Sports Nutrition: Eating Well When You’re Away From Home

By Kelly O’Boyle, RD

The food you eat the day of your event, as well as the days prior, is very important. However, if your event is out of town, it can be difficult to find healthy and familiar foods. After spending time trying several options and determining the foods that work best for you the morning of a long ride or run, you’re now left to fend for yourself outside of your kitchen and away from familiar restaurants. With some planning and an open mind, however, the challenge of finding healthy food on the road can be easily overcome.

The most important thing to remember is to stick with foods you’ve tried in training and had success with. Event day, and even the days before, is not the time to try new foods. Even if the food is not new to you, if you haven’t eaten it in conjunction with training, you don’t know exactly how it will affect you. However, sticking to the same foods while on the road is easier said than done, especially if you are in a setting where you’re unfamiliar with the stores and restaurants.

Use the following tips to help you eat well while traveling:

• Don’t forget to eat! When you are driving or flying, don’t get caught up in the hustle and bustle and forget to eat. Make sure you always have something to snack on and don’t skip meals just so you make good time to your destination. Some good handy and healthy snacks include trail mix, bars, fruit, and cut up veggies such as red peppers.

• The day before a race, frequent small meals are best. However, when you are away from home and eating mostly at restaurants, this can be difficult. Split your meals right away and save some for later…or even better, share it with a friend.

• Don’t order foods that are too high in fat. If you’re not used to eating a high-fat diet, these foods can give you stomach pains. For example avoid foods with words that are typically associated with fatty preparation methods, including “fried”, “pan-fried”, “sautéed”, “crispy”, “braised”, “…in cream sauce”, “rich”, “breaded”, etc.

• Try booking a hotel room with a small fridge or renting a condo that has a kitchen. This might mean spending more money on a room, but could save money by allowing you to prepare food in your room.

• Bring as much from home as possible. If you are accustomed to eating oatmeal with raisins before a race, bring it from home. If you are used to eating a bagel, bring it from home…If it will be difficult to bring food from home, make some time to explore the local grocery store when you get to your destination, or look into the local grocery stores and restaurants in the area you will be staying before you go.

• As always, stay hydrated. This is especially important if you are flying to your destination or if your event location is at a higher altitude than where you live. An increase in altitude contributes to dehydration.

• Going out to eat and having a few drinks may also be very tempting in a new city, but remember; alcohol will dehydrate you and can also impair carbohydrate metabolism. Having a beer with a buddy isn’t going to set you back, but closing down the bar probably will; moderation is the key.

Overall, remember that planning is critical. You want to stick to a routine as much as possible. You wouldn’t start wearing a new pair of shoes on race day because you don’t know how they will affect you. The same goes for food. Stick to the foods that you’ve trained with or you might end up with side effects worse than blisters.

Kelly O'Boyle is a Registered Dietitian and a Carmichael Training Systems Coach. She received her undergraduate degrees in Exercise Science and Dietetics from the University of Nebraska and did her Dietetic Internship at the University of Nebraska Health Science Center.

© 2005, Carmichael Training Systems, Inc.