Student athletes lead hectic lives, often juggling practices before and after school, along with traveling long distances for games or meets, sometimes returning home late at night. Providing balanced and appealing meals and snacks that fulfill their nutritional needs can be a challenge. Include various food groups like grains, lean protein, low-fat dairy, as well as fruits and vegetables. If the meal includes perishable items such as lunch meat, eggs, cheese, yogurt, or cut fruits and veggies, ensure they are kept cold with ice packs and stored in a cooler or insulated lunch bag. Here are ideas:
| Protein | Dairy | Grains | Fruits | Vegetables |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerky | String cheese | Whole grain crackers | Fresh fruit - apples, bananas, oranges, grapes, berries | Cucumber slices |
| Hard-boiled eggs | Yogurt | Dry cereal | Dried fruit - raisins, cranberries, apricots, mango | Carrot or celery sticks |
| Nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashew, peanuts) or peanut/nut butters | Cottage cheese | Rice cakes | 100% fruit juice | Bell pepper slices |
| Seeds - sunflower, pumpkin | Plain or flavored milk | Pretzels | Freeze dried fruit | Cherry or grape tomatoes |
| Lunch meat | Sliced cheese | Granola bars | Applesauce | Sugar snap peas |
Combine food groups to build satisfying snacks. Be creative! Here are suggestions to get you started:
- Tortilla topped with peanut butter or nut butter and banana slices
- Trail mix made with nuts, seeds, dried fruit and whole grain cereal
- Yogurt with fresh or frozen berries and granola
- Turkey or ham and a slice of cheese rolled around a pretzel rod
- Vegetables with hummus or ranch dressing
- Apple with peanut butter or nut butter
- Turkey, ham and/or cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread
- Low-fat cottage cheese with fruit and crackers
- Fruit smoothie made with yogurt or milk (works well to freeze ahead of time and let thaw in a cooler)
- Energy bites (see recipe below)
Recipes
