Let’s talk about calories.
Dietary legends (your high school health teacher, your mom, your health-conscious friend) traditionally recommended 2,000 calories per day. The USDA recommends a wide range of 1,000 to 3,200 calories. Most of us have calorie goals falling somewhere in between and find it hard to imagine who would need a daily calorie goal at the upper end of this range.
The truth is that the number of calories you need daily is incredibly individualized. A proper calorie goal takes into account factors like gender, age, height, weight, your goal and much more. (This is where MyFitnessPal can help you out.)
It’s hard to express how individualized calorie goals should be without a specific example, so let’s take a look at the daily meal plan of elite golfer and Major champion, Jordan Spieth. Jordan is constantly training, competing and recovering. To stay up to par, he consumes a whopping 3,200-3,700 calories per day. While this is nowhere near The Rock’s daily goal of 5,000ish calories, it’s still on the high end.
So, what does that even look like?
Jordan Spieth’s trainer, Damon Goddard at AMPD Golf Fitness, gave us a day in Jordan’s food diary.
BREAKFAST
You know the saying: Breakfast is arguably the most important meal of the day. Jordan starts strong with a veggie-packed omelet. He gets his first dose of protein from 3 nutrient-dense eggs, which have vitamins A, D, E, K, calcium, copper, iron, manganese, phosphorus, selenium and zinc. A helping of sweet potatoes topped with nuts and honey satisfies a sweet tooth — especially instead of more sugary breakfast foods. Negative on the glazed donut.
Loaded Vegetable Omelet: 3 eggs + 1/2 cup each of onion, green peppers, zucchini
Baked Sweet Potato: 1 sweet potato + 1/4 cup pecans + 1 tablespoon honey
Nutrition (per serving):
Calories: 634 | Total fat: 34g; carbohydrate: 61g; dietary fiber: 10g; protein: 26g
LUNCH
For Jordan, the midday meal is centered on lean protein and nutrient dense carbohydrates. While the suggested serving size for fish hovers around 3 ounces cooked, according to the American Heart Association, Jordan favors a 6-ounce portion. According to his trainer, Jordan aims to get at least 45-55 grams from his source of lean protein. Roasted asparagus, brown rice and lentils buff up this meal with plenty of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and, notably, fiber.
Baked Tilapia: 6 ounces cooked fish + seasonings
Roasted Asparagus Spears: 15 spears + seasonings
Rice & Lentils: 1 cup steamed brown rice + 3/4 cup cooked lentils
Nutrition (per serving):
Calories: 655 | total fat: 8g; carbohydrate: 85g; dietary fiber: 20g; protein: 65g
DINNER
This meal spotlights even more protein and carbohydrates to help Jordan recover and refuel. He pairs 6 ounces of braised lamb with quinoa and a powerful mix of broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Both broccoli and Brussels sprouts are cruciferous veggies high in vitamins A, C, folic acid and fiber.
Braised Lamb: 6 ounces cooked lamb + seasonings
Roasted Broccoli & Brussel Sprouts: 1 cup broccoli + 1 cup Brussels sprouts + 2 tablespoons olive oil + seasoning
Cooked Quinoa: 1 cup cooked
Nutrition (per serving):
Calories: 711 | total fat: 29g; carbohydrate: 51g; dietary fiber: 10g; protein: 64g
SNACK (3 servings)
Jordan eats a lot of granola, especially when he’s on the course. His three meals when taken separately add up to 2,000 calories, but he makes up the remaining calories with the crunchy snack. Specifically, Jordan chooses grain-free granola, a special type of granola that contains no oats. Instead, it’s made by blending nuts, seeds, dried fruit and spices — this makes it calorie-dense as well as nutrient-dense.
Grain-Free Granola: 2 1/4 cups total (or 3/4 cups per serving to make 3 servings)
Nutrition (for 3 servings)
Calories: 1260 | total fat: 90g; carbohydrate: 108g; dietary fiber: 27g; protein: 36g
TOTAL: 3,260 calories
THE TAKEAWAY
A high-calorie meal provides crucial fuel for athletes like Jordan. It’s insightful to note that if fitness is your goal, calorie quality matters just as much as calorie quantity. Jordan’s trainer insists on maintaining a healthy diet for optimal performance. Goddard advocates a concept called “nutrient-density” when choosing what to eat. You can see from Jordan’s food diary that nutrient dense lean protein and complex carbs (granola, sweet potato, veggies) get their just debut.
Make every bite count whether you’re a top-notch athlete or just focused on being the healthiest you possible.
Jordan’s food fuels him through a rigorous training plan. Read more on The Routine of a Champion: How Jordan Spieth Trains.
The post Eat Like a Major Champion: The Secret Behind Elite Golfer Jordan Spieth’s Diet appeared first on Hello Healthy.
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