Nutrition in the GolF Off-Season

Stephanie MacNeill, RD, MHSc
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​During the off-season, the average golfer can gain anywhere from 5-10 pounds. This will not only increase your pant size, it may also raise your golf score too! One often overlooked way to cut strokes from your game and feel better all round is eating and drinking right.
 
Here are a few simple tips to keep in mind when trying to manage your weight in the off-season:
 
1. Be mindful of portions
There's no denying that portion sizes are creeping up. Just compare the size of a standard coffee shop muffin today to those from 20 years ago. They are almost double the calories! If not mindful of this, it could lead to a creeping waist line.
An easy way to know portion sizes is to use the "plate method":

• Fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables such as salad, green beans, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower.
• Fill one quarter of your plate with a grain or starchy food like bread, noodles, corn, rice or potatoes.
• Fill the last quarter of your plate with protein like fish, chicken, lean beef, tofu or beans/lentils.

2. Eat on a smaller plate
Ever heard of the Delbeouf Illusion? Well it might just help you eat less. The Delboeuf Illusion is an optical illusion of size perception. If you put a small piece of food on a large plate, your brain will tell you that you are eating a small portion. Put this same small piece of food on a smaller plate and your brain will tell you that you're eating a larger portion. From a psychological standpoint, it feels less like you are depriving yourself. So don't make that large plate mistake!

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3. Don't drink your calories
Calories that sneak in through beverages are often forgotten. This is particularly true when talking about alcoholic and sugary drinks like soda and fruit juices. These forgotten calories can really add up throughout the day, sabotaging even the best weight management efforts.
Water is a great low calorie way to quench your thirst. Not a fan? Try sprucing up your water by infusing it with some fruit or spices. Now that's refreshing!
 
4. Eat your veggies
Who hasn't heard this one growing up. While your parents may not have meant this to help with weight management, they may have been on to something. Vegetables (and fruits) can add bulk to a meal but do not provide many calories. They are what we call nutrient dense foods. Plus, their vitamin, mineral and antioxidant content can help protect us from disease and help keep us looking and feeling our best. Thanks mom and dad!
 
5. Eat more slowly
Many of us live life in the fast lane, so it's understandable that we might try to save time by rushing our meals. However, eating quickly really does us no favour.  It takes about 20 minutes for our brains to register that we're full. When we eat too quickly, we can continue eating past the point where we're full, leading not only to weight gain, but also poor digestion and a lower satisfaction from eating. Eating slowly on the other hand, gives us time to realize that we're full and stop on time. Imagine that! So maybe the tortoise does beat the hare at meal times.
 
Meeting with a Registered Dietitian is a great way to help you integrate these tips into your diet to help you optimize your health and performance. 

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