On the Road Again: How to Choose High-performance Foods When Traveling

Suzanne Nelson Steen, D.Sc.,R.D.

Eating on the road can pose a challenge for teen athletes striving to maintain a training diet that has adequate energy, carbohydrate, protein and fluids. Before a long road trip with the team, stock up on healthy meal and snack options so your teen athlete and his teammates have the best food to fuel their bodies. Take these guidelines into consideration when choosing high-performance foods and fluids while traveling with the team.

Fluids

It’s easy to become dehydrated while traveling, especially on airplanes. To prevent dehydration:

• Drink at regular intervals throughout the day
• Keep sports drinks on hand
• Limit caffeinated beverages as they are diuretics and promote fluid loss

Pack It!

Take nutrient-dense foods along for the trip. This is especially important when traveling to a foreign country, where familiar foods may be harder to find and food-borne illness may be a concern. Pack:

• Energy bars, granola bars
• Dried or regular fruit, nuts and trail mix
• Pretzels or baked chips
• Whole-grain crackers, bagels, breads, rolls, muffins
• Peanut butter and jelly
• Cans/Packets of tuna or chicken
• Nutrition shakes

Make a trip to the local grocery store.

Round up the other moms traveling with the team to help the coach plan and prepare meals in the hotel. Most hotel rooms have microwaves and mini-fridges available, making it easier to stock up on extra foods once you reach your game-day destination. Some easy-to-prepare meals are:

Breakfast

• Bowl of cereal, milk and a banana
• Bagel with peanut butter, orange juice
• Cottage cheese, canned peaches, orange juice

Lunch

• Turkey sandwich, apple, oatmeal raisin cookies and milk
• Peanut butter and jelly sandwich, baby carrots, granola bar, cranberry juice

Dinner

• Roast beef and cheese sandwich, chocolate chip cookie, juice
• Cheese/Chicken quesadilla with salsa, lemonade
• Salad with romaine, tomatoes, carrots, tuna, cheese, apple and milk

What about low-carbohydrate choices?

Low-carb foods are everywhere — from restaurants to grocery stores to health clubs. However, these foods are usually not the best choice for teen athletes. Significantly cutting carbohydrates hurts performance by reducing speed, strength and stamina.

Quick tips:

• Athletes should fuel their bodies two to three hours before practices, events and games with a high-carbohydrate meal or snack
• Team leaders and moms can organize pregame meals for the whole team, including high-energy foods such as breads, bagel, pasta or rice
• Athletes should fill 2/3 of their plates with high-carbohydrate options for quick energy — and the rest with high-protein, low-fat items such as grilled chicken, turkey or lean roast beef
• When eating at a restaurant, athletes should look carefully at the menu to see how food is prepared. Words such as fried, crispy, creamed and au gratin all suggest high-fat content. Better choices are steamed, broiled, stir fried and poached

Food Choices

Breakfast

Look For:

• Pancakes, French toast, waffles
• English muffins, bagels, toast with jam, low-fat cream cheese or peanut butter
• Scrambled eggs, soft-boiled egg, breakfast burrito
• Cereal (hot or cold)
• Lean meats such as Canadian bacon, ham, turkey or veggie sausage
• Low-fat yogurt, cream cheese and cottage cheese
• Low-fat muffins, fruit/oatmeal bar
• Skim or 1% milk
• Fresh fruit, fruit juice, smoothie

Limit/Avoid:

• High-fat meats such as sausage, bacon, corned beef hash
• Hash browns
• Gravy
• Doughnuts, biscuits or croissants

Lunch and Dinner

Deli Sub

Look For:

• Sandwiches with turkey, ham, roast beef, chicken
• Wraps with chicken, shrimp, fish, veggies, tofu
• Salads/salad bars — include veggies and fruit for carbohydrate. For protein include cheese, nuts, seeds, eggs, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, cottage cheese or plain tuna
• Light/fat-free mayo, light/fat-free salad dressings

Limit/Avoid:

• Sandwiches made with high-fat meats such as salami or bologna or with tuna salad
• Regular "mayo," "special sauces," regular salad dressings
• Mayonnaise-based potato or pasta salads, macaroni and cheese
• Fried chicken wings, nuggets

Asian

Look For:

• Chicken chow mein, chop suey, rice noodles
• Steamed vegetables and rice
• Stir-fry vegetables with shrimp/chicken/pork/beef, tofu
• Hot-and-sour soup, wonton soup

Limit/Avoid:

• Deep-fried items such as egg rolls, wontons, sweet-and-sour pork or shrimp
• High-fat meats such as spare ribs
• Fried chow mein noodles, fried rice
• High-fat sauces such as peanut, coconut, lobster sauce

Italian

Look For:

• Vegetarian antipasto
• Low-fat sauces such as marinara, marsala, tomato or red clam sauce
• Grilled vegetables
• Pizza with veggies, chicken, Canadian bacon
• Salads (chicken, shrimp, mixed greens, spinach)
• Spinach, mushroom tortellini
• Minestrone soup and bread sticks

Limit/Avoid:

• High-fat meats such as pepperoni or sausage
• High-fat sauces such as Alfredo, gorgonzola and pesto
• Garlic or cheese bread

Mexican

Look For:

• Chicken, shrimp, beef, pork, bean burritos, soft tacos, fajitas, enchiladas, tostados or quesadillas
• Salsa, baked tortilla chips
• Gazpacho soup, tortilla soup
• Spanish rice
• Vegetarian refried beans, black/red beans

Limit/Avoid:

• Taquitos (deep fried)
• Nachos
• Cream-based sauces (pollo a la crema)
• Guacamole, sour cream
• Refried beans with lard

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