The winter is a good time for getting stronger and more flexible before the golf season starts.  This time of year is also good for planning meals and collecting recipes for fast and healthy dishes that don’t take too much time so that you can eat healthy when you play a lot of golf.

What you eat now, can affect your play this upcoming season.

On-Course Energy Management-

What you eat before and during your round of golf will enhance or hinder your performance. The term “the wheels are falling off” usually comes mid-round when you start to lose focus and your muscles start to fatigue.  One way to alleviate this syndrome, so that you don’t destroy an otherwise good round is to pay attention to what you eat and drink throughout your round.  The key to maintaining your energy level during a round of golf is controlling blood sugar. That means avoiding foods made with refined carbohydrates (things made with white flour and/or sugars).

Examples of High Energy Foods to Eat Before, During and After a Round: Yogurt w/ fruit, eggs with whole grain breads, chili w/o meat, peanut butter sandwiches, whole wheat pancakes w/ low sugar syrup, low fat granola, whole wheat bagel w/ banana, low fat energy bars, tuna sandwich, salad w/ low fat dressing, low sugar energy drinks, water.

Examples of Energy Zapping Foods to Avoid Before, During and After a Round: Pancakes or waffles w/ syrup, Danish, donuts, white toast, hamburgers, French fries, fried foods, candy, baked potatoes, pretzels, hot dogs, soda, high fructose energy drinks, alcohol.

Simple and Healthy Recipes for Golf-            

Between work or volunteering, household chores, typical errands, raising a family and maintaining general sanity, days are packed to the gills with more important things to do than play golf. Let alone cook a healthy meal after you have just spent 4 to 5 hours on the golf course.  Most of the time after a round of golf, you’re hungry and tired, so it is easy to wolf down loads of calories at the 19th hole where bar food is usually the fare, instead of going home to prepare a healthy meal.

A slow cooker could change your life.  Not only is a slow cooker an invaluable tool when you play golf, because the slow cooker cooks your meal while you are on the golf course, but it could improve your performance on the golf course, by providing you with healthy energy.

A slow cooker allows you to to cook without artificial chemicals and more nutrients and flavor, rather than instant, quick-fix food.  Slow-simmering food in a slow cooker cooks gently, without the vigorous bubbling or high heat of other cooking methods that can break down vital nutrients and vitamins in delicate foods such as fish, vegetables and fruit.

Simply place the ingredients into the slow cooker, turn on the switch and go play golf and when you return, you will have a healthy and delicious meal that you and your family will love.  Get out of the kitchen and go work on your golf game.

Post-Round Meal                                                                                                                        Pork and Green Beans

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 thick pork chops, trimmed

1 lb of cut green beans and or 12-15 new potatoes

1/2 cup chopped onions

3 cups of sliced mushrooms

3 cups of vegetable or chicken stock

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tsp Italian herb mix

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

1. Drizzle olive oil into the base of the slow cooker.

2. Place green beans and new potatoes into pot and place pork chops on top of vegetables.

3. Pour stock over pork chops and potatoes.

4. Add the rest of ingredients along with a dash of salt and pepper and gently mix into stock.

5. Cook on medium to high for 4-5 hours, or until the meat is tender when pierced with a fork.

Pork is very lean meat. Each chop has about only 129 calories and  16- grams of protein to help you replenish nutrients lost while you played golf.