Ex-champ James J. Corbett wrote this advice about nutrition in the official Police Gazette training manual a century ago: Did you catch that? The alleged greatest technical boxer who ever lived had no idea how to properly diet for a fight. His advice boiled down to, "Just do whatever feels good." Fortunately, nutritional science in boxing has moved beyond the stone age. And today, Teri Tom's remarkable book is the cutting edge: Martial Arts Nutrition, published by Tuttle Publications in 2009. As far as bonafides go, the author's are unimpeachable. Teri Tom, MS, RD, worked with fighters including Amir Khan, Andrei Arlovski (a UFC fighter), and Manny Pacquiao as part of Freddie Roach's training camps. She knows her stuff. Pacquaio is an especial feather in her cap, since he is one of the most successful functional weight-gainers in recent memory. In 19 chapters, Teri Tom lays out everything you need to know -- sometimes in more detail than you need. The first couple chapters are basic. Tom says a little bit about her own life and why nutrition is important. The book turns up the heat in the middle chapters, where it explains why our bodies need various nutrients. Tom doesn't offer a voodoo diet like a lot of gurus. You'll come away from her discussion with a good grasp of why she recommends what she does. If you don't care about the science, the chapters in the middle of the book are the most practical. Tom gives you her "exchange" system, where she lays out what you need to eat, when, and why. It's all spelled out systematically. She also gives you sample diets for different levels of calorie intake. After that, Tom talks a little about supplements, the importance of hydration, and other details. An interview with Freddie Roach and a few "case files" explaining how Tom trained Amir Khan and Manny Pacquiao round out the book. The only downside is chapter 18, where Tom interviews a martial arts teacher with batty pseudoscientific views. Fortunately, Teri Tom does not ascribe to any of these views in her book, and does not endorse them herself. I assume that she owed her "sensei" a favor, and included his interview to be nice. That chapter can be safely skipped or, better, torn out and thrown violently in the trash. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in learning more about nutrition for boxing. The author knows her stuff, has paid her dues, and gives clear and complete explanations. These might bore some, but that is their loss.
