<\/p>\n
In previous articles (check Part 1<\/a><\/strong> and Part 2<\/a><\/strong>) we discussed the fact that while all golfers will do everything possible to change their game (buying new clubs and new balls), many overlook one of the most decisive factors for their physical and mental success \u2013 their nutrition; we have identified some of the main reasons why golfers never change and, finally, we have pointed out five important links between golf and proper nutrition. In this article, I will share with you my concerns about the so called \u201cnormal diet\u201d and the five most important habits you should create to start nourishing your body better.<\/p>\n The Western Diet<\/strong><\/p>\n The western diet is generally used to describe popular eating habits in the USA. As these eating habits are still very popular in Europe and other parts of the non-Western world, it will probably be necessary to find a new name for this type of “diet” in the coming years (perhaps the killer diet is a good name!).<\/p>\n But what is the \u201cwestern diet?\u201d Well, this \u201cdiet\u201d can be briefly characterized by a high intake of processed foods, refined carbohydrates, sugar and hydrogenated fats; and a low intake of healthy fruits, vegetables and fats. It is this \u201cwestern diet\u201d that has been associated with most western diseases or diseases of civilization (examples: cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer, Parkinson). Interestingly, this diet may also be responsible for increased violence and decreased cognitive test scores in school-age children (attention deficit disorder) and adults. Finally, this \u201cwestern diet\u201d has also been linked to bone loss (osteoporosis) and muscle wasting (sarcopenia) in adult individuals.<\/p>\n Let’s look at an example of a \u201cnormal athlete\u201d daily menu before working with me.<\/p>\n Breakfast: <\/strong>Bowl of cereals and milk + Natural orange juice + Coffee with sugar<\/p>\n Snack 1:<\/strong> Mixed toast + Chocolate milk<\/p>\n Lunch:<\/strong> Chicken salad with mayonnaise and ketchup sauce + soda + ice cream<\/p>\n Snack 2:<\/strong> Slice of cake + Juice<\/p>\n Dinner: <\/strong>Grilled fish with vegetables + Baked potatoes + Glass of red wine + Dessert<\/p>\n For most people, this may even be considered a good day (and indeed there are some good things in this menu), but in the long run this type of eating will greatly compromise your health and performance. For this reason, we have to discuss this situation with the person and meet their real physiological and functional needs.<\/p>\n The Habits you must create<\/strong><\/p>\n Before changing their diet, it is important that people start with a firm and solid foundation, and then make the necessary changes to optimize their health and performance. Most people (athletes included) want to start building a house from the roof down or building walls without paying attention to the quality of the soil. Any of these habits are simple enough, but just like any habit you want to create, it takes time to practice to assimilate the foundations of proper nutrition.<\/p>\n Habit 1 \u2013 Drink more water<\/strong><\/p>\n Sometimes we talk about so much about food and forget about water, the most important element our bodies need to function properly. It is water that regulates all the functions of our body, including the activity of all solutes (the solid materials) dissolved in it. It is water that will actually allow the nutrients we consume to reach our cells and our organs. Aim to consume 1-2 glasses of water after waking up and to drink about 2 liters \/ day.<\/p>\n Habit 2 \u2013 Eat a protein source at every meal<\/strong><\/p>\n Eating protein at every meal is critical. Of course, some “experts” will make you believe otherwise, suggesting that protein is somehow harmful to the kidneys, unnecessary, etc. However, I want to highlight the fact that what I am looking for my clients \/ athletes is the best of these three worlds: better health, better body and better performance \u2013 it will be very difficult to achieve these three with a suboptimal protein intake. Some examples include: eggs, meat, fish, chicken, turkey and shellfish.<\/p>\n Habit 3 \u2013 Eat vegetables at every meal<\/strong><\/p>\n Your parents and \/ or grandparents are right \u2013 you need to eat vegetables to prevent disease! Evidence has shown that in addition to the micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) contained in vegetables, there are also phytochemicals that are essential for optimal physiological functioning. Vegetables will help improve the acid-base balance in the body, so my advice is eating all the vegetables you can!<\/p>\n Habit 4 \u2013 Eat a healthy fat sources at every meal<\/strong><\/p>\n Fat (such as protein) is an essential macronutrient and so we have to ensure proper intake every day through our diet. There has been a lot of misconception about the effects of fat on diet but the truth is that fat can be our best friend when the goal is to lose fat mass, optimize the body’s physiological response and our health. Some examples of healthy fats include: fatty fish, nuts, seeds, extra virgin olive oil, coconut and avocado.<\/p>\n Habit 5 \u2013 Eat more vegetables with main meals and leave the other carbohydrates to the post workout window<\/strong><\/p>\n Another way of saying this is: if you have fat to lose, you have to earn the right to eat carbohydrates by doing vigorous exercise in the first place! Do you want to keep eating bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, crackers, sugary foods, pizzas, sweets, etc.? You can even eat them \u2013 just make sure you do it in the post workout window (1-2 hours after training) because this is the time when your body is most sensitive to insulin. As for the quality of carbohydrates, you will have more benefits if you choose gluten-free foods (rice, quinoa, chestnuts, sweet potatoes, yams, potatoes) than highly processed foods or gluten-free junk foods. Also, don\u2019t use exercise as an excuse to treat your body like the garbage truck!<\/p>\n Good strokes!<\/p>\n Pedro Correia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In previous articles (check Part 1 and Part 2) we discussed the fact that while all golfers will do everything possible to change their game (buying new clubs and new balls), many overlook one of the most decisive factors for their physical and mental success \u2013 their nutrition; we have identified some of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3730,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[122],"tags":[151,163,158,147,153,165],"class_list":["post-3729","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-physical-training","tag-forca-en","tag-mobilidade-en","tag-movimento-en","tag-performance-en","tag-treino-de-forca-en","tag-treino-fisico-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestrengthclinic.training\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3729","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestrengthclinic.training\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestrengthclinic.training\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestrengthclinic.training\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestrengthclinic.training\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3729"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thestrengthclinic.training\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3729\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4756,"href":"https:\/\/thestrengthclinic.training\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3729\/revisions\/4756"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestrengthclinic.training\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thestrengthclinic.training\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3729"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestrengthclinic.training\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3729"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thestrengthclinic.training\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3729"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}