Meeting Performance Nutrition Goals When Eating Away from Your Home in Rock Hill SC

Spring Break and Summer Vacation are upon us, and we all know that traveling can make it more difficult to find and choose the most nutritious options. Follow these tips to stay on track and meet your performance nutrition goals in Rock Hill SC.

Nutrition Goals in Rock Hill SC

• Plan ahead! Prepare a travel pack with healthy snacks and beverages that support your performance eating plan, so you don't have to rely on roadside stops.
• Take a travel-friendly cooler bag to keep perishable food items safe.
• Long hours of travel can upset your digestive system. To minimize constipation, drink plenty of fluids and eat fiber-rich foods.
• When you are travelling you are not being active, so you may need to eat less than you do on training days, be mindful of how much you're eating.
• Plan ahead for your meals and stops. Work out what restaurants and food outlets are on route to your destination, and which of these will provide the best nutrition options.

Travel Pack Ideas

• Dry cereal: Whole-grain cereals (unfrosted) alone or mixed with nuts, raisins or dried fruits. Take your cereal blend with you and eat it dry if you don't have time to add milk.
• Trail Mix: Try making your own with a combination of raw or dry-roasted peanuts, almonds, walnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, dried fruit and/or cereal or popcorn. Measure out ¼ cup servings into plastic baggies to take on-the-go. Trader Joe's has a great variety of Trail Mix blends like Go Raw Trek Mix and Omega Trek Mix.
• Yogurt: Buy it plain and add your favorite fruits or low-sugar granola. Try single serving Greek yogurts like: Wallaby Organic Greek Plain, Lowfat Yogurt, Oikos Triple Zero, FAGE 0% Greek, plain, Chobani 0% non-GMO Greek Smooth and Creamy Plain.
• Natural Nut Butters (almond, cashew and peanut): Spread it on a banana, apple, rice cake, or Ezekiel sprouted bread. Make your own snack using peanut butter and whole-grain crackers.
• Fruit: Sliced or whole fresh fruit is a good choice.
• Raw vegetables: Baby carrot sticks in individual packages and cut-up, washed broccoli and cauliflower are readily available at the supermarket. Pair with snack-size container of hummus.
• Crackers, Rice Cakes: Try the whole-grain, stone-ground wheat varieties, rice crackers and/or rice cakes with nut butter and berries.
• Energy bars, protein bars and low-fat granola bars: Bars are convenient. Be sure to read the label carefully for added sugars and long ingredient lists. Try: Lara Bars, Kind Bars, Quest Bar, B-Up Bar, No-Cow Bar, Venture Bar.
• Popcorn: Snack-size microwave light versions are just the right size to take on the go. Instead of butter, try spraying popcorn with olive oil and adding spices like chili or garlic powder.
• Baked potatoes: Microwave them in minutes, and eat them hot or cold. Add cheese for protein and calcium. Don't forget sweet potatoes as an option.
• Tuna: A pull-tab can or pouch of the water-packed snack size goes well with crackers and fruit.
• Hard-Boiled Eggs (if packing a cooler) Cheese sticks and cheese cubes:Reducedfat choices are available with 5 grams or less of fat per ounce. Eat them with crackers and fruit.
• Cottage cheese: Use the snack-size, low-fat versions. Eat cottage cheese along with snacksize canned fruit or green pepper and tomato.
• Protein powder: scoop out individual servings of your favorite protein powder in zip-lock baggies to take with you; just add water or milk!
• Hydrating beverages: water, vitamin-water zero, coconut water, Emergen-C

Fast Food Ideas

• Mexican: burrito or soft tacos with grilled veggies, chicken, fish, or steak.
• Fast food: grilled chicken sandwich, hamburger, or veggie burger with tomato, and lettuce, or grilled chicken salad with oil/vinegar dressing.
• Sub sandwich restaurant: Use whole-wheat or whole-grain bread. Be sure to use lower-fat meat-and-cheese choices and reduced-fat versions of mayo. Add lettuce, tomatoes and green pepper slices to provide another food group.
• Bakery restaurant: Choose low-fat soups, a veggie sandwich or smoked turkey breast sandwich, or grilled chicken salads.
• Pizza: Add a variety of vegetables and choose Canadian bacon instead of pepperoni, sausage or the meat-lover's version.
• *If eating at restaurants, don't hesitate to ask the waiter to describe meals. Ask for less butter, sauces and dressings on the side, or ask to reduce the cream or cheese content of the meal and avoid food that is high in fat or deep-fried.

Tips to Take With You

• Choose eateries that allow substitutions, such as vegetables and fruit, when menu items do not meet your performance needs.
• Tailor your meals. Specify bake, broil, grill, roast, "on the side.
• When you arrive, organize to do a food shop for evening meals, breakfast, and snack foods for during the day.
• It is very important to keep up your fluids, drink mainly water or unflavored mineral or soda water, with occasional fruit juice if you have high energy needs.
• Don't forget to pack a drink bottle filled with water for the trip.
• Avoid alcohol as it dehydrates and avoid coffee; it is a diuretic and causes fluid loss.