Travelling away from home for training and competition is standard practice for most athletes and require advance planning of where, when, and how the right foods and beverages can be obtained to satisfy needs. Unfortunately, the disruptions and distractions of a new environment, changes in schedule and exposure to different foods can significantly affect usual eating habits. Make sure this doesn’t happen by trying to follow these general tips for eating on the road.
- Drink plenty of fluids while travelling sipping on fluid constantly will help you avoid dehydration.
- Avoid alcohol and other caffeine-containing beverages consumption as these beverages act as diuretic that can make you dehydrated and may also contribute to GI upset.
- Eat regularly. Carry some snacks to eat while travelling. Athletes eat more than the average passenger! Try to stick as closely as possible to your normal diet on the plane before hitting the road, pack portable healthy food items for snacks and meals. Here are some great examples:
- Whole grain crackers, bagels, breads, rolls.
- Whole canned or dried fruit.
- Whole grain cereal (mini-boxes or pack your own in containers or bags)
- Individual packages of oatmeal
- Cereal or granola bars(not chocolate covered)
- Air-popped or lower fat popcorn
- Trail mix
- Baked potato with stuffed vegetables
- Peanut butter or nut butters
- Plain water
- 100% fruit or vegetable juice (no sugar added)
- Watch out for hidden fat – Creamy soups, bread- type flaky pastries , mayonnaise-based salad dressings, and sauces in sandwiches add unnecessary fat to food .However good alternatives like consuming clear , broth-based soups instead of creamy soups may provide all the nutrients with considerably less fat . Using lemon juice – based salad dressing provide all the nutrients with considerably less fat.
- Consume grilled, boiled, baked, and broiled foods rather than fried or sautéed foods. Order a la carte (Your choice and no buffet) to get exactly what you want. Full dinners often don’t fit the way a serious players should be eating .For instance ,the grilled fish may be exactly what you want ,but the full dinner may come with mashed potatoes that are soaked in gravy , broccoli that is covered with cheese sauce , and a piece of apple pie with ice cream. The serious player should be better off with broiled fish, a plain baked potato, broccoli with lemon juice, and fresh fruit for dessert.
- When possible, request lower fat dairy products and lower- fat salad dressings.
- If you have a restriction of any kind, have a card made in the language of the country where you are travelling .The card should clearly spell out in the local language the foods that you can’t eat. Give this card to the server when eating out so there is no question about what you can eat. (Google translate can help you do this yourself, with more than 55 languages that can be translated).
