Writing about proper nutrition for optimal sports performance could fill up an entire book. Instead I want to focus on ways to eat healthier when traveling for sporting events.

I’m sure you are familiar with the challenge of finding quick, affordable meals that are healthy and allow optimal performance. All of us know or remember the team bus stopping at a group of fast food restaurants, the coach handing each player a small amount of money, and the only advice given was what time to return.

You don’t have to eat fast food on the road, and you shouldn’t eat it. There are far better options to eat healthier when traveling that will help your sports performance.

Sit-down meals at restaurants should be your goal instead of greasy, fatty foods at fast food restaurants. They generally offer healthier options and better variety. Plus they offer high-carbohydrate foods like breads, pasta and potatoes, which are essential when playing multiple games in a weekend.

Plan ahead and pack snacks and recovery foods. These snacks can be individually packaged and therefore portable while still being affordable and optimizing performance. Examples include bags of fruit, fruit cups, granola bars, cereal bars, and other energy bars. Peanut butter sandwiches are quick and effective recovery foods because they provide carbohydrates with the bread and protein with the peanut butter.

Also read:
Tips for eating well on the road

The next time you or your kids have a sports competition out of town, don’t choose fast food. Instead, make the same choices professional athletes do. Eat at healthy restaurants and bring cheap and healthy snacks and recovery foods.