What's For Lunch? Tips for Athletes

What’s For Lunch? 

Ideas for our Athletes

Lunchtime is an important part of the day.

Why? It helps fuel our metabolism and assists our body in giving it enough energy to make it through the rest of the day. 

However, it can be hard to know what to pack - for you our your little one - especially with school back in play.

See below some of our favorite lunch tips on packing a high-performance meal:

1.     Look at macronutrients and micronutrients. Our macronutrients are protein, carbs, and fat. Our micronutrients are vitamins, minerals, and fiber. We always recommend aiming to get in some protein, carb, fat, and fiber at each meal. During training season, look for higher carb meals for more sustained energy. Otherwise, shooting for a balance is key. This can look as easy as: a turkey (protein) sandwich (carbs) with cheese (fat), tomatoes (fiber), and lettuce (fiber) with a banana (fiber/carbs) and chips/crackers (carbs). See below under lunch ideas for some of our other favorites.

2.     Always pack extra. Our bodies change their needs on a daily basis meaning if you ate the same thing every day, your body would not be satisfied. This depends on activity level and mental energy expended throughout the day. We are also not accustomed to eating the same types of food every day; we would simply get bored or burnt out from these foods. We always recommend to overpack lunch to add variety, give options, and to have leftovers for snacks throughout the day. 

3.     Listen to your body.  Our bodies innately know what is best for us meaning your body will tell you when it is past the point of hunger. This will be a physical response such as stomach growling, headache, or dizziness. Our bodies digest food every 2-4 hours so if we have not consumed anything over 4 hours, you will start to feel these cues. Lunch is a good time to check in with your body in regard to these cues. 

4.     Always pack fat. Fat is essential meaning our bodies recognize fat as an essential part of our diet. Fat also helps our bodies stay satiated or full. Between training and school schedules, our body tends to require more nutrients and fats are a great addition. Some great fat sources are dairy products, nuts/seeds, avocado, beans/lentils, hummus, oils, butters, and dressings/dips/sauces.

5.     Consume fluids. Our bodies are made up of 60-70% water meaning fluids are a must in not only training but also fueling our body for energy and nutrients. Lunch is a great time to add in fluids such as water, milk, or juice products. We encourage sports drinks to be used on performance days or during actual performances/events.

6.     Adjust portion sizes to training schedule. This is where the plate method can be a helpful visual. If you are in light training mode or the management stage, I encourage half of your plate to be fruits/vegetables with ¼ of your plate protein and ¼ of your plate grains. On intense training days or performance days, consume half of your plate in grains with ¼ of your plate as protein and ¼ vegetables.

Lunch Ideas

Sandwiches/Wraps

·      Turkey and cheese wrap with avocado, hummus, lettuce, and tomato. Side of chips/crackers and fruit of choice or applesauce/juice

·      PB&J sandwich. Side of yogurt with berries and granola and baby carrots

·      Tuna or chicken salad sandwich with lettuce and mayonnaise. Side of chips/crackers and fruit of choice or applesauce/juice

·      Peanut butter and banana wrap with granola and honey. Side of cucumber slices with ranch dressing and chips/crackers.

Bento Box

*If buying, one of my favorite brands is Bentgo as you can remove the container and place in the fridge or freezer overnight

·      Summer picnic: Pasta/orzo salad, cut up vegetables, crackers, cheese cubes, berries, chocolate covered pretzels

·      Cheese tray: cut up cheeses, salami or pepperoni, dried fruits, nuts/seeds, favorite dip, veggies, crackers

·      Dip box: hummus, guacamole, crackers or pita bread, sliced up cucumbers and carrots, berries, sliced deli meat

·      Breakfast box: yogurt, granola, berries/banana slices, hard-boiled egg, crackers 

·      Pizza box: pita bread/tortillas, pesto, shredded mozzarella cheese, pepperonis, black olives

Bowls

·      Taco bowl: rice, ground beef or turkey, shredded cheese, diced up tomatoes and lettuce, tortillas on the side if in training season 

·      Mediterranean bowl: quinoa/rice, chicken, hummus, black olives, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes, feta cheese

·      Dumpling bowl: brown rice, stir-fried vegetables, dumplings (find in frozen section of grocery), side of soy sauce