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Eating on the road

When traveling to competitions, particularly to foreign countries, it is easy to lapse in your "athlete's diet". Fast food places and rink concession stands are generally not exactly what one would call models of healthy eating. BUT, that doesn't mean that it's impossible to eat healthy at competitions.

NOTE: Vegetarian athletes might be interested in the new Traveling Vegetarian page on this site.

Breakfast

AT THE HOTEL OR A RESTAURANT: Your hotel might offer a contintental breakfast. Go for it. Non-sugary cereals and fruits are excellent, but it's also a good idea to include some proteins such as eggs, peanut butter, cottage cheese, Canadian bacon, or lean sausage in moderate amounts, along with yogurt or milk. Bagels or English muffins are good for carbohydrates, especially if you can get your hands on the whole-grain varieties. Peanut butter is a better choice for spreading than plain butter. Pancakes are okay as long as you apply butter or syrup sparingly. Low fat muffins are a decent choice as well.

FAST FOOD: Ask for eggs and a low-fat muffin, or for cereal, milk, and juice. Sausage should be okay as long as you don't overdo it. Toast and peanut butter, or whole grain bagels, et cetera, may be available at some establishments. Some places might even offer Canadian bacon or egg substitutes for leaner sources of protein.

AT THE RINK: It's not recommended to eat breakfast at the rink, since breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but if worse comes to worse, most concession stands offer bagels and fruit. They might even have peanut butter for you.

BRINGING YOUR OWN: Many hotels rooms provide you with a personal coffee maker... excellent for heating water to make your own oatmeal if you bring instant oatmeal packets from home (or in a microwave if your room has one). If your room comes with a refrigerator, you might want to think about buying some of your own yogurt, cheese, or milk, at a local grocery store. (If your room doesn't have a fridge, here's a tip from personal experience: leaving perishable food on the windowsill to keep it cold, even in late February, is not such a good idea.) Many hotels give you access to milk at your continental breakfast; if this is the case, you could even bring along some of your own Carnation Instant Breakfast or other "meal shake" mixes.

Lunch and dinner

AT THE HOTEL OR A RESTAURANT: Sit-down restaurants may be able to give you something broiled, stir-fried, or grilled instead of fried...it's a good idea to ask. If the restaurant serves breakfast all day long, you might even be able to get an egg white omelet. Room service, albeit expensive, still might also offer some healthier choices. If you are absolutely stuck with fried chicken, it's probably a good idea to remove the skin. Salads are a great choice if you can get a lower fat dressing, or apply it sparingly (dressings usually contain "good fats," as well as some vitamin E, so don't forgo it altogether). For pasta, think marinara and tomato-based sauces instead of butter, alfredo, or other cream-based sauces. And no matter what your meal choice is, be sure to also get in a good source of protein such as lean beef, eggs, cottage cheese, chicken, pork, or beans-and-rice.

FAST FOOD: These places usually offer salads and soups and the like, and as long as you don't eat burgers and fries at EVERY meal on your trip, the occassional trip to McDonalds, Jack in the Box, or Burger King is okay. A lot of these places also offer some healthier alternatives... baked potato instead of fries, grilled chicken sandwich instead of chicken nuggets, etc. Almost any decent fast food place has some offering of salad or vegetables (I'm all for going to Wendy's and asking for some broccoli on the side.) For some, Subway is a skater's staple during competition travel.

AT THE RINK: Some rink concession stands offer sandwiches, salads, and fruit, and some might even have a decent assortment vegetables. (It's rare, but it happens). It's ok to have pizza, a hamburger, or a hot dog, but don't make it a habit.

BRING YOUR OWN: If your hotel has a microwave, consider bringing some odds and ends or familiar "staple foods" with you, such as Easy Mac, microwaveable soups, et cetera. If you also have a refrigerator, you might be able to shop at a local grocery store for some deli meats, milk, yogurt, cheese, and salad fixings. (Again, don't put your perishables on the windowsill!) If you like meal replacement bars, these will do in a pinch, but they are not recommended to replace every meal. (See eating on the run for more details.)

Snacks

It's probably a good idea to pack your own healthy snacks in your skate bag, as rink food is often unhealthy, overpriced, and sometimes just plain disgusting. Here you will find a very extensive list of suggested snacks to bring along to competitions.

If you have to get a snack at the rink, choose some fruit, vegetables, or low-fat pretzels if available. Soft pretzels aren't too bad, either, but beware of too much salt... the last thing you want is to dehydrate yourself prior to competition.

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