{"id":781,"date":"2012-03-11T04:24:04","date_gmt":"2012-03-11T04:24:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/janinajacobs.com\/?p=781"},"modified":"2012-03-11T04:24:04","modified_gmt":"2012-03-11T04:24:04","slug":"food-of-champions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/golf\/781\/food-of-champions","title":{"rendered":"Food of Champions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Lunch beginnings at El Camaleon Golf Club, Fairmont Mayakoba Resort<\/p><\/div>\n

It comes as no surprise that fast food isn\u2019t optimal for good health.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 On road trips, it often cannot be avoided.\u00a0\u00a0 On the golf course, it is almost a necessity because the time to grab a bite in between nines is short. \u00a0 No one can deny that the famous ‘Caddie Special’ comprised of a hot dog, chips and pop is an institution, but remember that caddies are working out much harder than you are and might also be……uh…..younger too?\u00a0 They can afford the indulgence, though healthier options for them would be nice – if only to get them started on a better food path while they’re young.<\/p>\n

Ideally it would be so sweet to get the offering pictured here, but this would be reserved for apres-golf, when you have some time to enjoy it.\u00a0 I had this at the Fairmont Mayakoba’s El Camaleon Golf Club restaurant in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.\u00a0\u00a0 Freshly made salsa and guacamole with hot corn tortilla chips were a perfect accompaniment to the tasty lime-mint ‘secret recipe’ all natural beverage presented as an energy pick-me-up.\u00a0 Fresh limes added a little touch of class.\u00a0 Lunch followed with a steaming fresh-catch grouper grilled with herbs and spices along with garlic dressed organic greens.\u00a0 Certainly not the usual snack shack fare but when a meal like my-oh-Myakoba’s is not in the cards, here are substitutions which help cut bad fats, calories, and keep you on the fairway to good health.<\/p>\n

The Caddie Special: <\/strong>Hot Dog, Chips, and a Pop.\u00a0 If you can find a Kosher hot dog devoid of fillers and animal ‘parts’, great.\u00a0 Some clubs have superior hot dogs.\u00a0 If you can share it with another member of your foursome – because they are generally gargantuan –\u00a0 even better.\u00a0 Cut it in half, add onions, only a little relish (it is full of sugar), mustard, and forget the ketchup, which is full of sugar and sodium too.\u00a0 You shouldn’t be eating too much in the middle of a round anyway – it makes you sluggish. \u00a0 If you can eat the dog\u00a0without the bun, do so.\u00a0 The buns are usually made with white flour, have virtually no nutritional value, and contain too many carbohydrate (not the good kind either) calories.\u00a0 If you must have chips, opt for baked instead of regular, or even pretzels.\u00a0 As for pop, drink water, because pop dehydrates and you can also do without the 10 or more teaspoons of sugar per 12 ounces.\u00a0 Forget lemonade, sweetened tea (sorry Arnold), or Energy drinks.\u00a0 Those have even more sugar and caffeine.\u00a0 And especially, don’t drink Diet-anything.\u00a0 Believe nothing that you read about artificial sweeteners being safe or harmless.\u00a0 They actually fool your metabolism into craving even more<\/em> sweet stuff – and you add weight.\u00a0 As for their safety, you be the judge.\u00a0 Google this:\u00a0 aspartame, 1982, and the FDA to read the story of what went on to approve these food additives.<\/p>\n

Burgers<\/strong>:\u00a0 Wendy\u2019s quarter-pound burger has a lot of veggies on it as opposed to McDonald\u2019s Quarter Pounder with Cheese or a Big Mac.\u00a0 Burger King\u2019s Whopper has the veggies, but also slathers on about 150 fat calories worth of mayo.\u00a0\u00a0 Opt out of the mayo on any burger and stay with mustard and ketchup.\u00a0 Better yet, forego the ketchup to save about 100 more calories of sugar and sodium.\u00a0 Best, I think, is a Happy Meal, or a double regular burger from the Dollar menu.\u00a0 Everything is smaller and you won\u2019t tend to overeat.<\/p>\n

Buffalo Wings or Tenders<\/strong>:\u00a0 Actually, these aren\u2019t too bad if you can get real chicken instead of the pressed meat kind.\u00a0 As an appetizer, they can pack a protein wallop, which is a good start to your meal and will slow you down from eating more food.\u00a0 Go easy on the sauce if possible though I know it makes the meal.\u00a0 Even better: ditch the crispy coating.<\/p>\n

Pasta<\/strong>:\u00a0 You normally wouldn\u2019t consider this as fast food, but considering Italian is the most popular ethnic food, chances are you may visit Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill or your favorite Italian spot more than you think.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Pasta can be a sneaky diet killer if you overload the meat sauce, bread and butter, and consume salads with tons of dressing loaded with sugars.\u00a0 A plate of\u00a0pasta can easily top 1100 calories.\u00a0 Best bet?\u00a0 Order Marinara sauce (no meat) and order meatballs on the side, which you can consume or take half of it home for later.\u00a0\u00a0 Whole grain noodles are preferable to the usual white-flour-based types.<\/p>\n

BBQ Ribs<\/strong>:\u00a0 Here\u2019s an interesting one.\u00a0 We know ribs are high in calories and fat, with a half-slab<\/em> running about 1000 calories (yep!!) not to mention all the other goodies that come with it, like fries, slaw, and garlic toast.\u00a0 Instead of a sweet, sugary BBQ sauce, check out a Memphis-style dry rub version, which practically cuts the calories in half or more.\u00a0 Then, if you must, order a bit of sauce on the side, and put it on sparingly.\u00a0 You\u2019ll still get the flavor.<\/p>\n

Chicken<\/strong>:\u00a0 Poultry is always a good choice but you still must be careful.\u00a0 A simple grilled or broiled chicken is great but start adding sauces or breading to it like Marsala, BBQ, Parmesan, or cream sauces, and the fat and calories will rack up.\u00a0 Again, if you must, order the sauce on the side and dip.\u00a0 Think about sprinkling lemon or lime juice with herbs and some sea salt, and you\u2019ll be pleasantly surprised at how good it tastes.\u00a0 Chicken fajita dishes are usually winners….if you can go easy on the tortillas, which are usually made with white flour or corn.<\/p>\n

French Fries<\/strong>:\u00a0 Ideally, a baked potato is best.\u00a0 But since you often don\u2019t have that option, if potato wedges are offered in addition to fries, take those.\u00a0 More potato, less exposure to the oil.\u00a0 KFC wedges are about 260 calories compared to Wendy\u2019s or Arby\u2019s fries, which are between 400-500 for a small.<\/em><\/p>\n

Salads:<\/strong> Try to go for simple vegetable salads and avoid the premium versions with all the fancy names and ingredients, like the Asian, Caesar, and Cobb.\u00a0 Greek is usually good, packed with veggies, Feta cheese, and beets.\u00a0 If\u00a0an oil and vinegar combo is offered, take it.\u00a0 All the other dressings have additives and extra sugars.\u00a0 Newman\u2019s Own is a good choice if you must take a packaged dressing.\u00a0 Low-fat\/Fat free dressings are not the panacea you think:\u00a0 they have added sugar and chemicals.\u00a0 And, you do need some fats for your digestive system to properly absorb your food.<\/p>\n

Pizza:<\/strong> Yes, you can have healthy versions.\u00a0 Ditch the pepperoni and sausage and choose ham (or not) and every vegetable you can stand.\u00a0 Opt for the thin crust versus the thick and you\u2019ll save over 100 calories per slice.\u00a0 Stay away from the garlic butter crusts, or the cheese stuffed crust versions, which only add extra fat.\u00a0 You\u2019ll get all the fat you need from the cheese.\u00a0 Some restaurants have Fit and Healthy versions but before you order those, ask specifically what is in them.\u00a0 Often the \u2018Healthy and Fit\u2019 moniker is attached to food as a marketing ploy to get you to buy it, usually spending more money, and not getting any true benefits.<\/p>\n

Ice Cream<\/strong>:\u00a0 OK, OK, I know you eat it, so let\u2019s take a look.\u00a0 Breyers brand does a pretty good job of keeping the ingredient list short with lower fats and sugars. \u00a0However you may not find this on the road so now you\u2019re faced with frozen yogurt or smoothies.\u00a0 These are not my faves because we can\u2019t control how much sugar goes into them.\u00a0 And it\u2019s a LOT.\u00a0 Best advice, get the smallest size you can, even a junior, without the dippers or add-ons, which are simply sugar, sugar, sugar.<\/p>\n

And remember:\u00a0 calories DO count.\u00a0 Downsize what you order and soon you\u2019ll find that regular portions are way too much to eat.\u00a0 You won\u2019t want them anymore.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It comes as no surprise that fast food isn\u2019t optimal for good health.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 On road trips, it often cannot be… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":783,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1496,2227,9,18],"tags":[674,852,3718,355375],"class_list":["post-781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-fun-and-fitness","category-fairmont-hotels","category-golf","category-lifestyle","tag-fairmont","tag-mayakoba","tag-food","tag-caddie-special"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/24\/2011\/02\/GC-food-Sandwich.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=781"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/781\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1537,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/781\/revisions\/1537"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/janinajacobs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}