When eating out, it’s tempting to splurge on foods you wouldn’t normally select. Athletes benefit from taking in adequate carbohydrates and moderate amounts of protein, without adding too many high-fat foods. Pay particular attention to fat and fiber when it is close to competition time, as too much of either can weigh you down and contribute to an event-ruining upset stomach. Finally, plan ahead and use the following guidelines to help ensure your body is properly fueled and fully prepared to beat the competition.
In General:
Green Light:
The following terms generally indicate that a food is lower in fat and likely to be a healthier choice: broiled, steamed, poached, garden-fresh, in its own juice, tomato sauce, marinara sauce, roasted, wood-fired, stir-fried, and grilled.
Yellow/Red Light (use caution):
The following terms generally mean that a food is prepared with more fat — not a good thing — particularly if it is close to game time: au gratin, butter sauce, creamed, creamy, crispy, fried, gravy, Alfredo sauce, cheese sauce, creamy sauce, special sauce, and pan-fried.
Breakfast
Tips:
- Instead of butter, spread your toast with low-fat cottage cheese, jam, or jelly
- Ask for low-fat cream cheese with your bagel
- Look for low-fiber cereals with fat-free milk (but watch out for high-fat granolas)
- Enjoy fat-free or low-fat yogurt with a bowl of fresh fruit or blended as a smoothie
- Hot cereals such as oatmeal, grits, cream of wheat, or cream of rice with honey can warm you up on a cool morning
| INSTEAD OF: |
TRY: |
| Croissants or sweet rolls |
Pancakes, waffles, or French toast with syrup and a little butter, fresh fruit |
| Fried eggs (over easy or sunny side–up) |
Omelet, hard-boiled eggs, or scrambled eggs |
| Bacon or sausage |
Lean ham or Canadian bacon |
| Croissant, pastry, muffin |
Bagel with low-fat cream cheese |
Foods by Cuisine
American
Tips
- Avoid dishes with lots of cheese, sour cream, or mayonnaise
- Instead of fried chicken or seafood, choose baked, boiled, or grilled shrimp, fish or chicken
- Choose bread or pita pockets over croissants
- Enjoy a side salad with your sandwich, with light dressing
| INSTEAD OF: |
TRY: |
| Cream soups |
Broth-based soups with lots of vegetables, such as chicken noodle soup |
| Tuna salad or chicken salad sandwich |
Turkey, chicken, or lean beef sandwich |
| Buffalo chicken wings |
Peel-and-eat shrimp |
| Fried chicken sandwich |
Grilled chicken sandwich |
| Chicken-fried steak |
Veggie burger or turkey burger |
| French fries or potatoes and gravy |
Baked potato, potatoes without gravy, or rice without gravy; limit butter and sour cream |
| Creamy coleslaw |
Steamed vegetables or tossed salad |
| Ice cream or hot fudge sundae |
Non-fat yogurt, fruit cup, sherbet, or fruit ice |
Italian
Tips
- Enjoy pasta as a main entree rather than an appetizer
- Ask your waiter to hold the cheese and the bacon
- If you order pizza, choose thick-crust cheese pizza with extra veggies instead of meats
- Choose pasta primavera, or pastas with tomato (marinara), clam, marsala, or piccata sauces instead of sauces with lots of meat, cheese, and cream
| INSTEAD OF: |
TRY: |
| Fried calamari |
Minestrone soup |
| Cheese- or meat-filled pastas or casserole-type dishes |
Pasta primavera (with garden vegetables) or pasta with white or red clam sauce |
| Pasta with butter or cream sauces (such as Alfredo sauce) |
Pasta with marsala sauce (made with wine) or marinara sauce (made with tomatoes, onions, and garlic) |
| Scaloppine or parmigiana (floured, fried, and baked with cheese) dishes |
Marsala and piccata (made with lemon) dishes |
| Pastries such as cheese cake |
Italian ices, sorbet, gelato |
Mexican
Tips
- Ask for low-fat sour cream, or use salsa to add flavor
- Choose Veracruz or other tomato-based sauces rather than cream or cheese sauces
- If you order a tostada or taco salad, don’t eat the fried shell
- Go easy on the sour cream, cheese, and guacamole
- Go easy on the fried tortilla chips
- Ask for extra soft corn tortillas and sides of rice, black beans, or tortilla soup
| INSTEAD OF: |
TRY: |
| Flour tortillas |
Corn tortillas, low-fat flour tortillas |
| Nachos |
Grilled shrimp |
| Carnitas (fried beef or pork) or chorizo (sausage) |
Grilled fish or chicken |
| Refried beans |
Frijoles a la charra, black beans, borracho beans, and rice |
| Full-fat sour cream and cheese |
Salsa, pico de gallo, cilantro and sliced tomatoes |
| Quesadillas (filled flour or corn tortilla, usually fried) |
Chicken, shrimp, or lean beef fajitas (marinated meat grilled with onions and green peppers, served with tortillas) |
| Chalupas and tacos |
Taco salad or fajita salad without the tortilla shell |
| Flautas (fried flour tortillas stuffed with shredded meat); burritos (filled flour tortillas); chimichangas (fried burritos) |
Chicken or beef enchiladas (filled corn tortillas) with red sauce |
Submarine and other sandwich shops
Tips
- Pickles, onions, lettuce, tomato, mustard, low-fat Italian dressing, vinegar, and ketchup add flavor without a lot of added fat
- A fruit smoothie is a refreshing way to enjoy some good-for-you carbs
- Choose healthful side items, such as apple slices, yogurt, or a side salad
| INSTEAD OF: |
TRY: |
| Meatball, tuna salad, or chicken salad sandwich |
Lean meat (chicken breast, turkey, roast beef, lean ham, or veggie) sandwich with lower-fat cheese (Swiss or mozzarella) |
| Croissants or thin sandwich bread |
Sub roll, French bread, or pita bread (sub rolls have more carbs than regular sandwich bread) |
| Potato chips |
Pretzels, baked potato chips |
| Milkshake |
Juice or low-fat or fat-free milk |
Chinese
Tips
- Choose entrees with lots of vegetables
- Substitute chicken for duck, when possible
- Skip the crispy fried noodles
- Jum (poached), kow (roasted), and shu (barbecued), are all healthy ways of preparing foods
| INSTEAD OF: |
TRY: |
| Egg rolls or fried wontons |
Wonton, egg drop, or hot-and-sour soup |
| Fried entrees |
Boiled, broiled, steamed, or lightly stir-fried entrees, steamed dumplings |
| Dishes with fried meats |
Dishes with lots of vegetables |
| Dishes with cashews and peanuts |
Dishes with water chestnuts |
| Fried rice |
Steamed rice |
| Crispy fried noodles |
Sweet and sour sauce, soy sauce, plum or duck sauce |
Japanese
Tips
- Ask that sauces be served on the side
- Avoid foods that are fried, battered, or breaded
- Add healthy carbs with steamed rice
- Use ponzu, rice-wine vinegar, wasabi, and ginger for flavor
| INSTEAD OF: |
TRY: |
| Vegetable tempura (lightly battered and fried vegetables) |
Steamed vegetables |
| Tempura |
Stir-fried, steamed, roasted, or broiled meat or seafood entrees (for example, chicken or beef teriyaki) |
| Mayonnaise based, cream cheese, and butter-sautéed items |
Sushi (raw or cooked seafood with vegetables and rice) |
| Tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) |
Nabemono (one-pot dishes, including yosenabe); shabu-shabu (sliced beef and noodles cooked and served at the table); sukiyaki (beef and vegetables cooked in sauce) or udon (hot noodles and broth) |
| Chawan mushi (chicken and shrimp in egg custard) |
Sumashi wan (clear soup with tofu and shrimp) |
Middle Eastern/Mediterranean
Tips
- Ask for salad dressing and sauces on the side
- Phyllo pastry dishes are usually full of butter, so skip them
- Most desserts are high in fat and sugar. If you want to splurge, split one with a teammate
- For added healthy carbs, ask for extra pita and rice
| INSTEAD OF: |
TRY: |
| Meat-stuffed appetizers |
Appetizers with rice, eggplant, tabouleh (vegetable salad) |
| Fried calamari |
Dolmas (rice mixture wrapped in grape leaves) |
| Baba ganoush (eggplant appetizer) |
Tzatziki (yogurt and cucumber appetizer) or hummus (chickpea dip) |
| Moussaka (lamb and beef casserole) and other cream- or cheese-based entrees |
Roast lamb, chicken, or beef shish kebab; couscous or bulgur wheat with vegetables or chicken |
| Gyro |
Chicken shawarma |
| Spanakopita (spinach pie with egg and cheese) |
Plaki (fish cooked in tomatoes, onions, and garlic) |
| Pastries, such as baklava |
Fruit |
Fast Food
Tips
- Pickles, onions, lettuce, tomato, mustard, and ketchup add flavor without the fat
- Steer clear of fried fish sandwiches
- A baked potato can be a healthy option, but have it with low-fat sour cream instead of butter, full-fat sour cream, or cheese
- Beware of topping burgers with cheese, special (mayonnaise-based) sauce, and bacon
| INSTEAD OF: |
TRY: |
| Danish |
Bagel |
| Jumbo cheeseburgers |
Grilled chicken, sliced meats or even two regular hamburgers with lettuce, tomato, and onion |
| Fried chicken or tacos |
Grilled chicken or salad bar (but watch out for high-calorie dressings and ingredients) |
| Fried chicken pieces |
Chicken fajita pita or grilled chicken wrap |
| French fries |
Baked potato with vegetables and low-fat or fat-free sour cream |
| Potato chips |
Pretzels, baked potato chips |
| Milkshake |
100% fruit juice or a smoothie made with low-fat or fat-free milk |
Packing List
Don’t forget to pack your sports nutrition favorites. You can’t count on the local food market to have what you need. Make sure to pack up energy bars, gels, bites and chews, sports drinks, and recovery products to get your team the nutrition it needs for champion results.
We suggest:
- PowerBar® Performance Energy bars (41–45 g carbs and 8–10 g protein per bar)
- PowerBar® Fruit Smoothie Energy bars (42 g carbs and 6 g protein per bar)
- PowerBar ProteinPlus® protein bars (37–39 g carbs and 23 g protein per bar)
- PowerBar ProteinPlus® 30g protein bars (33 g carbs and 30 g protein per bar)
- PowerBar® Recovery bar (30 g carbs and 12 g protein per bar)
- PowerBar® Recovery beverage (50 g carbs and 7.5 g protein per 20 fl oz)
- PowerBar® Gel Blasts™ energy chews (45 g carbs per packet)
- PowerBar® Gels (27–28 g carbs)
- PowerBar® Nut Naturals bars (19–20 g carbs and 10 g protein per bar)
- PowerBar® Endurance sport drink (42 g carbs per 20 fl oz)
Rights of Usage Policy