Nine easy snack ideas for athletes
Proper meal planning should always carefully include healthy snacks. Snacks are particularly important for athletes who need a constant source of healthy energy.
Athletes benefit from choosing snacks that include multiple food groups to help them meet daily recommended intakes of all Five Food Groups. The following is a list of easy snack ideas for athletes. Each snack provides a source of carbohydrate (energy for athletes) and includes multiple food groups to help round out the overall diet.
• Trail Mix: Mix a whole grain (granola, toasted oat cereal or pretzels) with a protein (soy nuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts, or peanuts) and stir with a tasty dried fruit for added flavor and a nutrient boost. Try dried cranberries, blueberries, mangos, apples or raisins — each are a healthy carbohydrate source and can be found in the bulk sections of most grocery stores.
• Peanut Butter and Jelly with Chocolate Milk: Half of a peanut butter and banana (or jelly) sandwich served with a cup of chocolate milk provides a source of whole grain, protein and dairy. Adding banana to your sandwich rounds this snack out with four of the Five Food Groups.
• Bran muffins: Take a nutritious bowl of milk and cereal on the go with an easy bran muffin recipe. Check the side of a box of bran cereal or the cereal’s website for a muffin recipe. Most recipes require combining milk, egg, oil, flour, baking soda and cinnamon to the cereal to create a fiber-rich snack to go.
• Cottage Cheese: This commonly forgotten snack food can be served with a variety of mix-ins. Looking to add more fruit to your diet? Add peaches to a ¼ cup of cottage cheese (add a pinch of cinnamon for extra flavor). Or enjoy with whole grain crackers (even your favorite flavored types) which can be a delicious way to scoop cottage cheese as an afternoon snack.
• Yogurt Dip: Pre-slice an apple, strawberries, pineapple or take along grapes and your favorite berries to school. Enjoy the sliced fruit by dipping them into a regular or Greek yogurt before practice. Sliced fruits are even more tempting to eat when they are paired with a creamy yogurt. Fruit and yogurt deliver carbohydrates, and yogurt is a serving of dairy which provides protein.
• Homemade Pita Pockets: Add shaved carrots, broccoli or cauliflower, diced ham and cheese to a whole grain pita. Keep it wrapped and in a lunch bag kept cool with an ice pack (or plastic bag of ice). Enjoy cool or try heating in the microwave 1-2 minutes. Homemade wraps are delicious any time of the day.
• Cheese Skewers: Foods are more fun to eat when you eat them off of a stick. String cheese or sliced block cheese is a nutritious and filling add-in that provides protein needed by athletes. Pack a skewer full of cheese and vegetables or try them dissembled in a bag in your chilled lunch sack.
• Greek Yogurt: Greek yogurt’s high protein content makes it a perfect snack for athletes. Remember to choose a yogurt that provides some carbohydrate, as well. Greek yogurt will provide energy and help fill you up, staving off hunger. Don’t like the taste quite yet? Opt for regular yogurt (it, too, provides protein) or try adding your own fruit or honey to the yogurt for a different taste.
• Oatmeal: Keep bags or packages of pre-measured oatmeal in your backpack for a quick snack anytime. Mix dried oatmeal with milk and cook in the microwave as a pre-practice snack.
