Justin Rose: How my game-boosting diet helps me play better golf

He’s a mainstay in the world top 5 — and he’s got big visions ahead. How does Justin Rose plot his diet to peak for big events? He told GOLF a little bit about his meal mentality.

JUSTIN ROSE’S GAME FUEL

I’m aware of my age; I’m 39 now. Outside of winning, I’m primarily focused on recovery and health. I’m hoping that’ll set me up for a big 2020, when we’ve got the Ryder Cup and the Olympics, on top of everything else.

When it comes to tournament nutrition, I’m lucky—we have a chef with us during the big weeks. That said, I’m normally faced with making my own meal decisions to help me stay sharp. I don’t go gluten-free all the time, but I do in the springtime. I find that it really helps my allergies. Pollen and I aren’t always the best of friends. Some tee times on Tour can be tricky, like midday. If you tee off at 12, it means you want to be out warming up by 11.

That’s not quite breakfast and it isn’t quite lunch. So I stick to wraps and homemade energy bars as substitutes for full-blown meals. When it comes to fueling up on the course, the most important thing is regulating your blood sugar levels. Calories, too, but blood sugar even more so.

My recipe for this is a banana and a few handfuls of nuts. It helps to slow down a bit and let the sugar release.

MORE GAME FUEL:

Rickie Fowler’s “Birdie Balls”

Bryson DeChambeau’s guilty pleasure

Chesson Hadley’s anti-crash diet