SPORTS
NUTRITION
AT
POWERED BY QUA NUTRITION
Ryan Fernando, Founder of Qua Nutrition and Head of Nutrition at TSG Academy
At TSG Academy we fi rmly believe that Nutrition is the key to a golfer’s success. Whether it is the everyday
menu or personalized plans for our students, there is no taking a shortcut here. With Ryan Fernando
of Qua Nutrition at the helm of managing our students’ nutrition requirements we strive to teach
them about fuelling their bodies correctly, for performance.
orking at the TSG Academy
is an enlightening experience
for any sports nutritionist.
The energy during the game
has to be distributed in such a
way that the player has to have access to
it when it is his turn to hit the shot. And,
it has to last at least 5 hours each day for
anywhere between 1-4 days. Add to this
carrying the golf set weighing anywhere
between 15-20 kgs.
W
When I spend time with the kids at the TSG
Golf academy, I realize that the regime
involved in creating a world-class golfer
doesn’t start when you win your fi rst pro
tour. It starts from the age when you pick
up a golf club. The key changes that I set
about working on in the nutrition program
are to look at the children’s age, gender
and cultural predisposition. Eating is the
key to growth for children. When a kid
under eats, growth can be compromised.
Many a times parents do not understand
while forcing their children to pursue a
sport by pushing them over the brink the
human body triggers an evolutionary
safety mechanism which will not allow for
further intake. This happens with children
who train a lot and therefore do not eat. In
Academies and in Sporting Schools it is
important that children are given the right
type of food in the right quantities and at
the right time.
activities and then coupled them to the
physical assessments, the blood parameters
and genetic tests. These diagnostic
assessments help us gauge the child’s
current predisposition to growth, how to
plan their nutrition and how to execute
planned counselling’s every month such
that we are able to monitor the growth
and the progress and the recovery of the
child hand in hand with the golf training
program. The choice of dishes keeps in
mind locally available produce as well
as the fl avour profi les of the children.
Children if found defi cient in Vitamin
D, Calcium or Vitamin B 12 have been
recommended a supplement under proper
medical nutrition guidance. It’s important
for parents to know that a player cannot
be developed without world class training,
world class nutrition and world class
infrastructure.
If you act early and you teach a child to eat
right as being done at the TSG Academy,
it plays on the players thinking as one
matures into a golfer.
Small amounts of energy rich foods are
At TSG Academy we have taken into
account the training schedule, scholastic
calendar as well as extra-curricular
30
GolfPlus Junior November-December 2019
Academy dining hall
suggested for intake in small frequent
meals before, in between and after the play.
Hydration along with food is important
to cope up with the water loss from the
body while playing in sun. Replace the
lost body weight in an activity with the
same amount of Fluids. So, if you lose 1
kg whilst playing make sure you replace 1
litre during and almost immediately.
I have worked with leading golfers in India
for over a decade. Every golfer has a fl aw
in their nutrition and it is very challenging
to bring about immediate changes in
their food behaviour or food choices and
hence their ability to fall back on food in
a positive way is sometimes lost in older
athletes. In younger athletes we develop
a regime and a scientifi c awareness to a
young mind on why they should be eating
and what they should be eating and when
they should be eating. This will result in
greater coaching ability in food discipline
and mind as well as the safe balance of the
child.
Feeding children and teenagers comes
with its own set of problems. Young
children have a limited diet as compared
to adults and their expenditure is almost
equal to their consumption because of
their hyperactivity. Constant supply
of equally divided energy will help to
maintain positive energy balance in young
restless bodies. As for trainees, right
nutrition from a young age will help them
build good stamina for bigger events.
Acquiring a good nutritional status is not