Healthy Poker Part I: Nurturing your game
By: EDUARDO SOLANO

Teaser: Even though poker is not a physical sport, it requires players who play it seriously to be in top shape: the better their health is, the better they will play.

Chips, moves and body language are just part of what poker is about: if players only worry about the action on the table, then they may have to worry about decreasing luck and strategy, many bad beats and possibly ill health later. More and more evidence suggests that poker players who focus on maintaining their health have more chances to develop their poker ability, and that their success is mostly due to their choices in nutrition and physical activity.

In this first part of the series Healthy Poker, we will not only talk about the benefits of nurturing your body for good health but also nurturing your brain for good poker.

Throughout time, nutrition has become not only a science, but also the source of different social trends and dysfunctions when it comes to the relationship between humans and food.

With the development of technology and competition between industries, food gradually became a social phenomenon, causing alarming rates of obesity and efforts from medical authorities to control and educate consumers for a wiser and healthier relationship with food. According to Audrey Morris in her book Effect of Processing on Nutrient Content of Foods,

“In any known profit-driven economy, health considerations are hardly a priority; effective production of cheap foods with a long shelf-life is more the trend. In general, whole, fresh foods have a relatively short shelf-life and are less profitable to produce and sell than are more processed foods. Thus the consumer is left with the choice between more expensive but nutritionally superior whole, fresh foods, and cheap, usually nutritionally inferior processed foods.”

At the same time, the social implications of obesity have given birth to a number of psychological diseases related to food, such as bulimia, anorexia, binge disorder and chronic depression. Yo-yo dieting, low or no-carb diets, fasting, and calorie restriction dominate current visual marketing: weight-loss stories and strategic advertising have boosted the sales of countless quick-fix products for weight management, from companies that assure you weight loss through pills to cosmetic bands that claim to melt your body fat.

However, the true secret for healthy nutrition relies on the basics of understanding what nutrients are good for the body and for the brain and what amount of them should be eaten to maintain good health. Healthy nutrition is basic and has been always been available. Several sources conclude that depending on gender, physical activity and height, an average diet for losing weight ranges from 2000 to 3000 calories, distributed as follows: 40% carbohydrates (vegetables fruits and whole, non processed grain products), 30% protein (animal meat and dairy) and 30% fat (oils, nuts and avocados, not mayo, lard, butter or margarine). Fiber and water are the main ingredients for a healthy digestive tract and overall health. Processed, junk and sweet foods should be occasionally consumed but not eliminated if anxiety or bingeing occurs due to their restriction. People who stick to these basics will not only reach nutritional health but also maintain it.

Nutritionists or physicians should be consulted when unsure of what dietary program to follow, since they are more likely to give you more accurate and safe advice.

Knowing the basics for a well-balanced diet for your body, it is time to go deeper into using nutrition for better mental performance, which may likely improve your poker results.

When nurturing your poker brain, you should worry about including foods that aid in tackling the following areas: concentration, energy, memory and reaction.

To improve concentration. According to several reliable sources, iron-rich foods (beef, fish, chicken, shellfish, beans), vitamin C-rich foods (fresh fruit juice, tea with lemon, salads with lemon-based dressing) and 2 liters of water a day aid in improving mental concentration. Eating a healthy breakfast based on low-fat dairy, whole-grain carbohydrates and fruit is essential for good concentration throughout the day. Minimize the use of stimulants like sugar or caffeine, as they boost mental function only temporarily, producing lethargy, mood changes and exhaustion shortly after. Caffeine is also a diuretic, which causes dehydration and interferes with the beneficial effects of water.

To improve energy and productivity. For enduring long periods of poker sitting, players can maintain a more steady energy level when eating the following foods: eggplant with skin, raisins, lima and kidney beans, corn, figs, tuna and cod fish, spinach, chicken, turnip greens, green beans, hummus, whole-wheat pita bread, peanut butter, honey, walnuts, sunflower seeds, lemons, sage, salmon, shrimp, turkey, mustard greens, dill, plums, sweet potatoes, papaya, pears, lentils, oatmeal, peas, apples, oranges and cauliflower.

To improve memory. Since diabetes is one of the major diseases to cause severe memory loss, eating foods like whole grains, vegetables and fruits on a daily basis helps prevent both conditions. Other memory boosting foods include cantaloupe, blueberries, asparagus black currants, kale, sardines, olive oil, flax oil and sweet potatoes. Coffee in small quantities is also known to help in memory function.

To improve appropriate reaction-decisions and learning ability. Do not eat a large meal before a game, since mental sharpness will diminish. Go to the game mildly hungry, and if you get too hungry during the game, take a small brain-food snack break. A study made at Yale’s comparative medicine program concluded that the stomach produces a hormone called ghrelin when empty, which improves learning, memory and spatial analysis. However, don’t go as far as feeling hunger pains, which can be distracting and detrimental for healthy brain function.

Supplements are helpful for all nutritional programs, but there is no scientific evidence that they are essential for good health. According to Noralyn L. Wilson, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association (ADA), “There's a place for supplements and nutrients, but they're not substitutes for whole foods.”

Therefore, in order to play your best, stick to a regimen that nourishes your abilities and avoid substituting meals with supplements, since they can lack the mental benefits for poker performance.

About Us:

This article was published courtesy of ThisIsTheNuts.com. This Is The Nuts (www.thisisthenuts.com) is a rakeback site devoted to giving online poker players the most competitive financial rewards for their play and rakeback referrals, as well as monthly promotions and freerolls. We are proud to offer 24/7 online support. TITN is available in English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Swedish and Russian.

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