Would you change the way you eat if you knew certain foods could help you play better golf? Managing your food intake, hydration levels and adding certain nutrients to your diet can not only help you concentrate and focus more on the golf course, but also help you keep your heartbeat steady as you make an important shot or putt, help your muscles fire faster for more power, help you fight fatigue so you can play and practice longer and even keep your blood pressure down to help you keep your cool after a bad shot.

Keep your energy all the way to the end of your round. The last few holes of the golf course are usually the toughest stretch.

I have been posting tips and advice of how and what to eat before and during a round of golf.  Stay tuned for more tips and easy recipes to help you boost your game.

What is in Your Snack Bag?

Maintaining your energy while playing is critical. A sharp drop in energy makes you feel tired, listless, and confused. That can cost strokes and can turn a good round into a bad one. Eating the right snacks during a round helps. In addition to being good for you, they boost your energy level and increase your concentration. But you need to carry the right snacks with you.

Below Are 6 Good Snacks For Golfers:

1. Peanuts (or seeds)

2. Beef jerky

3. String cheese

4. Small apple

5. Home popped popcorn

6. Low carbohydrate bars

Check out this beautiful veggie tray they made me in Mexico at the snack bar at Playa Mujeres GC in Cancun. I drizzled lime juice and sprinkled powdered chile on veggies for a healthy snack.

Planning ahead also helps maintain blood sugar. Eat a balanced portion of protein and fat before playing. Add some carbohydrates in the form of whole foods—whole grains, vegetables, or fruit—and you’re good to go. This combination stabilizes your blood sugar and energy levels as well.

Bananas: The Perfect Snack Food

 If you are serious about shaving strokes off your score, it is important to watch the kinds of snack foods you put into your mouth on the golf course. Snacks high in fat and sugar can zap your energy and affect your concentration.

Instead of grabbing a bag of chips or candy bar at the halfway house, stock your golf bag with bananas.  Bananas are considered by many to be the perfect snack food. Bananas contain three natural sugars – sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout or for a four-hour round of golf. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world’s leading athletes.

Benefits of Bananas:

– Bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

-Bananas could help you shrug off those occasional bad shots.

– Bananas contain vitamin B and B6. These vitamins regulates blood glucose levels and calm the nervous system which can help you keep your energy levels up while you play and keep you relaxed to play your best golf.

– Bananas contain loads of the vital mineral potassium to help keep muscles hydrated and keep you alert on the golf course.

– Bananas are high in fiber and have a natural antacid effect on the body, which helps restore normal bowel action and keep nervous stomachs in check.

-Bananas are also known to have anti-inflammatory properties. Try rubbing the inside of the banana peel on an insect bite to reduce swelling and irritation.

-Bananas are convenient and easy to store in your golf bag complete with its own biodegradable wrapper.

Throw a couple of bananas in your golf bag the next time you play. Bananas are loaded with nutrition and easy to pack and store in your golf bag.

For more golf fitness and nutrition tips check out my Golf Fitness Book…

Want to get to get my golf tips on your phone?  Get the new Cardiogolf App… Cardiogolf App available on iTunes…click here… Find out your golf personality Live Online Lessons Live Online Lessons With Karen Work on your golf game and get some exercise at the same time. Check out my new Cardiogolf Live On-Line Classes.  All you need is a webcam to participate.  You can learn golf-specific exercises in the privacy of your own home.  The classes are interactive so you can ask questions and get feedback on your technique.  The classes are small and affordable. Work on your golf swing and learn exercises to improve your strength and flexibility specific to golf. Cardiogolf Live On-Line Classes this Week… Golf Fitness Workout to Increase Distance and Consistency-Cardiogolf Cardiogolf is a golf specific workout designed by LPGA Teacher of the Year Karen Palacios-Jansen. Participants learn exercises to promote better swing mechanics, flexibility, strength and balance throughout the golf swing. The routine is a combination of swing drills and golf specific exercises. It accommodates every golfer regardless of gender, age and skill level or fitness level. All you need is a 4 x 4 sq ft space to do the golf swing exercises. If you don’t have a short practice club or enough room to swing a club, you can use a soccer ball or tennis racquet to simulate the golf swing. We will be doing practice swings, but you can do all the exercises without a club as well. I will show you how. We will not actually be hitting balls, but exercises to improve your swing mechanics as well as flexibility and strength. Click here to sign up and for more information. Email me at KPJ@swingbladegolf.com for more information. Your Favorite Classes Sunday, September 2, 2012 Breaking Your Scoring Barrier-Mental Management to Lower Your Handicapwith KPJ Golf InstructionSunday, September 2, 2012 • 4:00pm – 5:00pm EDTMore times Sign Up Now Monday, September 3, 2012 Golf Fitness Workout to Increase Distance and Consistency-Cardiogolfwith KPJ Golf InstructionMonday, September 3, 2012 • 6:30am – 7:20am EDTMore times Sign Up Now 5 students have taken this class. Tuesday, September 4, 2012 Breaking Your Scoring Barrier-Mental Management to Lower Your Handicapwith KPJ Golf InstructionTuesday, September 4, 2012 • 7:30am – 8:30am EDTMore times Sign Up Now Breaking Your Scoring Barrier-Mental Management to Lower Your Handicapwith KPJ Golf InstructionTuesday, September 4, 2012 • 8:30am – 9:30am EDTMore times Sign Up Now Friday, September 7, 2012 Golf Fitness Workout to Increase Distance and Consistency-Cardiogolfwith KPJ Golf InstructionFriday, September 7, 2012 • 7:30am – 8:20am EDTMore times Sign Up Now 5 students have taken this class. Golf Fitness Workout to Increase Distance and Consistency-Cardiogolfwith KPJ Golf InstructionFriday, September 7, 2012 • 8:30am – 9:20am EDTMore times Sign Up Now 5 students have taken this class. Fitness classes for you Copyright © 2012 KPJgolf, All rights reserved.