Top 5 Tips for Performance Noshing-On-The-Go

Created by Karlyn Grimes, MS RD LDN CSSD⁺
(biography click here)

Whether you are a student athlete, busy working professional or pro athlete, you are intimately familiar with the constant, demanding pace of life. When we try to do it all, something has to give, but don’t let it be your fueling agenda. Take a moment to review our Klean noshing-on-the-go tips to see if you are dotting all your i’s and crossing all your t’s.

Noshing-On-The-Go Tip #5: Eat Like an Elite
No matter where you are or what you’re doing, you need to eat like an elite. If you do, performance in all areas of your life will play out in a favorable fashion. This means planning ahead and eating nutrient-dense macros. All macros – whole grain carbs, lean proteins and healthy fats – should be represented at all meals and snacks. This will ensure that you obtain a balance of the more than 30 micros, vitamins and minerals that your body requires daily. Successful elite athletes do not eliminate food groups or “diet”; rather, they fuel their bodies like machines, so they function optimally and don’t break down. There’s no time for a trip to the body shop!

Noshing-On-The-Go Tip #4: On the Road Again…
If you’re headed on the road to a competition or a business trip, do your homework. Scope out restaurants and grocery stores along the way or near your destination. Choose hotels that offer mini refrigerators or kitchenettes so you can keep a stash of healthy go-to snacks. Instead of an oversized restaurant meal every night, hit the local grocery store and grab some cheese and whole grain crackers, hummus and baby carrots, rotisserie chicken, deli meats, or hit up the salad bar (just limit the creamy salads and dressings). If you go out, search for menu items that translate to less unhealthy fats and empty calories such as baked, braised, grilled, poached, roasted and steamed instead of batter-fried, breaded, buttered, creamed, crispy or pan-fried. Additionally, be sure that you include a noteworthy source of protein to provide sustenance and to fuel all your performance-enhancing systems.

Noshing-On-The-Go Tip #3: Home Is Where The Healthy Is
When you’re home, choose a day of the week to shop and prep snacks and meals. I know, it sounds like a lot of work, but as you know from your commitment to training, you get what you put in. Make a large batch of high-protein breakfast muffins, Klean zucchini bread and Klean banana chocolate chip bread–  to freeze so some are always on hand. Prepare smoothie bags filled with your favorite ingredients so you can blend and go, pre-cut and wash a variety of colorful veggies, formulate and pre-portion trail mix into grab-and-go bags, and mix-up some lasagna, soup or chili that can be frozen into individual containers. Try outsourcing by visiting the prepared section in your local grocery store to save some precious time that you could use to train for your next event. The upshot of planning: If you have it, you will eat it!! But keep in mind that this goes for both performance-enhancing and performance-depleting foods. Make a healthy grocery list and stick to it!!

Noshing-On-The-Go Tip #2: Think Like a Squirrel
You surely have seen a squirrel grab an acorn and dash to its hideaway to stock up their fuel supply. Be a copycat!! Since you never know when life will get crazy, you must plan for the unknown to avoid “delayed” eating. Purchase healthy grab-and-go snacks and place in strategic places such as your brief case, backpack, purse, workout or travel bag, glove compartment or office drawers. Snack-sized portions of trail mix and dried fruit, dry-roasted edamame beans or chickpeas, nut butters and whole grain crackers, healthy sports bars, homemade granola bars or muffins, low-sodium soups or pouches of skip jack tuna are excellent options. If you have access to a refrigerator or dependable insulated cooler, stock it with hard-boiled eggs, cheese sticks, hummus, guacamole, salsa, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese or any other nutrient-dense favorite. These snacks will take the edge off your hunger before a workout or on your way home to dinner so you don’t arrive ravenous.

Noshing-On-The-Go Tip #1: Hydrate
When we are multitasking, fluid intake is often compromised. This can lead to fatigue, a false sense of hunger, poor concentration and overall lack of get-up-and-go. Remember, if your thirsty, you’re dehydrated. So always have a water bottle at the ready. For optimal hydration, fill your bottle with water or seltzer topped off with a splash of 100% juice or a squirt of fresh lemon or lime. You can also hydrate with tea and moderate amounts of coffee (without too many of the extras such as cream and sugar). Low-sodium veggie juice is another great option, since processed tomato products provide super-absorbable antioxidants. Also, don’t forget milk to promote muscle growth and recovery, and keep your bones in tip-top shape. Instead of water, try to add milk to oatmeal, hot cocoa, pudding and soups to get more nutritional bang for your buck. Not into dairy? Go for plant-based versions, but make sure they offer at least 6-8 grams of protein per 8-ounce serving, and 20% of the daily value for calcium and vitamin D. And last, but not least, Klean Hydration™ will keep your engine adequately lubed with carbs and electrolytes before, during and after your training sessions.^‡

Bio
Karlyn Grimes, MS RD LDN CSSD, is the founder of Simply Simple Health (SSH) and author of The Everything Anti-Inflammation Diet Book. SSH creates and administers nutrition, fitness and health education programs for athletes, educators, coaches and sports teams at schools and colleges throughout the Boston area. Its programming includes individual and group sports nutrition counseling, as well as sport-specific personal training. SSH also contributes to numerous academic textbooks and magazines.

Karlyn has a dual Master’s degree in nutrition and exercise physiology from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from Colgate University, with a minor in economics. She is a registered dietitian (RD) with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, a certified specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD) and a licensed dietitian nutritionist (LDN) in the state of Massachusetts. She is currently a faculty member in the Nutrition and Biology Departments at Simmons College in Boston, where she teaches sports nutrition, medical nutrition therapy, exercise physiology, anatomy and physiology, general biology, and numerous other courses.

⁺Our medical advisors are retained consultants for Klean Athlete.