Nick Jonas Battles Diabetes With Paleo-Style Low-Carb Diet And Mixed Martial Arts Training [Video]

Once viewed as a sweetly naive member of the Jonas Brothers, Nick is determined to carve out his own path in the competitive entertainment industry. And he’s not going to let his diagnosis of type 1 diabetes stop him. From a Paleo-style low-carb diet to intense mixed martial arts (MMA) training, Nick Jonas is reinventing his body and his career, reported Fox News.

“It’s a big transition,” admitted Nick. “I am stepping into what is really like starting over and that’s exhilarating, but also really frightening.”

While bolstering his music career with a new album and single “Jealous,” Jonas also is taking on new professional challenges with a TV role. He chose the opportunity to be cast as a mixed martial arts competitor on DirecTV’s Kingdom.

But the training required for that MMA role was intense. He added 15 pounds of muscle in two months by doing six-hour MMA sessions, plus cardio and strength-training twice a day.

“I’m the kind of person that loves a challenge and I had reached a point right before it when I was just ready. My grandfather, who I was really close to, passed. And right after that everything fell into line. I feel like he was orchestrating all of it, which is really kind of special.”

Although his brothers teased him as he became more muscular, his girlfriend motivated him to keep moving. Olivia Culpo is a believer in exercise, and won Miss Universe 2012.

“My brothers were kind of making fun of me a little bit as I was doing it because I was getting really big. But my girlfriend is also really into fitness so it’s nice to have a teammate, a partner, who is down to do it with me and kind of explore that with me.”

But because of his diabetes, Jonas emphasizes that he always follows a carefully calculated food plan. However, he did modify his low-carb diet for the MMA training, he told Details.

“I don’t have the luxury of eating whatever I want whenever I want anyway, because of my type 1 diabetes, so I have been conscientious about food for a long time,” added the musician.

A typical breakfast for Jonas includes an omelet with veggies and cashew cheese, a turkey-meat patty, and some fruit. Nick consumes lean protein, vegetables and nuts for both lunch and dinner. His snacks also follow the low-carb diet guidelines and Paleo diet rules by avoiding grains and sugar.

As the Inquisitr reported, many experts also recommend low-carb diets as the best way to reduce the risk of diseases ranging from dementia to heart disease. One such expert, Dr. David Perlmutter, explained that a high fat low carb diet prevents blood sugar spikes, which in turn lowers the risk of such conditions.

For Nick, however, the combination of a low-carb diet and intense workouts has paved the path to a dramatically beefed-up body. Ellen DeGeneres decided to give Jonas an opportunity to flaunt his new body by inviting him to play the role of guest DJ, reported MTV News. He cheerfully showed off his Ellen underwear after the crowd kept pleading with him to take off his shirt.

“I’m done taking my shirt off,” Nick explained. “However, I did get some really good underwear from you so I’m going to now take my pants off.”

Nick also earned cheers for his rendition of his new song below.

http://youtu.be/6dUjr4Vw8NQ

[Photo by David Silverman/Getty Images]