Does your diet affect your game?

[Khern]

I eat lots of red meat all the time, even when I don't really want to. I believe my northern European/ Alcoholic family background points to a need for lots of red meat and the advanced fatty acids it contains.

I've had some mild-moderate mental problems in the past, and I belive this has helped to keep me more stable.

John

[evil_twin]

You'll get a lot more quality fatty acids from eating oily fish (like Salmon or Mackrel) than you will from eating red meat.

[Khern]

I'm looking for advanced w6 fats, not w3's.

[ChicagoTroy]

Of course diet affects your game, though there's no particular reason why red meat should be a culprit. I'd be a lot more worried about stuff that causes an insulin spike.

[eisanm]

Drinking a lot of water lets me play longer without headaches and with less getting tired. Apart from that I haven't tried many things. Sugar could help for a while, too, but when you really get tired, nothing really helps.

[gol4pro]

Being an amateur bodybuilder, I have to carefully monitor what I eat.

I find music more distracting to me while playing though. I'm more relaxed, but generally play worse under the influence of music.

As far as diet-- I play great when I drink a protein shake and it's right after a really hard workout. Like 20 rep squats or something where you feel like puking but you're so insanely alert it's not even funny.

Protein shakes, nuts, and whole grains do it for me.

[vexvelour]

Ok well obviously through trying it red meat doesn't do your system well for poker. Try a salad before you play, with veggies and some meat. I always feel great after I eat a good salad.

Just a thought.

I tend to carbo load or eat a lot a few hours before a play. If i am middle of tourney, i will snack more. This way you don't have too much food trying to be digested while you are trying to concentrate.

As for meat, meat actually helps you a lot. I would stay away from poultry cause the high tryptophan levels will make you sleepy. But a nice steak before you play is actually a very good idea.

[OnlinePokerCoach]

I find that eating snacks with lots of sugar (like chocolate) hurts my game by making me more prone to mild tilt, like rushed thinking or over-aggression.

OPC