Featured Student:Eating Right on the Road

By Sydney Messick

This past weekend, we had our first cross country meet of the season and I was reminded of how difficult it can be to eat well away from home! Being on the road means eating out for several meals and dealing with sometimes limited hotel breakfast selections. While these can be a fun change from the normal routine, I find that I feel much better and more energized if I have a plan for balanced eating in place.

First of all, I get really bored and “snack-y” when we’re driving or flying to our destination. So, rather than resort to eating whatever treats I may be able to find on the bus or in a gas station/vending machine, I make sure to pack some healthy snacks just in case. Fruits and veggies are a good choice because they fill you up, keep you occupied, and are relatively low in calories. While trail mixes, cereals, whole grain crackers, and granolas are healthy snacks, the portion sizes are also small and believe me…if I sit down with a bag of trail mix, I’m probably going to eat a lot more than 1 handful! Drinking lots of water is important too because it’s easy to get dehydrated when you’re traveling.

The next challenge is restaurant eating. When we travel, I like to take advantage of the opportunity to eat out because it’s a treat that I don’t get very often! However, I also don’t want to be feeling miserable because I ate way more than I normally would. We usually hit an Italian restaurant to load up on pasta the night before a race, but as with any restaurant, the large portions they serve are a bit much. Some things I recommend are:

• Check the menu online in advance
• Ask for a half portion or lunch portion – it’s usually cheaper too! 
• At places like Italian restaurants where all you get is a big pile of pasta, ask if you can get a side of steamed vegetables to round out your meal. It usually isn’t a problem, but I will say that I’ve been more impressed with what I get at some restaurants than others.

The next obstacle is breakfast. Most hotels have a continental breakfast, but you never know what you’re going to get. We’ve been to hotels that charged an arm and a leg for even a bagel and some that didn’t offer much more than sugar-laden pastries. Therefore, I always come prepared. 

• I scout out the hotel online to see what they offer and look for any nearby grocery stores just in case
• Pack some bread or bagels, oatmeal, fruit, peanut butter, plastic utensils, etc. 
• A little cooler can be a life saver because you never know if there will be a mini fridge in your room or not

Before we left last week, I made some oatmeal at home and put it in a plastic container in my cooler. The next morning, I stirred in some yogurt and a banana and had a healthy, filling breakfast and it was one less thing to worry about before my race.

So, those are some of my strategies for making sure I keep up a balanced diet when we’re on the road. Nutrition is especially important when traveling for competition, but it’s important to keep up a balanced diet no matter where your travels take you. Balancing out the fun indulgences is important because trips just aren’t as fun when you’re loaded down from tons of heavy meals and a random eating schedule. 

Now I want to hear from you! What are some ways you try to balance things out when you’re away from home?