By Sean M. Cochran
Special to PGATOUR.com

An overlooked but essential aspect of training – or just playing a round of golf – is nutrition. The bottom line is nutrition is food and food is fuel for the body. It’s that simple. It’s like the old analogy of a race car. If you put bad fuel in the race car, it’s going to run poorly and not go as fast as it should. It’s the same thing with food in the body. Put bad fuel in the body and it will not run at its optimal level. That’s the basic key for nutrition.

On the golf course, it’s key to continue to give your body fuel during the round. You see the pros do it all the time watching the tournaments on television. You’ll see Phil drinking water and eating peanuts or Tiger having a banana and drinking water during the round. TOUR players continually provide fuel for their body so they can compete for four or five hours on the course. Not only does it allow them to perform physically, it also provides the body fuel sources to allow them to mentally focus, which is obviously important as well.

If they do not provide their body energy on a consistent timeline, they’ll run out of gas. You hear about marathon runners going bonk at mile 23 when they run out of energy? That would be Phil or any other TOUR pro if he did not continually give his body the proper fuel during a round. It would be a round-killing combination of the lack of energy sapping not just physical, but mental strength as well.

This goes for the amateur golfer as well. A common mistake I see is when the snack cart comes around and the player grabs a soda and a candy bar. That player has just hurt his round without even knowing it by choosing bad fuel sources as the player’s body will burn through those quickly and not give the energy needed for the round.

You can never go wrong with fruit and peanuts are always good. Those are great sources for sustained energy for the round. Oh, and drink lots and lots of water, which is by far the best hydration source for the body.

Another common mistake for the average golfer is not having a good meal before playing. Eat a good breakfast if you have an early tee time. Grab a solid lunch if you have an afternoon time. Not eating may not show up on the first hole, but it will by the seventh hole.

Looking at the bigger picture in nutrition, it’s really the same thought process. If you want to train well and get your body in shape, give it good fuel to work with. When talking about nutrition, there are a few simple basics as most any food can be broken down into three categories: fats, proteins and carbohydrates -- and there are good and bad in each of those three groups. It’s as simple as that. Sometimes, there tends to be paralysis by analysis when it comes to nutrition, but if you just concentrate on the good aspects of fats, proteins and carbohydrates and try to avoid the bad of those three, you’ll do just fine.

Here’s a quick look at the three groups:

Fats
Good fats: Yes, there are such things as good fats. The body uses good fats as energy. Things like olive oil and avocadoes are examples of good fats. Bad fats: These are fats the body is unable to use as energy or uses them inefficiently. Butter or bacon are examples of bad fats.

Proteins
Good proteins: The body uses them as building blocks of cell repair and development. Lean cuts of beef, pork, chicken, fish, turkey, nuts and eggs are all good proteins. Bad proteins: These have high levels of bad fats or can be good proteins that are cooked in a bad fat. You could have the leanest cut of beef in world, but if you throw it in a pan of butter, your intentions were good, but your preparation ruined it. Fatty cuts of beef or poor preparations of good protein sources are example of bad proteins.

Carbohydrates
Good carbohydrates: These provide the body with energy. With every carb is sugar and the body uses sugar as energy. We’re looking for sustained energy. And that comes from complex carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates have low levels of simple sugars, which are used by the body for sustained energy -- essentially it’s a slow burn. Black beans, apples and all-bran cereals are good examples of good carbohydrates. Bad carbohydrates: This is where most people mess up. They take in simple sugars, which are broken down and utilized very quickly for energy. These carbs get in the blood stream very quickly, which forces the body to produce insulin to break them down and monitor the sugar spike the body just received. It’s a roller coaster ride for the body which is why you feel a quick burst of energy after eating a candy bar, but then feel drowsy and sluggish not long after. Avoid simple sugars and bad carbs like candy bars, donuts, white bread and jelly beans.

In addition to keeping an eye on the good and bad versions of fats, proteins and carbohydrates, here are five basic principles for eating healthy.

1. Moderation. There’s no rule saying you can’t eat anything that’s bad for you, just moderate what you eat.
2. Limit the intake of bad fats, bad proteins and bad carbohydrates. If you reduce the intake of those food products, you’ll be well ahead of the game
3. Eat small meals more often. Typically we eat three big meals a day, but the body does not operate as efficiently on that system. I have a saying, keep the furnace running high. Feed it every couple of hours, which sparks your metabolism and keeps the body’s energy level up.
4. Drink water. Most people just don’t drink enough water. Stay hydrated.
5. Always eat breakfast. Mom was right when she said it’s the most important meal of the day. It gets the metabolism going and gets the body running at a high rate. This is especially important for weight loss.

Just like your golf game, you must think long-term when developing your plan for nutritional success. Yes, that candy bar will provide short-term gratification, but it won’t help your body over the long run. That’s part of the behavioral change you’ll need when you work on developing a better nutritional plan. Just like you’re willing to work hard and plan long term to improve your golf game, you must be willing to do the same as you work on taking care of your body’s nutrition.