Fueling Snacks to Bring in the Car for Summer Trips

Athletes travel a lot in the summer. Whether it is for a slew of training sessions, races and competitions or just tooling around with family, it is not uncommon to put major miles on your tires. While traveling can be a lot of fun, it can also be quite stressful for athletes trying to keep to a fueling plan that nourishes them, assists with recovery and perhaps aids in body composition changes. Here are some great snacks to keep "on board" during your travels:

**About 2-3 days ahead of your trip, sit down with these options and make a shopping list to take with you to the store so you will be ready to go!

Equipment you need:

Cooler - small and large options, depending on the length of the trip

Ice packs - for shorter trips

Bags of ice - for longer trips

Large tote for storage of shelf-stable food

Sandwich bags - for portioning out bulk snacks into smaller bags

Snack options for the cooler:

Greek yogurt

Cheese sticks

1/2 gallon or individual containers of milk

Lunch meat (uncured is best)

Slices of cheese for sandwiches

Block cheese

Hard boiled eggs

Already "cut" veggies: baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, sugars snap peas, mini sweet peppers

Snack options that are shelf-stable:

Granola bars: both high protein (10-20gm protein per bar) and low protein (less than 10 gm), depending on if you will combine with a protein source

Fresh fruit

Lean jerky

Whole grain crackers

Whole wheat bread

Whole wheat English muffins and/or bagels

Peanut butter, natural

Jelly, jam and/or honey

Dried fruit

Nuts, lightly salted

Seeds, lightly salted

Shelf-stable chocolate, white milk or soy milk (if cooler not an option)

At snacks, combine a source of carbohydrate (fruit, dairy or grains) with a source of protein (nuts, seeds, dairy, meat). Note that some foods, such as dairy, contain a bit of both, while other foods need to be combined with another food to get both nutrients. By using the list above, you will be ready for your travels, fueling in style!

Your Nutrition Coach,

RDKate

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