Nutrition to help golfers.

We have all been there. A great round starts to go south because energy levels start to drop. Fatigue sets in, and we see all of our hard work sink into a swirling toilet. It always leaves golfers questioning their fitness, but never the nutrition. I've heard it often in my regular group. "I feel so out of shape", yet this person walks 18 at least three times a week. When I suggest better nutrition, I get all kinds of funny looks, but in most cases it is a far larger problem than physical conditioning.

What do I recommend? Well, without going into detail about macro and microbolic  nutrition, lets start with a baseline for carbs, proteins, and fats.

The baseline number you should work from is 40/40/20. I realize that means little to you right now, but hopefully it will be clearer by the time you are done reading this post.

So, 40 percent of your calories should be carbs, 40 percent should be protein, and 20percent should be fats. Simple enough? Not really. What good are percentages without hard numbers.

Lets start with your weight. Generally, the average athlete should take in about 1 gram of protein and one gram of carbs per pound of bodyfat. Meaning for a man of 180 lbs should eat eat 180 grams of carbs, 180 grams of protein, and 90 grams of fat per day, for a total of 2250 calories (4 calories for a carb, 4 foir a protein, 9 for fats). Now, divide these numbers by 5, and you have the amount of carbs, preoteins, and fats you should be having (yes, you SHOULD be eating 5 meals a day).

Now heres the problem, im a firm believer in the term, 'A calorie is not just a calorie', meaning the caloric intake of lean chicken, sweet potatoes, and veggies is nothing like the caloric intake of an equal calorie meal at McD's. So let me get to the foods you should be eating.

Carbs: All carbs should be low on the Glycemic Index (from here to be called GI). What is a glycemic index? Well, the lower the glycemic index, the slower theses carbs break down, so instead of an energy spike after meals, your body uses that energy over the next few hours, slowly fveeding your body energy as it needs it, instead of all at once, leading to burnout by the end of the round.

What are these foods? Oatmeal is one of the best. Whole grain pastas and breads, brown rice, sweet potatoes, and fruits.  Thats not to say every meal should be from this list. If look for a list of low GI foods on google, you will find plenty of variety. What we want to stay away from is sugars. Sugar is the major cause of obesity in America today. Some people take in hundreds of calories in sugar every day, and this WILL kill you, as sure as smoking will.

Proteins: Lean meats. Chicken breats, lean cuts of steak, not that fatty steak is horrible for you, but it takes away from the amount of healthy fats you can get in. Pork is very good as well. Bison, moose, and other wild game (aside from venison, which is extremely fatty), lean hamburger. Get the meat you enjoy, just choose leaner cuts.

Fats: Omega 3,6&9's, flax seed oil, fish oils. Not only do these fats improve digestion, they protect your organs and joints. Have sore joints? Try Flax seed oil with a glutamine supplement, and you'll see yourself using far less meds like advil and robaxacet. These fats lubricate your joints, and will take away much of the stiffness that comes with joint pain. Even in my 92 year old grandmother, it made a huge difference in the way her joints were affecting her, and she now uses these supplements religiously.

Of course, your body also needs fibre. If your eating enough veggies, you should be getting all the fiber you need. If not, I suggest a fiber supplement, as it is instrumental in digestion.

Now, i know people are going to say, "I dont have time to eat 5 meals a day, especially when im golfing for 5 hours". But yes, you do. Make a sandwich, wrap it up and take it with you to eat between holes, along with some flax oil or fish oils in a small sealed dish. . It only takes a few minutes to eat a simple meal, and both your mind,  your body and your game will thank you. Also, dont forget a decent multi-vitamin.

Because golf is about mental as much as physical, proper nutrition is doubly important. Dont be afraid to play with your macro numbers. Maybe you need 5% more carbs, or more fats.

Don't worry about things like the separation of fats and carbs, you aren't a bodybuilder, you are a golfer. Having a steady stream of energy is what is important to you.

A note on High GI carbs. The only time these should be consumed, is with protein, AFTER a weight training workout. This will help usher proteins to your muscles, and allow muscle growth and fat burning post-workout. (Google will give you tons of post workout shake recipes).

If you follow these simple nutrition guidelines, I guarantee that you will lose fat, have far more energy, and be more mentally alert throughout your round, and your day as a whole.

I hope this helps, and if even one person improves their nutrtion with this little post, then it was totally worth my time. If theres enough interest in this post, I may do another on Human Kinetics and golf.

If you have any questions, or need clarification, please feel free to ask, and I will help you out the best I can.

And so people dont become frustrated trying to eat healthy, dont be afraid to throw in a greasy meal of your favourite foods once or twice a week. Two bad meals out of thirty-five is not going to ruin your diet, just dont over-do it.

And of course, if you suffer from any digestion related illness, always consult your doctor before changing your diet. Though aside from Seliac disease, you should be all right with this diet.

Actually that is no right... If your food is alot of pizza, all those carbs will throw your system out of wack for 2-3 days after, if you do that twice a week you will not be healthy at all.

Thats the thing, a greasy meal should not be a half a pizza or more. It should be a couple of slices. Americans are notorious for eating way, way too much. A cheat meal doesn't mean you should be a pig. It means you should have a meal. A half a pizza is not a meal, its enough for 3 in most cases. Moderation is key. I never said be a pig, I said have a cheat meal.

Here in america, we seem to think a slice of cake = 1/4 of the whole, when it should be 1/8th at most, of a small cake. Our ideas of what is ok is seriously flawed. Hence, all these horrible low carb diets. Wanna play horrible golf, cut out carbs. Sure, you might be fine for a week, maybe two. Then your body starts to drain reserves and starts storing fat twice as fast once you reintroduce carbohydrates .

If you dont spike your insulin with high GI Carbs, you wont put on weight, you will have stable amounts of energy throughout the digestion process, and you will burn fat stores. I guarantee it.

there is definitely something to eating while playing to maintain blood sugar and feel good. I learned this from training for a marathon but it is similar.  If you are out in the heat and active for 4 or 5 hours, you need to eat.  My basic is a good breakfast, a banana or two, then some sort of energy bar that isn't all sugar.  Then some crackers or something, and lots of water.  I typically eat my snack around the turn.  It for helps me feel good at the end and able to do things after the round and not be beat.

I typically carry some sort of trail mix or even cereal with me. Currently in the bag are frosted mini wheats. I rarely feel drained playing in 90+ heat and walking, I make sure to drink a cup or two of water per hole or sub in some gatorade about every third hole. Living in the Dallas area, hydration is my key to enjoying my round. I started doing this last year when I noticed the drain effect hitting about 13-15 holes in. I tee'd off at 2:45 yesterday and spent 40 minutes on the putting green after my round and felt great still. No more slimy hot dogs or nachos at the turn for me.

I read a credible, IMO, article by an olympic coach who says that the best cookie cutter breakfast he has ever put his athletes on is meat and nuts, and possibly dried fruit. Once our glycogen stores are full we will only use what we need.  So, starches have a better place after our workout, or strenous activity to refill those stores.  So lunch is a good time for rice or sweet potatoes along with vegtables, which can really be eaten at any time, and dinner would be a good time for a steak and salad, some protien and fat to slow its digestion and fruit or greek yougart as desert.  While golfing, I think the trail mix, bananas and powerade 0 are the best choices.  I really dont like any calorie containing beverage. And as APOCs avatar says, I dont know how to advise vegatarians

Also scrap the multi-vitamin.  There is no evidence that they do anything except thin out your wallet.  Your body is designed to get everything it needs from food.

My cheat meal is pizza - and I do the very thin crust, ask them to go light on the cheese, light on the sause (less fat and sodium) and no meat - I do veggies. This is once per week on a whim when I'm tired as heck from driving and don't want to prep a meal at home.

I also do the 5 meal plan

Oatmeal and blueberries, strawberries, no sugar or milk, you might throw in a dab of jam/preserves for sweetness (no guys, not the instant oatmeal - get the steel cut oats and prep enough for 4 mornings at one time - about 30 minutes), coffee

Apple at 10 am

Lunch - salad, or meat and steamed/grilled veggies, or as an entree - homemade black or pinto beans

Apple and almonds/pistachios at 2 pm

Meal at 6 pm - veggies, meat - lean beef and grass fed, or organic grilled chicken - about 4 oz.

Strawberries/fruit/watermelon at 8 or so.

My veggies are typically broccoli (already frozen and organic - put in micro, dab some olive oil and balsamic and pepper), sautéed mushrooms, carrots (raw), green beans...

I also throw in some Ezechiel bread with no wheat during the week, and sometimes real bread, and a little bit of goat cheese, and then very dark chocolate with coffee for dessert.

I drink plenty of water during the day.

You will lose weight with the above with exercise, depending on serving size.

Supplements - fish oil for omega 3, garlic supplement (for arteries), food-based multiple for men

Don't know - I have myfitnesspal app but haven't used it in a couple of weeks.  I avoid bread most days. Oatmeal in the morning is the heavy carb. If you eat early enough, you can burn carbs. I  prefer fruit to juice because I'm getting fiber. I forgot to add fish, which I do occasionally - either sushi or grilled. Also,  my portions are fairly small. Meat is usually 3-4 oz. My caloric intake is typically 1200-1600 except for pizza day - which I've got to reduce to every 10 days.

I'm 6 ft and weigh 172. But when I go off the wagon and do pizza or bread, the gut at middle age will begin to show and the weight will go up about 2-3 lbs. So I go off breads for several days and walk more - and I'm back to 170-172.

Try the myfitnesspal app in which you input your food - I typically do it for a month to see what I'm doing, get comfy, and go off it for a while, and then get back on it.

You will notice no processed foods, no bacon, and except for pizza, mostly no cheese, and smaller portions of meat. Except for an occasional smack of parmesan on veggies or a dose of goat cheese - which is generally lower in fat, I avoid dairy products. But if you must have cheese, lower it to about an ounce or so a day - look at the sodium on 1 oz of cheese - typically its 170-230 mg when 1500 mg of sodium is recommended for an entire day. I've gone to No Salt Salt - available at your local Wal Mart.

Yep, do the green tea, too. The calories with my diet have been around 1200, except for pizza days - and I need to cut those. And when I walk 3-4 miles and lift weights, my net calories gooooo doowwwwn.

Can't stress a decent diet and exercise enough - learn from me. Even though I never got above 197 lbs at my worst, and changed my diet 3 years ago, until about a year ago I had gone from 170 to 185 - even on a vegan diet. Then I had a heart attack from all the previous years abuse, and then a quad bypass - one year ago.

For the last 15 months, I've stayed at 172 eating the diet in my posts. All I need to do is exercise more regularly. But the operation kills your endurance and my body hasn't been the same. I had a frozen shoulder from the operation, and after much pain, I am stretching out that shoulder where it is 98% not sticking.

Food abuse is not worth it - I used to say I can't go without this or that, but you know, I learned that you can. We evolve as we age, even with our diet.

I do a lot of writing, and so my sedentary level is high - so my calories need to stay low. Except of course, when I take time to hit the weights, kettle bells, or walk an hour. I try about 4-5 days per week to do something, And then I go to the range or course a couple of days per week.