Healthy Snacks to Pack when Traveling for Sports

The Best Snacks to Take When Traveling for Sports

Written by: Samantha McCarthy, MS, RD/LDN

For most, fall sports have begun. Whether it’s football, soccer, track, field hockey, or cheerleading, traveling for games is part of every high school sport. That means long trips on the bus without any food or drinks, unless you prepare ahead of time. A quality, nutritious meal or snack is essential not only for performance at your game or meet, but also for recovery.

A pre-game meal or snack has been proven to improve performance on the field. Without proper nutrition, you may feel sluggish and tired. While your traveling to your games, competitions, and meets, it’s important to make sure you are getting adequate food and drink. Follow the tips below to pack healthy, but easy, snacks for the road:

1. Start with a good carbohydrate source. Examples would be whole grain products, fruits, and dairy.
2. Add a little protein. Before your competition or game, a little protein is good but don’t overdo it. Protein can sit in your stomach longer than carbohydrates which could cause some unwanted digestive upset during your sport. Examples of protein would be dairy (also a carbohydrate source), peanut butter, nuts, seeds, and lean proteins.
3. Stay away from high fat meals or snacks. Like excess protein, a large amount of fat will sit in your stomach for a while. It likely won’t have time to digest before your event. Again, this can cause some digestive upset and can also slow you down a bit. So stay away from the fast food drive thru before an event.

Here are some examples of easy, healthy snacks to take on the road:

• Peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread
• Whole wheat wrap with peanut butter and banana slices
• Trail mix made with nuts, seeds, dried fruit, whole grain cereal, and/or chocolate (just a little!)
• Greek, low-fat yogurt with fruit
• Yogurt and fruit smoothie
• 2 slices of turkey and 1 slice of cheese rolled around a pretzel rod
• Pretzels and hummus or peanut butter
• Greek, low-fat yogurt Parfait made with fruit and granola
• Low-fat Cottage cheese with fruit and whole grain crackers

Here are some foods that are best to stay away from before an event:

• Cupcakes, muffins, cookies, and other baked goods – these are too high in fat and unhealthy sugars
• Highly processed snacks like chips, Cheetos, beef jerky, etc.
• Large, heavy meals – stick to smaller meals and snacks so they have time to digest before you hit the field

Sports drinks, gels, gums, and similar products are beneficial right before an event, about 15-30 minutes before you start playing. If you have it too far before a game, it can cause you to crash in energy.

This Fall, as you pack all of your gear for games and competitions, don’t forget to pack a healthy snack to keep you going. Without proper nutrition, you will never be at the top of your game.