Meals on the road

Travelling for training purposes or competition is a standard practice for most of the sportsmen. Players need to take right nutrition decisions to keep defined sport goals. For most of them it is a great challenge. Long breaks during meals, lower availability of favourite products can affect disturbance of a standard day schedule. How to cope in this kind of situations?

Main strategy is to minimize the discomfort connected with the travel due to limited access to “favourite” products, changes of schedule and at the same time meal hours and their quantity. The key to success is planning and preparing meals before the travel. The meals in “the young sportsman travel” are responsible for providing:

 - Carbohydrates: They are a special part of each meal, have a big importance in meals eaten around the training time. More about the meals eaten around the training time you can read HERE.
-  Proteins: They are provided in a smaller amount before training and after training for regeneration purposes.

- Fats: Healthy fats should be a part of each meal in order to provide energy for a young organism.
- Liquids: To keep proper hydration and to compensate post-training losses.  More about the importance of liquids and their quantity in a diet of a young sportsman you can read HERE.


Additionally, they should follow the safety precautions. Gastrointestinal problems are a common occurrence, especially while travelling abroad. Adoption of food safety rules (storing food in containers with cooling pads or in portable fridges) as well as respecting hygiene rules contribute to reducing the risk of infection and disease.

Pack your meals on the road– examples of meals:
To a small portable fridge/ Food containers with cooling pads pack:

- Graham/wholemeal bread sandwich with chicken/turkey breast with avocado and vegetables: salad, tomatoes (without skin), hummus with wholemeal crackers, fruit salad with natural yoghurt.
- Chicken/salmon salad with couscous and vegetables (tomatoes, olives, zucchini), muesli bar, fruit cocktail with yoghurt, walnuts
- Tortilla with lean ham (turkey/chicken fillet), spinach, parmesan and dry cranberry, stracciatella yoghurt (natural yoghurt with a spoonful of cacao) with strawberries.

- Sandwiches with peanut butter and jam, celery sticks with hummus, slices of orange, chocolate milk

Snacks: fruit, dry fruit, chocolate milk, muesli bars, nuts and seeds, fruit juice, natural yoghurt, homemade popcorn, biscuits, fresh-cut vegetables (celery, carrot).