Fit for Play
Getting a Grip on Nutrition
Sports dietician Deanna Busteed offers meal-planning tips and nutritional advice to improve your game by DAVE POND
ROUND PERFORMANCE
The food and drink you consume is crucial to performance— before, during and after your round.
“ The nutrients that provide energy( calories) are carbohydrates, protein and fat,” said Deanna Busteed, a sports dietician at George Mason University.“ Since golf is not a high-calorie burning sport, it’ s important to choose nutrient-rich food and drinks with moderate calorie levels— ones that will fuel performance without leading to weight gain.”
Before getting into specific meal planning around your summer tee times, we’ ll look at the types of food you should seek out, as well as what to avoid:
GAME DAY
Busteed, who has more than 16 years of experience developing health and wellness programs, offers these nutritional tips for every part of your day spent on the course.
GET OFF TO A GREAT START“ Eat a solid meal two to three hours before golfing,” she said.“ This will give you enough time to fuel up, and allow time for your body to digest your meal.”
These meals should be low fat, and include around 200 grams of carbohydrates and 30 grams of lean protein. Depending on your tee time, here are a few pre-golf menu suggestions:
• Breakfast: A scrambled egg with toast and a side of fruit.
• Lunch: Grilled chicken wrap on a flour tortilla with pretzels and fruit juice.
If you’ re in a time crunch and can’ t get a full meal in, grab a quick bite, containing around 25 grams of carbohydrates, about 15-30 minutes before you start play.
• Examples: Mini bagel, a cereal bar, carbohydrate chews or gels, a banana or six ounces of yogurt.
36 V IRGINIA G OLFER | J ULY / A UGUST 2017 vsga. org