Making wise food selections is important for athletes because doing so can positively impact training and competitive performance. However, traveling can often make it difficult to consistently make the right food choices. In this issue of Gatorade Sports Performance News, we asked Dr. Suzanne Nelson Steen, the Director of Sports Nutrition Services at The University of Washington, to provide some practical suggestions for eating wisely on the road.

We hope you find this information useful.

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 athletes striving to maintain a training diet that has adequate energy, carbohydrate, protein and fluids. Here are some guidelines for choosing high-performance foods and fluids while traveling.

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

• Drink at regular intervals throughout the day.
• Carry sports drinks and water with you.
• Limit caffeinated and alcoholic beverages as they are diuretics and promote fluid loss.

Back to Top

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:

• Sports 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

Back to Top

Make a trip to the local grocery store.
Meals can be made in a hotel room if there is a microwave and refrigerator available. Some easy-to-prepare meals are:

Breakfast		Lunch		Dinner
Bowl of cereal, milk and a banana Bagel with peanut butter, orange juice Cottage cheese, canned peaches, orange juice		Turkey sandwich, apple, oatmeal raisin cookies, and milk Peanut butter and jelly sandwich, baby carrots, granola bar, cranberry juice		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

Back to Top

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 athletes. Significantly cutting carbohydrates hurts performance by reducing speed, strength and stamina.

Back to Top

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 can organize pre-game meals for the whole team, including high-energy foods like 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.

Suzanne Nelson Steen, D.Sc. ,R.D., is the Director of Husky Sports Nutrition Services for the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Back to Top