's fine too.  You can be a tree hugger or a hunter.  There is no politics, religion, or any other agenda here other than breaking the stereotype of needing to eat lots of meat to be strong.  That is just not what our experience has shown.

You will see we don't talk a lot about being "vegetarian" or "vegan".  Those words can carry good connotation for some people and bad for others, and you don't need to "be" anything, other than healthy!  We want whatever works best for you. It's my hope though that you will open your mind, challenge your assumptions, and let your body's experience guide you.  I am absolutely sure you will see an improvement in your performance and the way you feel and look if you reduce or eliminate meat products, and enjoy the huge world of great, healthy, foods that are "close to the source".

So welcome, good luck, and I wish you great health, happiness and success in your training.

Yours truly,

Dave Meyer

Definition of terms- let’s be sure we are speaking the same language.

I thought it would help to have a post defining some of the terms used on this website, and when talking about diet in general. These are not the dictionary definitions, just plain English so we can think about things correctly.

So here you go.

Eating "close to the source".  This is just a way to think about every fruit, vegetable, nut, root, plant, etc. and all the things they can easily be made into.  You can think of it as nutrients starting in the soil.  Sun and water hit the plant, that draws the nutrients into what we see as fruits, leafs, roots, seeds, etc.  Basically every single food you see in the supermarket and every food you have ever eaten that is not a Cow, Chicken, Sheep, or Fish is food close to the source.  These foods direct from the land and are first consumed by us after being grown.

When some animal comes along and eats the food that has grown in the ground (or on the bush or tree), the food gets turned into energy so the animal can grow.  When another animal (or a person) eats the first animal, they are generally eating the muscles, in order to gain nutrients into their own body.  This is therefore eating not as "close to the source".  It's not that you can't get nutrients that way, but for people, getting the nutrients and calories "second hand"  comes with a price.  That price is cholesterol, fat, concentrations of pesticides, hormones used in animal farming, etc.

Meat.  This would or course be any kind of muscle or other food derived from a land animal (or a bird).  So that would include steak, lamb, chicken, etc.  We can also include though fish, which although seen as a great alternative to meat by many, comes with it's own health risks which increasingly include mercury and other toxic pollutants that are in the ocean and get concentrated in the bodies of fish.

Plant-based diet.  This is a term I won't use so much on this site because honestly, it sounds a bit wimpy.  But like it says, it means a diet that is primarily made of close to the source foods such as fruits, vegetables, and the foods that they can be made into (breads, pastas, casseroles, tofu, or whatever).

Carnivore.  This is a type of animal that basically cannot easily digest plant foods and eats only meat, like a tiger or wolf.

Vegetarian.  Someone who does not eat any meat or fish, but does eat dairy and eggs.  I think we should try to stay away from terms like this because they make is seem like you need to be all or nothing, which is just not true,  Even the biggest meat eating person doesn't not eat ONLY meat.  And I don't like the concept of "becoming a vegetarian" like you have suddenly changed.  We don't have a special name for someone who avoids wheat gluten, or someone who eats only low fat foods.  Think of it all on a sliding scale.  Some people eat a higher percentage or meat in their diet, some less, some none,  I believe less is good, and none is even better, but you should take the test and see what your body tells you.

Vegan.  Someone who eats no meat or fish, and also no dairy or egg or other animals products.  This term also can confuse the issue because some people see it as a bigger lifestyle that goes beyond what food you eat.  If you choose for example to not wear fur or even leather, there are good reasons to do that, but this site is about nutrition and athletic performance, so we'll generally stick words that keep us focussed on that.

I hope these definitions help you navigate this site.

Jon Fitch’s diet

Jon Fitch shot a simple video of what he east on an average day, and here it is.  All foods from the source, and no meat or dairy, and Jon Fitch is a beast in the cage!

Nick Diaz comments on his no meat and dairy diet

Nick tells it like it is.

What’s the deal with Tofu?

Tofu is a curd make of soy beans.  It's amazing because it can take on any flavor when added to a dish, and has good protein with no cholesterol.  People in Asia have been eating tofu for centuries, tossing it into stir frys and curry dishes.

Tofu gets a bad rap because it has no flavor.  Just think of tofu like a protein powder.  It needs to be added to other things that have flavor, like sauces.  Or it can be sliced and marinated, stir fried, or even deep fried.

It comes in soft, firm and extra firm.  Extra firm is good for slicing thin, marinating and placing on a barbeque with other marinated vegetables.  Soft tofu is good for mixing into sauces like pasta sauce, because it will fall apart and just become part of the sauce.

Recently, people have been questioning tofu because it may contain chemicals that mimic estrogen.  All we can say is there is no shortage or dominant male testosterone in us as fighters, and many of us have eaten lots of tofu for years.  So feel free to keep an eye on research as it comes out, but we still think tofu is a great meat substitute in any dish.

Also, don;t forget about tempeh, another soy product that is fermented, can replace meat in dishes, and some people think is even healthier than tofu.