Rickson on growing up with—and adapting—the Gracie Diet (part 1)

We've gone over how Rickson Gracie has managed for decades to stick to a diet that sounds unbelievably strict to most of us.

All of this links back to being raised under the influence of Helio and Uncle Carlos, creator of the Gracie Diet. We asked Rickson about his thoughts on Carlos's doctrine. Here's the first half of his answer:

“Carlos Gracie was our mentor for all the situations that appeared in life, in terms of nutrition, in terms of spirituality, in terms of, you know, mental approach to things, in terms of strategy, in terms of guidance in jiu-jitsu, in terms of motivating my father. 

“So Carlos Gracie was the guru, the number-one guy in terms of keeping the family and the clan connected and strong. And based on that, we have to respect and put a lot of value in everything he said. And the first thing we became accustomed to doing was follow his routine, his diet. 

“With the years passing, everything evolves. And I felt like what I learned from Carlos, which gave me a good base on health and creating a methodology of eating (we were not eating whatever; we were eating what we had to: the right time, the right meals, the right combinations)... So, this was an approach which was very much part of my education, part of my routine, and something I keep up today. 

“I don't eat [just] anything; I eat only things I feel like I should eat, I like to eat, that's worth it to eat, for any reason.”