Back9Nutrition; Sports Nutrition designed for Golfers, Fueling the Turn
Fueling “The Turn”
By: Amy Goodson, MS, RD, CSSD, LD
Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics
You have warmed up, putted, played 9 holes and thus walked a good 2-3 miles…if you want to stay strong for the last 9 holes, you better “fuel the turn”. Providing your body with adequate nutrition at this point can help your energy stay up, your mental acuity stay sharp, and your blood sugar stay normalized…all key to a solid golf game.
So what should you eat? When you think of what gives you energy, three things should come to mind: carbohydrates, protein and fat. Carbohydrates are your body’s #1 source of energy and thus digest very quickly to fuel the current activity. This is great if you are running or playing a basketball game, but in golf eating carbohydrate alone can cause an increase in blood sugar followed by a sudden drop. This can manifest as a headache or feeling fatigued, faint or dizzy. For those of you who wash a banana down with 20 oz of a sports drink…you might know the feeling I am talking about. This problem can be fixed by adding a protein or healthy fat to the carbohydrate snack. Both protein and fat provide satiety and slow down the digestion process which prevents a blood sugar spike.
Thus, in order to keep your blood sugar level stabilized during 18 holes, you need to fuel the body with carbohydrate, protein and some healthy fat. Here are good examples:
¬Energy Bar & Apple
oAim to choose a bar with carbohydrate, protein and a few grams of fat
oTry to choose a bar that is not coated as they tend to melt and make a mess…bars that are trail mixed based, oat based, and dried fruit based are good options (Clif, Clif MoJo, Balance Bare, Balance Bar Organic, Game On, South Beach, Power Bar Harvest)
¬Homemade Trail Mix
o½ cup granola, ¼ cup nuts, ¼ cup dried fruit, crumbled protein bar
¬Granola Bar & 20-25 Almonds
oTry to choose a granola bar that is based with a variety of whole grains, not enriched flour and sugar
¬Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich
o2 Tbs. all natural peanut butter and 2 Tbs. all natural jelly on whole wheat/multi-grain bread
¬Fruit & Nuts
oBanana and ½ cup almonds
o½ cup dried fruit and ½ cup nuts
Remember that many golf tournaments are very hot; thus there are some foods that should not be brought onto the course due to food safety issues. If you can’t keep them cold, don’t bring:
¬Any form of meat (chicken, turkey, ham, tuna)
¬Any food with a creamy sauce (mayonnaise, sour cream, salad dressing, cream cheese)
¬Any form of dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese)
You also need to stay hydrated so make sure you are drinking water throughout, not just at the turn. If you do not feel like eating much, a sports drink can provide carbohydrate in addition to fluid…just make sure to add some nuts or part of a protein bar to add a little protein. And if you have trouble getting in enough water, try drinking a low-calorie flavored water…flavor tends to help athletes drink more and thus do a better job at hydrating.
You want to feel strong on the back 9…Fuel your turn with high quality nutrition and fluid.
Food…100% legal…And it works!
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