Food is positioned high up on our
priority list.
The traditional pie & chips,
washed down with a cold beer, certainly tastes great, but it leaves the fitness
experts scratching their heads.
There are so many good reasons for a
good diet, not least the fact that you will play much better golf.
Golf is less intensive, physically,
but more intensive, mentally, than rugby, so the nutritional requirements
are completely different. A golfer is expected to have muscular and mental
endurance, and needs to concentrate for up to five hours at a time, making sure
his muscular posture is consistent.
A
good diet for better golf
Follow these tips, given by a registered dietician and enjoy better golf :
- Before a long day on the course, eat a low glycaemic meal (e.g. dairy foods, lentils, legumes, apples & other deciduous fruit, pasta, nuts, high-fibre bran, dried beans), which is easily digested. This will give you sustained energy & prevent the mental & physical ‘low’ that we often feel when we exercise on an empty stomach. If you don’t have an appetite, get hold of a meal-replacement milkshake.
- Eat something every 2 hours while on the course. Make sure you have nuts or raisins in your golf bag to carry through.
- Make sure you have enough water or sports drinks like Powerade or Energade to quench your thirst. Sports drinks are better than water, because they contain fluids, carbohydrates and electrolytes. Avoid alcohol for at least 24 hours before your round. Otherwise, have a good healthy breakfast before your tee-off.
- Before drinking alcoholic drinks after your round, make sure you’ve recovered your sugar levels by eating a sandwich and drinking a non-caffeinated soft drink. Alcohol reduces your blood sugar level and dehydrates you. It also delays the healing process, so if you’re injured, rather stay away from the 19th hole.
- At the halfway house, eat a meal containing carbohydrates and lean protein (e.g. a chicken sandwich.)
