Dustin Johnson is more meticulous about his diet than you’d think

Dustin Johnson just finished 12 out of 13 weeks on the road in grand fashion, walking away from East Lake with an extra $15 million in his bank account. 

Of late, Johnson has made the game of golf look video-game easy. But behind the scenes, there’s a lot to his preparation that allows him to put on a show week after week. 

While it helps that Johnson is one of the more athletic people on the planet — you’ve likely heard by now that he can dunk a basketball and free dive from over 50 feet in open water — there’s a lot that goes into keeping him healthy. 

Considering that Johnson spends hours in the gym and on the course, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he burns anywhere from 4,000 to 6,000 calories per day. So how does he fuel up?

Instruction

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Playing on a hot summer day at a course like East Lake, Johnson loses up to two gallons of water, making hydration key to his success. Losing so much water can be detrimental to his body physically and mentally, which is why Johnson relies on BodyArmor to stay hydrated throughout his rounds.

As Johnson’s performance coach Joey “D” Diovisalvi puts it, “If you’re thirsty, it’s too late.”

Because Johnson loses so much out on the course, he eats 5 perfectly balanced meals a day that reflect his high-protein diet and hydration needs. For such a laid-back guy, Johnson takes his diet seriously, making sure that each meal is calibrated to be exactly 60% protein, 20% fat, and 20% carbs.

A perfectly balanced breakfast for DJ looks something like this:

What’s most impressive about DJ’s diet, however is that he doesn’t eat refined sugars. That means no cookies, ice cream, or other delicious, but bad-for-you foods. (We’re sure there are some exceptions.)

The important lesson here is that your diet has a huge impact on your performance. While you don’t have to go as far as copying DJ’s diet, which is designed for an elite athlete, consider how your diet translates to achieving your goals. At the very least, eating right and staying hydrated will keep you feeling good on the course.