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02: The Role of Protein in Breakers' Diets


In this episode, Mira --- a breaker and nutritionist --- discusses nutrition tips for breakers over 18. He emphasizes the importance of a balanced diet and debunking myths about demonizing certain foods. He discusses the role of macronutrients, particularly protein and carbohydrates, in enhancing performance in breaking. Mira also addresses the timing of nutrition, the importance of body weight for breakers, and the types of protein supplements that are beneficial. Overall, the conversation provides valuable insights into effective nutrition strategies for breakers looking to enhance their performance.



About the Speaker

Starting breaking when he was 15 years old, Mira has always been interested in how bodies work which got him into the world of sports science and nutrition.

He has a Master’s degree in Sport & Exercise Nutrition and a BSc degree in Sport & Exercise Science. He is also a published coauthor in the British Journal of Nutrition. Through performance nutrition coaching, Mira helps adult athletes, dancers, stunt performers, and other active individuals better understand nutrition and improve their performance and recovery.


For more nutrition tips, check out the links below:

Ig: @breakingnutritionist


Takeaways

  • A balanced diet is important for breakers, and there is no need to demonize certain foods.

  • Protein is a key macronutrient for breakers, with a recommended intake of 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight.

  • Carbohydrates are the main energy source for breakers and should be consumed before, during, and after training sessions.

  • Body weight plays a role in performance, and breakers should find their optimal weight for optimal performance.

  • Protein supplements, particularly whey protein, can be beneficial for breakers who struggle to meet their protein goals.

  • Timing of nutrition is important, but the anabolic window is not as critical as previously believed.

  • A food-first approach is recommended, with supplements used as a last resort.

  • Tracking calorie intake and adjusting macronutrients based on training and goals can help breakers optimize their nutrition.


Time Stamps

00:00 Introduction and Overview

01:54 Mira's bio

09:01 Finding the Optimal Body Weight for Breakers

10:33 The Importance of Carbohydrates for Energy

12:47 Debunking Anabolic Window Myth

14:35 Defining Balanced Diet

18:01 Recommended amount of protein & veggies

22:28 Role of Protein Shake

23:20 Debunking Myth about Protein

25:15 Recommended Type of Protein for Breakers

29:23 A Food-First Approach to Nutrition for Breakers

31:27 How to Track Fat & Protein Intake with Apps

34:50 Outro


Transcripts

00:00 Introduction and Overview

Hitomi: You've probably seen loads of videos on social media. There's always something, you know, the video starts with a hook, like you should not eat this, you should not eat that. And like there's a lot of demonizing foods, which is not good at all because essentially what makes the poison is the dose. What's up, everyone? Welcome to the second episode of Breakorial. I'm your host Hitomi.

Today we're going to be talking about nutrition tips for breakers over 18 with our guest Mira. Mira is a breaker and a nutritionist. Starting breaking when he was 15 years old, he's always been interested in how bodies work, which got him into the world of sports science and nutrition. He has a master's degree in sport and exercise nutrition and a bachelor of science degree in sport and exercise science.

He is also a published co -author in the British Journal of Nutrition. Through performance nutrition coaching, Mira helps adult athletes, dancers, stunt performers, and other active individuals better understand nutrition and improve their performance and recovery. Our talk on nutrition is divided into two parts. In this episode, he focuses on addressing how to enhance performance in breaking through nutrition with an emphasis on a macronutrient protein.

I really enjoyed talking with him and uncovering dozens of myths on the internet that I used to follow, so I'm sure you guys will love this too. As a disclaimer, the information shared in this episode doesn't apply to breakers below 17, since their nutrition needs and recommendations are completely different from adults, which is the major population Miura usually works with. Let's hear what he has to say about effective nutrition strategies for breakers looking to enhance their performance.

01:54 Mira's bio

Mira: Yes, so, let's introduce myself. Hi, I'm Mira. My actual name is Mira Slav. I'm originally from Czech Republic, but I live in the UK and I've studied in the UK. So that's actually the reason why I moved to the UK. I came here to study at the university. So I did bachelor's degree in sports science, and then master's degree in sports nutrition. And that's also I mean, I started breaking when I was 15. 

So 15 years ago now. And kind of a similar similar story, to be honest, like breaking kind of led me into this kind of world of sports science and to nutrition. That was the main reason why I got interested in it and why then I went and study, you know, sports science and nutrition, just because of breaking, I just wanted to dance as long as possible and, you know, learn as much as I can about a human body and stuff. So it was a very selfish kind of decision to study these things. then obviously along the way I started helping others. yeah. 

Hitomi: Thank you so much. Not at all. Because I think like breaking is like in the middle of dance and sports. And so you also have to like have that knowledge of how to train, right? Or you'll get injured. 

Mira: Unfortunately, because it's the gray area, there's no enough studies done on breakers. yeah, it's, it's definitely unless you're a breaker yourself, I think it's very difficult even for like strength and conditioning coaches or other nutritionists to actually fully understand how breaking, you know, works in terms of physiology and stuff. So yeah, it is a very, very tricky.

We could call it a sport. I mean, it's probably going to be some people arguing it's art. And it's cool activity. So technically it's a sport now and now being in the Olympics, you know, it is a sport. 

Hitomi: Technically. Is there like, was there any experience? Why did you get into breaking first of all? I just saw it on YouTube and I thought it was cool.

Mira: I started learning on my own. 

Hitomi: That's cool. 

Mira: Yeah, I remember it. was like the first time I think yeah, it was the Red Bull BC one 2004 highlights on YouTube with bboy Jr. And that so that video, I was like, my god, this is insane. Like, how is he doing push ups with like his legs in the air and like all of the you know, cool moves.

And then I started watching more and like, Lilou and Hong10 these two also like 2004, 2005 Red Bull BC One highlights like, I think that was the main kind of reason I was like, this is cool. I want to learn this. And yeah, then I just downloaded some video guides from YouTube actually, I think Gamblerz Crew from South Korea. 

They had some guides online on YouTube and I just downloaded the videos and I just went to garage and started learning on my own. 

Hitomi: So that's so special because I think like most people they just stop right there after they watch the video but not really do it. But in your case, you actually started on your own. 

Mira: Yeah, I have insane motivation. I don't know.

And also, like there was no breaking classes around where I used to live. So there wasn't any option for me to go and learn from others. But I would say like, back then, like, it was quite normal. You know, there wasn't many breaking schools or breaking classes around it was quite, it's probably more popular now. 

But you know, how did you get into like, you said you started a year ago.Did you like find a class or like, did you get around? 

Hitomi: Yeah, I actually found a class. I live near like Kawasaki and breaking is really popular there. And also other like street cultures, like graffiti and hip hop. Before I was into double Dutch, which is like a sport or dance you use like two ropes and jump in them. Yeah. And that was also part of a street culture and at the same like studio.

There was another like breaking class and I got interested in so I joined and here I am. 

Mira: That's cool. Yeah, like Japan was always like at least from my point of view was always ahead in terms of like actually promoting the breaking and being very supportive of the culture and you know the dance itself and South Korea as well. Like overall, I think, you know, Asia is just somewhere else with this. 

Hitomi: China as well, right? Like their power moves, especially like kids these days, they're they're insane. Yeah, but we don't even have like, you know, a lot of footage from China because of all the social media, you know, you know, that 

they can use I think, you know, social media there and stuff and YouTube and all of this stuff is banned. So but if you go away, and I mean, at least I've heard and like, you know, you would have like, hundreds of kids on competitions and stuff. It's just crazy. 

Hitomi: Yeah. Okay, so let's dive into our questions. I just like wanted to start with some general ones. Are there anything you keep in mind when structuring like a meal plan or making meal for yourself as a breaker?

Mira: So, okay, before I start answering questions, I think, just to not let people get confused, what goal are we talking about? Because it's very important. like, are we talking about improving performance or, you know, like, weight loss or muscle gain or, you know, because it's going to be different scenarios. 

Hitomi: Right, right. Let's say improving performance. 

Mira: Okay. Okay, so the first thing I would say before I jump into the nutrition part, the first thing with improving performance, which everyone should consider is their body type and their sport, obviously talking about breaking here. So everyone has a different, you know, body structure.

09:01 Finding the Optimal Body Weight for Breakers

The best way to improve your performance at first it's kind of adjust your body weight so you know in I mean if you talk to sports nutritionist they probably gonna help you with that to kind of assume but like for yourself you could probably kind of guess at what body weight you feel the best while breaking. So for example I mean I'm quite tall I'm like 6 '2 so like at some point I actually tried and I gained a bit of weight and I was like 90 kilos but like, I immediately felt it in breaking I was just too heavy, you know, like just walking on my hands. I was like, my god, this is like so exhausting. And for other years, I kind of adjusted my body weight to breaking. So like, I feel the best when I'm around like 84, 83, 82 kilos. And then I feel, you know, powerful light and I can do everything. 

So I think the first challenge for people is kind of play with it, play with their body weight and kind of figure out at what weight they feel the best. And then your goal is to maintain that weight, which the best way to maintain is it's scone calories and actually, you know, do it properly. I learned the skill of counting calories and making your kind of nutrition plan in that sense. 

10:33 The Importance of Carbohydrates for Energy

And the main performance enhancer in nutrition and especially for breakers is carbohydrates. So the amount of carbohydrates you get into your body throughout the day, as well as if we would get into details and specifics, like, first of all, have the overall amount of carbohydrates you want to ingest during the day.

But also according to your training, there is timing wise. So, you know, the amount of carbohydrates before training during training, after training, depending on how long the sessions are, what you have done before during the day and stuff to support the performance and recovery. So it gets a bit more, a bit more detailed at that point. But like, I would like everyone to know that carbohydrates is the main energy source for the muscle, for breakers.

But most sports, breakers especially because it's a very explosive, high intensity activity. So, and the more high intense the activity is, the more you rely on carbohydrates. So that's the main reason. I would probably compare it to gymnastics a bit, know, gymnasts usually train very similar way that, you know,

have a routine, they perform the routine and then they rest for a bit. And I like breakers, they have their set or this certain movements, they do it high intense then a recipe they try again. So like, it's very, very similar kind of structure to training. So very carbohydrate intense. Yeah, did I answer the question? I think I answered the question. You mentioned me off because sometimes I get on a tangent, like,

Hitomi: No, it was perfect. Because what you mentioned about like nutrition timing, in terms of carbohydrates before and after exercise, is there like a specific amount of time you have to take your carbs right after the exercise? is there a time limit to it? 

12:47 Debunking Anabolic Window Myth

Mira: I'm guessing you're probably talking about the anabolic window.

Hitomi: Yes. 

Mira: So, so it is pretty much a myth. There is a very, very small benefit of taking it right after exercise, but there is no need like, usually it's anabolic window thing was created mostly by bodybuilders. 

And they thought that if they consume protein and carbohydrates within the first 30 minutes of exercise or workout, they're gonna gain more muscle, which has been disproved. So there is not really evidence. And as a breaker, your goal is not really to gain muscle mass in the first place. So your goal should be to support recovery and support the replenishment of glycogen.

So for people who don't know, carbohydrates, when you consume carbohydrates, they are stored as glycogen in your muscles. So that's what produces the energy for the muscle. So they should be your main go after exercise. There is no time limit. As long as you have a well balanced dinner at some point after training, you're completely fine. So there is no pressure in terms of, you know, we need to consume it within an hour or anything.

Hitomi: So in the balance, I think people are really interested in what defines a balanced diet for breakdancers. A balanced diet for breakdancers, I guess balanced diet for everyone, would be or should be the same. 

14:35 Defining Balanced Diet

Mira: You know, just as it sounds, a balance, you know, there is no bad or right foods to eat. people should really get rid of this thing that some things are healthy, some things are unhealthy, which you've probably seen loads of videos on social media. There's always something, you know, the video starts with a hook, like you should not eat this, you should not eat that. And like there's a lot of demonizing foods, which is not good at all because

Essentially, what makes the poison is the dose. like if you like a cake, for example, well, if I give you a specific example, had clients who were really affected by this and they would feel really guilty when they would have like a slice of cake and it would really affect their mental health in that sense

they could eat completely clean the whole day, they would exercise, they would be really fit, but then they had the cake and they will feel completely like, my God, I fucked everything up or whatever. And it's definitely not a healthy habit to get into. So like that one cake is not going to affect anything, you know, if the rest of your diet is completely fine. And especially

you know, you can as well time it well. So if you really want the cake in a day, just having after exercise and it actually going to help you replenish the glycogen and all these things. So there is time and place for any food, essentially. 

The only thing I would say avoid is trans fats, but it's very limited limited amounts in foods nowadays anyway. It's usually put in like, if you've seen like in shops, like these cakes, which are on the shelves made like they could be on the shelves for months and they look the same. That's very unhealthy. Like these kind of trans fats. but other than that, really, I mean, I shouldn't be scared of sugar. I shouldn't be scared of anything. people should focus to have lean, protein sources.

lot of fruits, a lot of vegetables, starches and tools, know, like just overall balance. think most people know what healthy looks like. think the issue is that people are, you know, scared of bringing something unhealthy in, but like everything is its place as long as it doesn't consume the majority of your diet. So if the majority of your diet is McDonald's, it's probably not good.

this chance or cakes, you know, it's, but a majority of diet is like super clean and healthy. And you completely fine. Just enjoy whatever you like, you know, just don't feel guilty about your food choices. If as long as you keep active, and you care about your protein intake and having frozen vegetables, that you should be

18:01 Recommended amount of protein & veggies

Hitomi: So for vegetables and like protein, is there like a specific amount you can take in one meal or is that like totally up to every individual? 

Mira: So protein, people should start, I would say about one gram per kilogram of body weight. It's a good start for everyone. For athletes, I would say all the way up to 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight. That should be a great goal. It seems to be that 1.6 is like that kind of golden standard for maximizing your muscle and recovery. But overall protein is also great for satiety. So for people who want to lose a bit of weight, increasing your protein intake definitely is going to

And in terms of vegetables, especially vegetables, it don't count calories on vegetables. It doesn't matter. Just eat as much as you want. With fruits, obviously there is a bit of fructose and sugar in fruits. you can limit a bit of fruits in that sense, but vegetables, don't

Hitomi: So 1.6 kilograms, 1.6 grams per kilo in one meal or in a day? 

Mira: In a day, that's a daily goal. Yeah. And then it's up again, up to individuals how often they want to eat. For maximizing muscle growth, you want to spread it across three to four meals in a day.

But if you're someone who is used to eating two meals a day, it's not much of a big difference. This is again, mostly for bodybuilders, know, because bodybuilders is like probably one of the only sports who really focus about maximizing the size of their muscle. So in that sense, they would have, you know, they would be eating every three to four hours, a certain amount of protein and to completely maximize their muscle gains. 

But for majority of other athletes and normal people, it doesn't really matter that much as long as you're hitting your daily protein goals, you're fine. Okay. 

Hitomi: So for breakdancers, you don't necessarily have to like distribute the amount of protein you take within a day. So if you're like 60 kilograms, then that would be what, like 90, about 90 kilograms of protein per day. And how much should you consume in one sitting?

Mira: Again, it's very, very individual. How much you willing to eat, how much can you actually eat? Because I mean, I don't know if you've tried ever eat like 70 grams of protein in one sitting is actually a tough job to do. just the best ways to probably space it out evenly. let's say if you have the 90 and you're eating twice, probably 45 and 45, if you can eat that much would do well. 

If not spread it out in more meals, you know, just whatever works for the person. that's why nutrition coaching and nutrition overall is very individual and personalized because you kind of have to adjust to people's habits. It's very difficult.

For someone, let's say if you're used to eating, some people are used to eating just once a day, some people twice a day. And now if I will go and say, like, look, you have to eat five times a day now, it's going to be very difficult to adjust. So, you know, for people who may be listening and stuff, they probably have a certain schedule and they can easily just take that number and just spread that number, you know, alongside their schedule and just make it work.

22:28 Role of Protein Shake

And sometimes, you know, that that's also when if you're really struggling with your protein goals, that's where protein shakes could potentially come in. Especially women are found sometimes struggle with hitting their protein protein goals because they feel full quite quickly. So that's when it helps. You know, you can have a meal with 25 grams of protein

carbs and vegetables, etc. But at the end of the day, you might find, I'm still missing like 20 -40 grams of protein. Well, that's where the shake could be helpful because then you can just put one or two scoops in drinking of water and you're fine and your protein goal is hit. Right? So there's always ways out to get around things.

23:20 Debunking Myth about Protein 

Hitomi: There's like thousands of myths on the internet and one of them I found was there is a limited amount of protein you can consume at a time. And is that a thing?

Mira: To put it simply, it is not a thing. Your body will take as much as it needs. simply put, if you're going to be starving yourself all day and then you're going to have one meal at night, your body is going to take as much as it needs for it to function, recover from whatever you've done in a day. 

It's very difficult to actually measure it how much they will take but like if you compare that to someone who is going to be spreading their meals four times a day

The person who is eating four times a day and then would have a big chunk at the end would probably absorb less because they already had somewhat sufficient amount throughout the day. But if the person was starved and then had a big amount, your body will just use as much as it can, essentially, if that makes sense. So to clarify,

If even if you take one chunk, maybe 90 kilograms of protein at a time or distribute it throughout the day, the body will take as much as you as much as it needs. And it's not affect how much is consumed. No. Okay. sorry. Yeah. Yeah. But like, mean, overly simply put, just don't worry about it. Like just focus on your daily goal and try to hit your daily goal. 

25:15 Recommended Type of Protein for Breakers

Hitomi: Okay. Yeah. And protein. There's like a lot of questions I collected from people around me. So are there like specific types of protein you would recommend for breakdancers? Because there's like whey, casein and a lot of shakes. 

Mira: Right. Well, the most researched and the best protein in terms of the amino acid profile is definitely whey protein. The rest obviously if you are vegan or well vegetarian obviously whey is vegetarian but like if you're vegan you can opt to some plant -based options. With the plant-based options though the disadvantage is they don't taste that well and so you need to make sure that it's either a soy base because soy is pretty much the only plant source, which is the full amino acid profile, somewhat similar to whey, not as good. 

Or I think most companies do this anyway, but you want to have a mixture of different sources to make the actual full amino acid profile. So if it will be vegan, you want to look at if it has, let's say, they usually do a lot of pea protein and brown rice proteins, like mixed together to kind

fill out the missing amino acids. If you would be just consuming pea protein, you're going to be missing some amino acid. That's why if you're a vegan, you want to be really careful how you take your protein and make sure that you're getting all of the amino acid profile essentially. 

Hitomi: Okay. Is there a difference between whey and other types of protein? 

Mira: Yes, so whey has the highest amount of the full amino acid profile. has the highest amount of essential amino acids and also is pretty cheap compared to other protein alternatives. You have several types. So you have whey concentrate, have whey isolate and whey hydrolyze.

And the only difference is, so concentrate is going to have a little bit of lactose and sugar in it. if you're a person who is sensitive to lactose, or it just doesn't make you feel good or you don't want the extra calories because I mean, it's tiny amount, but like there is a little bit more calories in that one because of the lactose. You want to probably go and just opt in for the isolate, which is just pure protein.

and nothing else. then hydrolyzate is pretty much made mostly for quicker digestion and it's probably the most purest form, but also it doesn't taste very well. I don't think many people need to even consider that one. Same one with casein. Casein

again, created by the bodybuilding community essentially was created for them to, so casing, the, the absorption is case of casing is very slow. So it's very good when you take it before bed. But again, that's mostly for large humans like what it will, there's, we'll need to consume high amount of protein and want to like maximize the muscle growth. So they would usually take that one before bed.

But yeah, like for breakers, don't bother. Get away if you really struggle, you know, hitting your protein goals. It's still a supplement. So you should, you know, focus on food first kind of approach. So as much protein as you can from normal foods. And then if you struggle, go for protein shakes. 

29:23 A Food-First Approach to Nutrition for Breakers

Hitomi: So the priority is taking protein from foods.

Mira: Yes, yes, always, always like supplements is like the last last thing you should be thinking about with anything really everything should come from food first. And then you can supplement that's that's how the supplements have been, you know, created for not watch people reverse it. A lot of people they buy all the supplements before they even start going to gym.

but that's just the marketing of it, I guess.

Hitomi: Is there a specific reason why you would want to take protein from meals like foods or? 

Mira: Well, it's because you're getting more nutrients overall. And, know, like still like even if you take whey protein isolate, it's still just protein. There is not much vitamins and minerals and other, you know, trace minerals, which you possibly could find in meat or protein sources. 

And also, you want to chew on things, you know, you also want to work your muscles in your mouth and like make work with all your enzymes and everything. So like overall, overall health is always to have foods first approach. I mean, you could definitely survive on just supplements, I wouldn't recommend it. 

Hitomi: You could be drinking like chicken smoothie the whole day, but not recommended. 

Mira: I mean, look, there are some people who like eating for like eating food is a chore for them. Like they really struggle to eat food. They're not motivated. They're not foodies, you know, so for them, the extra supplements could be helpful just to get some extra nutrients in. But yeah, food, have as much as you want.

31:27 How to Track Fat & Protein Intake with Apps

Hitomi: So for protein, had much talk about it, but for carbohydrates, are there any like specific amount you would recommend? Just like in protein, we had 1.6 kilograms per kilogram, but for carbs, there any numbers? 

Mira: So I'm not going to say a number, simply because it could cause a trouble in people who don't actually count calories, we've never counted calories. So I would recommend everyone to try and see for themselves how much they're actually eating and use. You can use one of those free software as it could be my fitness pal or chronometer. There's tons of free software you can use to actually track your calories and you know, do your food diary, try to count every single thing you put in your meals, every snack.

you know, every teaspoon of sugar you in your tea or whatever. Try to track as much as possible and see for yourself first what you're actually eating. Because if you don't do this, you're just guessing and a lot of people underestimate how much they eat. know, and then when you have this baseline measurement, then you can look at your foods and see, okay, I'm missing this amount of protein based off of what I said before. So

if you go with the 1.6 and then, then you go down and with carbs and fats, the easiest way how to do it for athletes is just focus on the minimum amount of fat, which for females would be around 50 grams of fat. And for males would be 80 grams. That's usually a good starting point just to you want this amount just to have good hormonal balance is not good to completely cut out fat. 

Fat is still good for you. And then when you have the minimum amount of fat, the rest is just carbs. Just fill the rest of your calories carbs. and then it's just, you know, learning how to do this with and hitting those numbers. So if you see, okay, I've eaten 2000 calories today.

and I've had consistent weight over the past two or three months, it means that the 2000 calories probably are maintenance calories. So you can already start working with it, adjust your carbohydrates based on your training. So like the highest amount of carbohydrates you would have on a heavy training day. If you're not training that day, you could eat more fat and reduce the carbohydrates.

Pretty much that's the only two things you adjust. The protein stays the same, like carbs and fats, you can wiggle around it based on your training and your expenditure. 

Hitomi: So even if you don't practice like every day, you still want to keep that protein intake the same? 

Mira: Yes, yes, definitely.

34:50 Outro

Thank you so much for listening. If you have any questions or comments, please email us at breakorial@gmail .com. See you on part two. Bye.

 
 
 
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